Pechorin as a social and psychological type. Principles for creating his image in the novel. Image of Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin. Psychological characteristics of the main character of the novel “A Hero of Our Time”

Topic: Image of Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin. Psychological characteristics the main character of the novel "A Hero of Our Time".

Goals: to form the concept of Pechorin as a literary hero, to develop the ability to draw up a psychological portrait based on his actions; develop students’ logical thinking, the ability to work in pairs; cultivate moral values, students’ attitudes: the ability to be responsible for their words and actions to themselves and society.

Literary theory: novel, main character, portrait, psychological portrait, diary, hero.

Equipment: text of the novel, epigraph, video clip “Pechorin’s Monologue” from the film, photo actors playing the roles of the main characters of the novel (1965, 2006), test tasks, diagram “Pechorin’s Character Traits”, comparative “Circles”.

Lesson type: combined, research lesson.

“And for you, Pechorin is a hero?”

Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky

Lesson progress:

І Organizational moment

II Update background knowledge

Repetition literary concepts novel, main character, portrait, psychological portrait for use in the lesson.

Test tasks

1. The title of Maxim Maksimych.

a) Staff captain; b) lieutenant; c) private.

2. How old was Azamat?

a) 15; b) 20; c) 10.

3. How did Kazbich take revenge for Karagyoz?

a) Killed Bela; b) killed Azamat; c) killed Bela's father.

4. The reason for the duel between Pechorin and Grushnitsky.

a) Grushnitsky slandered Mary; b) Pechorin’s date with Vera; c) Grushnitsky found out that Mary loves Pechorin.

5. How old is Pechorin?

a) 18; b) 25; c) 40.

6. How did Bela die?

a) Kazbich shot; b) Pechorin shot; c) Kazbich stabbed to death with a dagger.

7. What dances did Pechorin dance with Mary?

a) waltz; b) mazurka; c) square dance; d) cotillion.

8. Why did Vulich die?

a) shot himself; b) hacked to death by a drunken Cossack; c) in a duel.

9. Who is Werner?

a) Vera’s husband; b) friend of Pechorin; c) friend of Grushnitsky.

10. What did Azamat ask Kazbich in exchange for his sister?

a) horse; b) checker; c) saddle.

11. Who suggested playing a joke on Pechorin during the duel?

a) Grushnitsky; b) dragoon captain; c) Werner.

12. At how many steps did Pechorin and Grushnitsky shoot?

a) 32; b) 18; c) 6.

13. Smuggler's name:

a) Ivan; b) Yanko; c) Dmitro.

14. From whom did Pechorin receive notes after the duel?

a) from Vera; b) from Werner; c) from Mary.

III Motivation educational activities

Lermontov's only completed novel was not originally conceived as a complete work.

“A Hero of Our Time” is “the story of the human soul,” one person who embodied in his unique individuality the contradictions of the whole historical period. Pechorin is the only one main character. His unity in the novel is fundamentally significant. The story of an extraordinary person’s attempts to realize himself, to find at least some satisfaction to his needs, attempts that invariably turn into suffering and losses for him and those around him, the story of his loss of powerful vitality and an absurd, unexpected, but prepared by everything told death from having nothing to do, from being useless to anyone and to oneself.

IV Message of the topic, objectives of the lesson

V Working on the topic of the lesson

Working with the epigraph (answer to the question at the end of the lesson). Find out who a hero is (concept).

Description of Pechorin's appearance (presentation “Photo of the hero from the film” 1965, 2006 .)

- quotes with descriptions

("...his slender, thin frame and broad shoulders proved a strong build, capable of enduring all the difficulties of nomadic life..."
"...he did not wave his arms - a sure sign of some secretiveness of character..."
“...he sat as Balzac’s thirty-year-old coquette sits on her downy chairs after a tiring ball...”
"...his skin had some kind of feminine tenderness..."
"...his mustache and eyebrows were black - a sign of the breed in a person..."
“...I must say a few more words about the eyes.
First of all, they didn't laugh when he laughed! Have you ever noticed such strangeness in some people?.. This is a sign of either an evil disposition or deep, constant sadness.”
"... had one of those original faces that secular women especially like...").

- conclusion: The hero's appearance is woven from contradictions. His portrait explains Pechorin’s character, testifies to his fatigue and coldness, to his unspent strength. Observations convinced the narrator of the richness and complexity of this man's character.

3. psychological portrait of Pechorin:

- recording the concept of psychological portrait in a notebook;

Psychological portrait is a characterization of a hero, where the author presents external details in a certain sequence and immediately gives them a psychological and social interpretation.

- diagram “Pechorin’s character traits” (recorded during the lesson);

Pechorin

- Pechorin’s diary:

1. The concept of “diary”

Diary - these are records of a personal nature in which a person, knowing that they will not become known to others, can set forth not only external events, but also internal, hidden from everyone, movements of his soul.

(Pechorin’s diary is the confession of the main character. On its pages, Pechorin speaks about everything truly sincerely, but he is full of pessimism, since the vices developed by society and boredom push him to strange actions, and the natural inclinations of his soul remain unclaimed).

2. Work in pairs (analysis of problematic issues on cards)

1st pair: Pechorin and his women;

(The image of Bela in “Hero of Our Time”

Bela's heart bends towards Pechorin only when he tells her that he wants to go to war in order to leave his head there. This episode reveals to the reader her merciful and kind soul as a girl.

In mutual love with Pechorin they open up best sides Bela. She is cheerful, mischievous, talented: she sings and dances so well society ladies at the balls. It was not easy to win Bela, but in love she is a real treasure: passionate, faithful, devoted, attentive, sensitive. Bela's ardent love is one for life.

When the shallow feelings of the adventurer Pechorin for her begin to fade, loving girl feels it immediately and fades away before her eyes. Pechorin cannot hide his cooling, Bela feels it in her heart. But even in suffering, she remains proud, does not reproach her loved one, does not try to limit his freedom or forcefully tie him to her by cunning. Without love there is no life for her, therefore, leaving the fortress, Bela somehow brings her early death closer.

Even dying from a wound inflicted by Kazbich, Bela only wants to see Pechorin and worries that due to the difference in religions, she will not meet him in heaven. At the same time, she refuses to change her faith - she was born in this, and will die in this. For her beloved to remember her - this is the last wish of this girl’s loving heart.

The image of an undine in “A Hero of Our Time”

Another girl in the novel is a smuggler. She resembles a mermaid in her habits and looks very unusual. “Far from being a beauty...”, she, nevertheless, captivates Pechorin. He sees a “breed” in her. Ondine is beautiful, how beautiful wild beast, artistic, eccentric. She behaves strangely: she sings on the roof, talks to herself, without embarrassing anyone. With her naturalness, even wildness, she conquers Pechorin. He had never seen anything like this before; the charm of novelty captured him.

At first, Pechorin thinks whether the girl is crazy, her behavior is too original. But “... there were no signs of madness on her face; on the contrary, her eyes focused on me with lively insight, and these eyes seemed to be endowed with some kind of magnetic power ... "

“The extraordinary flexibility of her figure, the special, only characteristic tilt of her head, the long brown hair, some kind of golden tint of her slightly tanned skin on her neck and shoulders, and especially her correct nose - all this was charming for me.

Soon the insightful Pechorin begins to notice that the girl is not as natural as she wants to seem, that she is playing a “comedy”. But he doesn’t want to believe his observations, because he has already created an attractive image in his mind:

“Although in her indirect glances I read something wild and suspicious, although there was something vague in her smile, but ... the right nose drove me crazy.”

In the end, Pechorin does not find anything truly interesting and sincere in the undine. On the contrary, she vilely lures him onto the boat, pretending to be in love, and then tries to drown him so that he does not inform the commandant about the smugglers. Pechorin is disappointed and angry with himself for being so deceived.

The image of Mary in “A Hero of Our Time”

The female images of the “Hero of Our Time” are continued by Princess Mary. This is a young innocent girl. Mary is beautiful and rich, she is an enviable bride. Mary has a sharp mind and is well educated:

“...read Byron in English and knows algebra: in Moscow, apparently, the young ladies have embarked on learning, and they are doing well, really! Our men are so unkind in general that flirting with them must be unbearable for an intelligent woman...”

Mary is surrounded by fans. She carries herself proudly, even arrogantly, has a sharp tongue, and knows how to carry on a conversation. She is often quite caustic and knows how to make fun of an unlucky interlocutor.

“The princess seems to be one of those women who wants to be amused; if she feels bored around you for two minutes in a row, you are lost irrevocably: your silence should arouse her curiosity, your conversation should never fully satisfy it; you must disturb her every minute...” says the experienced Pechorin to Grushnitsky about Mary.

At the same time, Mary shows pity for the sick Grushnitskoy in a soldier’s overcoat and hands him a glass of water. She is greatly impressed by the action of Pechorin, who defended her. At heart, Mary turns out to be a naive, fearful child - she almost faints from fear when a drunken hooligan clings to her at the ball. Inexperienced in life, Mary is an easy prey for the skilled seducer Pechorin.

kind heart the girls lean toward Pechorin, who managed to show himself misunderstood and unappreciated in society:

“The princess sat opposite me and listened to my nonsense with such deep, intense, even tender attention that I felt ashamed. Where did her liveliness go, her coquetry, her whims, her daring expression, her contemptuous smile, her absent-minded gaze?..”

Mary receives a crushing blow from her first love: she was just a game of her chosen one. The girl’s pride is hurt, and all the strength of her tender feelings turns into hatred. “I hate you” - these are the last words of Princess Pechorin. Will she be able to trust anyone else now? Will he be able to love?

“But there is immense pleasure in possessing a young, barely blossoming soul! She is like a flower whose best fragrance evaporates towards the first ray of the sun; You need to pick it up at this moment and, after breathing it to your heart’s content, throw it on the road: maybe someone will pick it up!”

The image of Vera in “Hero of Our Time”

Vera is a woman-victim. She has long been in love with Pechorin, who “dried up her heart.” She endures this, hides her love from her next husband, and is tormented by jealousy. Her only consolation is that her beloved is single.

At the same time, Vera is a smart woman. She is the only one who understood Pechorin for who he is, with all his cunning, passions and vices, and yet continues to love. Vera is sick and knows that she apparently doesn’t have long to live. She says that her mind tells her to hate Pechorin, but she, on the contrary, is drawn to him and is grateful to him for all the minutes spent together.

Vera is unhappy, she says that she sacrificed everything for the sake of love for Pechorin. By this, Vera means the joy of life, and not some benefits (she is married for convenience, to an elderly man, for the sake of her son’s well-being). “My soul has exhausted all its treasures, all its tears and hopes for you...” Vera wants a reciprocal sacrifice, and suffers because she knows: she will not expect any sacrifices from Pechorin:

“Isn’t it true, you don’t love Mary? won't you marry her? Listen, you must make this sacrifice for me: I have lost everything in the world for you...”

The feeling of love does not bring Vera true joy: for her, love is a sea of suffering. Reproaches, jealousy, self-humiliation:

“You know that I am your slave; I never knew how to resist you... and I will be punished for this: you will stop loving me!”

“Maybe,” I thought, “that’s why you loved me: joys are forgotten, but sorrows are never…”)

2nd pair: Pechorin and friends;

("... I am not capable of friendship: of two friends, one is always the slave of the other; I cannot be a slave, and in this case, commanding is tedious work..." Pechorin has no real friends.)

3 pair: Duel with Grushnitsky ( monologue by pre-prepared students);

- How does Pechorin behave in the duel scene?
(During the duel, Pechorin behaves like a humancourageous . Outwardly he is calm. Only after feeling the pulse did Werner notice in itsigns of excitement ).

4th pair: Why can’t Pechorin find the meaning of life?

( An extraordinary personality, endowed with intelligence and willpower, a desire for active work, cannot manifest itself in the surrounding life. Pechorin cannot be happy and cannot give happiness to anyone. This is his tragedy.)

Conclusion: Generally speaking, Pechorin is an extraordinary person, intelligent, educated, strong-willed, brave... In addition, he is distinguished by a constant desire for action; Pechorin cannot stay in one place, in one environment, surrounded by the same people. Is this why he cannot be happy with any woman, even with the one he is in love with? After a while, boredom overcomes him and he begins to look for something new. Is this why he ruins their destinies? Pechorin is not tempted by such a fate, and he acts. Acts without regard for the feelings of other people, practically without paying attention to them. Yes, he is selfish. And this is his tragedy. But is Pechorin alone to blame for this?

(Pechorin’s video monologue from the 2006 film)

So,"All". Who does he mean? Naturally, society. Yes, the very society that bothered Onegin. On the one hand, extraordinary, smart man, on the other hand, an egoist who breaks hearts and destroys lives, he is an “evil genius” and at the same time a victim of society.

4. Pechorin is an “extra person,” like Onegin. Compare the two heroes.

5. Pechorin the hero?

VI Lesson summary

1. Problematic issues:

- what is the tragedy of Pechorin?

Positive and negative qualities of Pechorin?

Why does Lermontov break the sequence of the novel?

2. Student assessment.

Final word teachers : Pechorin cannot be happy and cannot give happiness to anyone - this is his tragedy. We see two Pechorins. His actions are contradictory. Just now, at the behest of his heart, he rushes in pursuit of Vera. The best human qualities awaken in him.

We see his noble impulse, but... the horse died, he could not go further, his thoughts gradually returned to normal order, and now he was cold again, again laughing at himself with the usual mockery and judging himself. Only Pechorin can do this.

The episode of farewell to Mary is also important for understanding Pechorin.

We saw that it seemed to combine two people. His behavior is contradictory: either he succumbs to the impulse of his heart, or he ponders his actions with composure. It combines selfishness and humanity, cruelty and the ability to pity, and responsiveness.

Nikolaev Russia did not give Pechorin the opportunity to act, deprived his life of a high purpose and meaning, and the hero constantly feels useless, he is bored, he is not satisfied with anything. Neither talent, nor abilities, nor the ability to be a winner in all skirmishes with fate and people bring Pechorin happiness and joy.

VII Homework

Make a card with questions about the novel that have not yet been answered, characteristics female images novel.

Herzen called Pechorin Onegin's younger brother. The author emphasized that a portrait was given in the image of Pechorin not just one person A artistic type, which absorbed the features of a whole generation of young people at the beginning of the century. Lermontov's novel "A Hero of Our Time" shows a young man suffering from his restlessness, in despair asking himself a painful question: " Why did I live? For what purpose was I born? “He does not have the slightest inclination to follow the beaten path of secular young people. Pechorin - officer . Pechorin does not study music, does not study philosophy or military affairs. But we cannot help but see that Pechorin is head and shoulders above the people around him, that he is smart, educated, talented, brave, and energetic. We are repulsed by Pechorin's indifference to people, his inability for true love, for friendship, his individualism and selfishness. But Pechorin captivates us with his thirst for life, the desire for the best, and the ability to critically evaluate his actions. He is deeply unsympathetic to us due to the waste of his strength, the actions with which he brings suffering to other people. But we see that he himself suffers deeply. Pechorin's character complex and contradictory. The hero of the novel says about himself: “There are two people in me: one lives in the full sense of the word, the other thinks and judges him...”. He learned to be secretive, vindictive, bilious, ambitious, and became, in his words, a moral cripple. Pechorin is an egoist. Belinsky also called Pushkin’s Onegin a “suffering egoist” and a “reluctant egoist.” The same can be said about Pechorin. Pechorin is characterized by disappointment in life and pessimism. He experiences constant duality of spirit. In the socio-political conditions of the 30s of the 19th century, Pechorin could not find a use for himself. He is wasted on petty adventures, seeking oblivion in love. But all this is just a search for some way out, just an attempt to unwind. He is haunted by boredom and the consciousness that such a life is not worth living... And yet Pechorin is a richly gifted nature. He has an analytical mind, his assessments of people and their actions are very accurate; he has a critical attitude not only towards others, but also towards himself. His a diary is nothing more than self-exposure. He is endowed with a warm heart, capable of deeply feeling (the death of Bela, a date with Vera) and worrying greatly, although he tries to hide his emotional experiences under the mask of indifference. But all his actions carry not a positive, but a negative charge; all his activities are aimed not at creation, but at destruction. In this, Pechorin is similar to the hero of the poem "The Demon". Indeed, in his appearance (especially at the beginning of the novel) there is something demonic, unsolved. In all the short stories that Lermontov combined in the novel, Pechorin appears before us as the destroyer of the lives and destinies of others.

The main character of the novel is extremely gifted; the reader immediately notices his high intellectual level, strong passions and depth of soul. Pechorin's natural mind, developed and enriched by culture and rich life experience, makes him an insightful person who unerringly understands people and their emotional experiences.

Firstly, Pechorin rushes between two principles: on the one hand, the hero is a cynic and a skeptic, on the other hand, he wants lively activity and vivid impressions.

Secondly, this character cannot find a balance between reason and feelings, selfishness and compassion. He deeply analyzes himself and the actions of those around him, but at the same time, Pechorin has a warm heart and the ability to understand the surrounding reality. The hero charms Princess Mary in order to assert himself at the expense of Grushnitsky, mocks the “water society,” drives Bela to death, and analyzes his thoughts to the point of exhaustion. And at the same time, he runs after Vera in tears, opens his soul to the princess, admires nature before the duel.

It is these contradictions that make Pechorin superfluous in society. He cannot fully reveal his inclinations and express himself due to social and political factors. The external environment drives him into a dead end. And the inner world and analysis consume all the hero’s spiritual strength. That's why Pechorin is a "superfluous man."

Pechorin and Onegin belong to that social type of the twenties of the nineteenth century, who were called “superfluous” people. So, how are the characters in Pushkin’s and Lermontov’s works similar and different? First of all, the heroes of both novels appear before us as historically and socially determined human characters. The social and political life of Russia in the twenties of the nineteenth century - the strengthening of political reaction, the decline in the spiritual strength of the younger generation - gave birth to a special type of incomprehensible young man of that time. Onegin and Pechorin are united by their origin, upbringing and education: both of them come from wealthy noble families. At the same time, both heroes do not accept many of the secular conventions and have a negative attitude towards external secular splendor, lies, and hypocrisy. This is evidenced, for example, by Pechorin’s extended monologue about his “colorless” youth, which “passed in a struggle with himself and the world.”

As a result of this struggle, he “became a moral cripple,” quickly becoming fed up with “all the pleasures that can be obtained for money.” The same definition is quite applicable to Pushkin’s hero: “a child of fun and luxury,” he quickly tired of the secular bustle, unites the heroes and spiritual loneliness among the secular “motley crowd.” “... My soul is spoiled by light, my imagination is restless, my heart is insatiable,” Pechorin bitterly notes in a conversation with Maxim Maksimych. in both works an idea arises escapism - the desire of both heroes for solitude, their attempt to distance themselves from society and worldly vanity. This is expressed both in a literal departure from civilization and in an escape from society into the world of internal experiences, “throwing off the burden of the conditions of light.” Unites Onegin and Pechorin and the general motive of “wandering without a goal”, “wanderlust”( Pechorin’s wanderings in the Caucasus, Onegin’s fruitless travels after his duel with Lensky). The similarity between Onegin and Pechorin is also manifested in their identical attitude towards love , inability to form deep attachments. Such a worldview determines the special significance of the heroes’ actions in the lives of other people: both of them cause suffering to the people whom their fate encounters.

Lensky dies in a duel, Tatyana suffers; similarly, Grushnitsky dies, Bela dies, kind Maxim Maksimych is offended, the smugglers’ way of life is destroyed, Mary and Vera are unhappy. The heroes of Pushkin and Lermontov are almost equally likely to “assume a form”, “put on a mask”. Another similarity between these heroes is that they embody type of intellectual character, which is characterized by originality of judgment, dissatisfaction with oneself, a penchant for irony - all that is brilliantly defined by Pushkin as a “sharp, chilled mind.” In this regard, there is a direct overlap between Pushkin’s and Lermontov’s novels. However, there are also obvious differences between the characters of these characters and the means of their artistic depiction in both novels. So what is the difference? If Pechorin is characterized by a boundless need for freedom and a constant desire to “subordinate to his will what surrounds him”, “to arouse feelings of love, devotion and fear,” then Onegin does not strive for constant self-affirmation at the expense of other people, takes a more passive position. Pechorin's worldview is also distinguished by great cynicism and some disdain for people. Onegin is characterized by mental apathy and indifference to the world around him. He is not capable of actively transforming reality and, “having lived without a goal, without work until he was twenty-six, he did not know how to do anything.” This hero, unlike Pechorin, is less consistent in his principles. So, with a comparative analysis of Pushkin’s and Lermontov’s works, one can identify both common and different in the images of these heroes and the methods of their artistic embodiment. Onegin and Pechorin - typical heroes of their time and at the same time universal human types. However, if Pushkin is more interested in the socio-historical aspect of the problem of the “superfluous man,” then Lermontov is concerned with the psychological and philosophical sides of this issue. The artistic evolution of the “superfluous man” in Russian classical literature continues primarily in the images of Oblomov and Rudin in the novels of the same name by Goncharov and Turgenev, which reflect the historical changes of this human type.

Speaking about Pechorin, one cannot help but notice the similarity of this image with Eugene Onegin.
They both live on everything ready, enjoy all the benefits that the people have earned, and at the same time are eternally unhappy. But their main difference is that Onegin is an eternally bored observer, and Pechorin is deeply suffering.
The hero of the novel “A Hero of Our Time” has impulsiveness and a desire to act, although he has a philosophical attitude towards life. His thoughts may seem kind and compassionate, but this is deceptive, because there is nothing virtuous in his actions.
It is impossible to say unequivocally: positive Pechorin or negative. But then. that in his life there are no goals, as well as trailers and respect for others, involuntarily shows him not from the best side.
He cannot realize himself anywhere: he despises the world for hypocrisy, and ordinary people- for gullibility bordering on stupidity.
At the beginning of the work, in the part "Bela", Pechorin shows a "spirit of adventurism", succumbing to an impulse of tenderness and other bright feelings destroys the lives of Azamat, Kazbich, Bela's father and, finally, Bela herself.
To exchange a girl for a horse that was stolen and dearly loved by Kazbich, in my opinion, is an act unworthy of an officer. I don’t think about the consequences, I forget. that you can’t stand on someone else’s grief, Gregory destroys it and doesn’t stop there. Having kidnapped Bela, he fell in love with the unfortunate girl, and then cooled off towards her. He did not even hide his indifference, which once again indicates his selfish nature.
Bela's death was useful to Pechorin, and, probably, to her too, because Grigory would have left her sooner or later and it would have been an even more tragic death.
This is what makes up the image of Pechorin, which is not particularly positive: a cunning egoist who does not think about the consequences, moreover, he does not even have the courage to admit his crimes to himself, justifying himself. And, of course, Grigory Alexandrovich is very worried, but this does not justify him at all.
In the next chapter, Pechorin again showed himself on the bad side. His arrogant and dismissive attitude towards people who helped him and simply treated him well makes Pkechorin in my eyes a moral monster, unable to sympathize, without a feeling of gratitude.
In the story “Taman”, Grigory demonstrates his participation and concern, but alas, so ineptly that he again destroys everything. After his “heroic” intervention, the blind child was left useless and completely alone.
Further, Grigory Aleksandrovich also ruins everything in different situations, but always after his intervention or even just his presence, everything is broken, worthless, dirty.
This man was able to do nasty things even to his beloved woman, Vera, and again no thoughts or feelings could restrain his evil nature.
And summing up the analysis of the image, we can say that this vividly described personality has nothing that would justify his base actions. He himself had everything that he despised in people in abundance: hypocrisy and stupidity.
All the good in these people pales against the background of arrogance, cruelty and recklessness. All of Pechorin’s correct thoughts did not bring any good.
And in our time there are such people, and I avoid them, because there is little humanity in them and one cannot count on the kindness of the “Pechorins”.

Article menu:

A person is always driven by the desire to know his purpose. Should you go with the flow or resist it? What position in society would be correct, should all actions comply with moral standards? These and similar questions often become the main ones for young people who are actively comprehending the world and human essence. Youthful maximalism demands to give for these problematic issues clear answers, but it is not always possible to give an answer.

It is precisely this seeker of answers that M.Yu. tells us about. Lermontov in his novel “Hero of Our Time”. It should be noted that Mikhail Yuryevich was always on good terms when writing prose, and his same position remained until the end of his life - all the prose novels he started were never finished. Lermontov had the courage to bring the matter with “Hero” to its logical conclusion. This is probably why the composition, the manner of presentation of the material and the style of narration look, compared to other novels, quite unusual.

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

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

This caused the emergence of restless individuals, unnecessary people.

Origin of Pechorin

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

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

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

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

Characteristics of Pechorin's actions and deeds

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pechorin and Onegin

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

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

Byronism and the “superfluous man”

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

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

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

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

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

Powers young man They go not to find a goal, not to realize themselves, but to adventure. Sometimes literary critics compare images Pushkinsky Evgeniy Onegin and Lermontov's Grigory Pechorin: Onegin is characterized by boredom, and Pechorin is characterized by suffering.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pechorin's appearance and age

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

His eyes brown color seemed to be living separate life– they never laughed when their owner laughed. Lermontov names two reasons for this phenomenon - either we have in front of us a person of evil disposition, or someone who is in a state of deep depression. Lermontov does not give a direct answer which explanation (or both at once) is applicable to the hero - the reader will have to analyze these facts themselves.

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

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

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

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

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

Characteristics of character qualities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Psychological portrait of Grigory Pechorin

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

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

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

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

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To most fully reveal the image of his hero, Lermontov uses not only a special composition (the principle of broken chronology), but also compares Pechorin with other heroes. At the center of the system artistic images Pechorin is located. All the other characters group around him, helping to develop his character. Pechorin has his own kind of doubles. These are the exponents of the hero’s second “I”. Pechorin's doubles can be understood as Grushnitsky, Werner, Vulich. The reader meets Grushnitsky at the very beginning of the chapter “Princess Mary”. Attention is immediately focused on Grushnitsky’s passion to make an impression: “He speaks quickly and pretentiously: he is one of those people who have ready-made pompous phrases for all occasions, who are not touched by simply beautiful things and who are importantly draped in extraordinary feelings, sublime passions and exceptional suffering. " Grushnitsky reminds Pechorin of a hero romantic tragedies. This character is “quite sweet and funny” only in those rare moments when he “throws off his tragic mantle.”

The thick soldier's overcoat is the tragic mantle of this hero, which hides false suffering and non-existent passions. It is impossible to imagine the “passionate cadet” without a pose, without spectacular gestures and pompous phrases. In this, Grushnitsky is similar to Pechorin. The young cadet is a kind of parody of the main character of the novel. We can say that Pechorin also constantly plays with feelings, experiences, and, by and large, plays with life itself. The hero constantly plays with other people's lives. He doesn’t value his own either. Having learned about Grushnitsky's feelings for the pretty Princess Mary, Pechorin experiences great excitement. The hero does everything so that the princess is completely and irrevocably carried away by him, forgetting about young Grushnitsky.

Pechorin uses Grushnitsky’s weaknesses to develop the social intrigue he had planned, as a result of which the cadet dies. Another double of Pechorin can be called Doctor Werner. We also meet this character in “Princess Mary”. This character can be called the closest to Pechorin in terms of type of consciousness. But Werner’s skepticism is inferior to Pechorin’s. Werner's conviction in the meaninglessness of human life is based on the recognition of the inevitability of death. “I know that one fine morning I will die,” he says. This leaves an imprint on his attitude towards people - patronizing and ironic. Pechorin is also cynical, cold, and detached from the life around him, just like Werner. That is why the heroes became quite close friends. But, unlike Werner, Pechorin is deeper and more complex. He is completely indifferent to his life, as well as to the lives of other people. Therefore, he can easily put any life at stake. Werner's cynicism is largely “in words.” He pretends to be a cynic more than he is one. Pechorin’s cynicism is his inner philosophy, born in deep and painful thoughts about the meaning of life, about man’s place in this world.

In the chapter “Fatalist” the image of officer Vulich appears. This hero is also in many ways similar to Pechorin. Vulich is a fatalist, he believes in fate and is confident that he will not die before his due date. Therefore, this officer easily makes a bet with Pechorin and shoots himself with a loaded pistol. The gun misfires. But Vulich dies that same evening, after Pechorin predicted his imminent death. In this chapter, the reader can see that Pechorin, in fact, believes in fate. He is as fatalist as Vulich. But if Vulich surrenders to the will of fate, then Pechorin wants to control his own destiny. Throughout his life he struggles with fate. I think this is main conflict in his life.

Thus, the presence of doubles in a novel is another way to reveal the image of the main character of the work as richly and vividly as possible, to create the most full portrait man of that era. To psychologically characterize his hero, Lermontov uses different ways. The main one is Pechorin’s own self-analysis. Grigory Alexandrovich confesses to some interlocutors. In his monologues addressed to Dr. Werner and Princess Mary, Pechorin does not lie, but he does not “decipher” himself completely. Also, the hero often remembers and analyzes previously committed actions and experienced thoughts and feelings alone with himself, in diaries or travel notes. Another important feature of Pechorin is his constant self-control, which accompanies all his actions, statements, thoughts and experiences. In his notes, the hero carefully records what he did, thought, and felt. In addition, Pechorin regularly conducts psychological “experiments” on himself and other people. The hero's psychological experiments allow us to see him from two sides: both as an active person and as a person with strong analytical abilities.

The external portrait of Pechorin is also important. The wandering officer sees Pechorin and conveys to the readers his feelings: he guesses the secrecy of his character (“he did not swing his arms while walking”), passion (wrinkles on the noble forehead, “indicated much more clearly in moments of anger or mental anxiety”), an evil disposition, or, rather, “ deep, constant sadness” (“his eyes did not laugh when he laughed”). The external portrait of the hero helps to better understand his character. Lermontov in his novel very successfully uses all known methods of psychological characterization of his hero. This confirms his title as a master of psychological prose.

Pechorin and Maxim Maksimych, the only character accompanying the main character throughout most of the story, are the two structural and artistic poles of the novel. Maxim Maksimych is a real “Caucasian”, unlike Pechorin, Grushnitsky and other officers who were brought to the Caucasus only by chance. He has served in the Caucasus for a long time, knows its nature well, local customs, morals, psychology of the highlanders. Maxim Maksimych has neither a romantic predilection for the Caucasus nor disdain for the mountain peoples. In a sense, the highlanders are even more understandable to him, the bearer of patriarchal consciousness, than reflective compatriots like Pechorin.

Maxim Maksimych has a heart of gold and kind soul, he appreciates peace of mind and avoids adventure. Duty comes first for the hero, but he doesn’t mess around with his subordinates and behaves in a friendly manner. Deprived of personal self-awareness, as if not isolated from the “natural” world, Maxim Maksimych perceives Pechorin and Vulich as “strange” people. It is unclear to him why Pechorin is bored, but he knows for sure that he acted badly and ignoblely towards Bela. Even more damaging to Maxim Maksimych’s pride is the cold meeting that Pechorin “rewarded” him after a long separation. According to the old staff captain, people who served together become almost family. Meanwhile, Pechorin did not want to offend Maxim Maksimych at all, he simply had nothing to talk about with a person whom he never considered his friend.

Thanks to Maxim Maksimych, both the strengths and weaknesses of the Pechorin type are revealed - the hero’s break with the patriarchal-folk consciousness, loneliness, loss younger generation intellectuals. But Maxim Maksimych himself also turns out to be lonely and doomed. His world is limited and devoid of complex harmony, and the integrity of his character is “secured” by the underdevelopment of his sense of personality. The meaning of the clash between Maxim Maksimych and Pechorin is not in the predominance and superiority of the personal principle over the patriarchal-folk, or the patriarchal-folk over the personal, but in their dramatic break, in the desirability of rapprochement and movement towards agreement.

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Methods of psychological characterization of Pechorin in the novel “Hero of Our Time”