Speaking surname Pechorina
Pechorin's surname is telling; it clearly indicates his similarity with Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin's hero Evgeny Onegin. Their surnames are formed in the same way: the names of rivers (Onega and Pechora) are used as the root, and the surname Pechorin in in this case hints that these characters are similar in character, Pechorin, like Onegin, can be called an “extra person.”
Pechorin's appearance
Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin - a young officer of 25 years old, main character novel by Mikhail Yuryevich "Hero of Our Time".
Pechorin's appearance suggests that he is a favorite of women: attractive, slender, but with broad shoulders, blond hair and a black mustache.
Origin, character, image of Pechorin
Pechorin's character is very contradictory: immoral, daring, but smart, brave and persistent, he understands that he often behaves incorrectly, although he does not want to change. Pechorin comes from a wealthy noble family, he serves in St. Petersburg, but after one incident with a duel he is transferred to the Caucasus. Most of life he lived in secular society, but sincerely hates him, including women from this society, whom he already literally sees right through. Pechorin is well educated, knows French, but practically does not read books.
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The image of Georgy Alexandrovich Pechorin in the novel “A Hero of Our Time,” written by Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov in 1838-1840, represents a completely new type of protagonist.
Who is Pechorin
The main character of the novel is a young man, a representative of high society.
Georgy Alexandrovich is educated and smart, brave, decisive, knows how to impress, especially the ladies, and... is tired of life.
Rich and not the happiest life experience leads him to disappointment and loss of interest in anything.
The hero becomes bored with everything in life: earthly pleasures, high society, the love of beauties, science - everything, in his opinion, happens according to the same patterns, monotonous and empty.
The hero is definitely a skeptic, but it cannot be said that feelings are alien to him. Georgy Alexandrovich has arrogance and pride (although he is self-critical), has an affection for his only comrade, Doctor Werner, and also enjoys manipulating people and their suffering as a consequence.
The hero is incomprehensible to everyone around him, and therefore he is often called strange. Pechorin repeatedly confirms the inconsistency of his character.
This inconsistency is born of the struggle of reason and feelings within him, the most striking example of which is his love for Vera, which George realizes too late. So, let's look at this hero in action through a brief description of the chapters.
Characteristics of Pechorin by chapters in the novel
In the first chapter of “Bela,” the narration is told on behalf of Pechorin’s old acquaintance, officer Maxim Maksimych.
In this part, the hero reveals himself as an immoral person who plays with the destinies of others. Pechorin seduces and kidnaps the daughter of a local prince, simultaneously stealing a horse from Kazbich, who is in love with her.
After some time, Bela gets bored with Pechorin, the young man breaks the girl’s heart. At the end of the chapter, she is killed by Kazbich out of revenge, and Azamat, who helps Pechorin in his crimes, is forever expelled from the family. Georgy Alexandrovich himself only continues his journey, without feeling guilty for what happened.
The narration of the subsequent chapter “Maxim Maksimych” is narrated by a certain staff captain. Being familiar with Maxim Maksimych, the narrator accidentally witnesses his meeting with Pechorin. And again the hero shows his indifference: the young man is completely cold towards his old comrade, whom he has not seen for many years.
“Taman” is the third story in the novel, which is already notes in the diary of Pechorin himself. In it, by the will of fate, a young man becomes a witness to smuggling activities. The girl involved in the crime flirted with Pechorin in order to “remove” him.
In the episode of Pechorin's attempted drowning, we see his desperate struggle for life, which is still dear to him. However, in this chapter, the hero remains indifferent to people and their destinies, which this time are spoiled by his involuntary intervention.
In the chapter “Princess Mary” the main character is revealed in more detail and in many ways. We see such qualities as cunning and prudence in making plans to seduce Princess Mary and duel with Grushnitsky.
Pechorin plays with their lives for his own pleasure, breaking them: Mary remains an unhappy girl with broken hearted, and Grushnitsky dies in a duel.
Georgy is cold towards all people in this secular society, except for his old friend Vera.
They once had a fleeting romance, but when new meeting their feelings take on a second life. Georgy and Vera meet secretly, but her husband, having learned about the presence of a lover, decides to take her away from the city. This event makes young man realize that Vera is the love of his life.
Georgy rushes after him, but is too late. In this episode, the main character is revealed from a completely new side: no matter how cold and cynical the young man is, he is also a human being, even he cannot be spared by this strong feeling.
In the last part, “Fatalist,” the hero is shown to have lost the slightest interest in life and even seek his own death. In the episode of the argument with the Cossacks over cards, the reader sees a certain mystical connection between Pechorin and fate: George had foreseen events in people’s lives before, and this time he foresaw the death of Lieutenant Vulich.
One gets the impression that the young man has already learned everything in this life, which he now does not feel sorry for. George says the following words about himself: “And maybe I’ll die tomorrow! ... and there will not be a single creature left on earth who would understand me completely.”
Description of Pechorin's appearance
Georgy Alexandrovich has a fairly attractive appearance. The hero has a slender, strong physique with average height.
George has blond hair, delicate pale aristocratic skin, but a dark mustache and eyebrows. The young man dressed in fashion, looked well-groomed, but walked carelessly and lazily.
Of the many quotes describing his appearance, the most telling is about his eyes, which “didn’t laugh when he laughed!<…>This is a sign of either an evil disposition or deep, constant sadness.”
His gaze always remained calm, only sometimes expressing a certain challenge or impudence.
How old is Pechorin
At the time of the action in the chapter “Princess Mary” he is about twenty-five years old. George dies at the age of about thirty, that is, still young.
Origin and social status of Pechorin
The main character of the novel has noble origin, born and raised in St. Petersburg.
All his life, Georgy belonged to the upper strata of society, since he was a hereditary wealthy landowner.
Throughout the entire work, the reader can observe that the hero is a military man and bears the military rank of ensign.
Pechorin's childhood
Having learned about the protagonist's childhood, he life path becomes clear. As a little boy, he was stopped best aspirations his soul: firstly, his aristocratic upbringing required this, and secondly, he was not understood, the hero was lonely since childhood.
More details about how the evolution of a kind boy into an immoral social unit took place are shown in the table with a quote from Pechorin himself:
Pechorin's education
Georgy Alexandrovich received an exclusively secular upbringing.
The young man speaks French skillfully, dances, knows how to behave in society, but he hasn’t read many books, and he soon gets tired of the world.
His parents did not play a big role in his life.
In his youth, the hero went to great lengths: he spent a lot of money on entertainment and pleasure, but this also disappointed him.
Pechorin's education
Little is known about the education of the novel's protagonist. The reader is given to understand that he was interested in science for some time, but also lost interest in it; it does not bring happiness. After this, Georgy took up military affairs, which were popular in society, which he also soon became bored with.
The death of Pechorin in the novel “Hero of Our Time”
The reader learns about the death of the hero from the preface to his diary. The cause of death remains undisclosed. What is known is that this happened to him on his way from Persia, when he was about thirty years old.
Conclusion
In this work, we briefly examined the image of the main character of the novel “A Hero of Our Time.” The character and attitude to life of the hero remain incomprehensible to the reader until the episode when Pechorin talks about his childhood.
The reason that the hero became a “moral cripple” is his upbringing, the damage from which affected not only his life, but also the fate of the people whom he hurt.
However, no matter how hard-hearted a person is, he cannot avoid true love. Unfortunately, Pechorin realizes it too late. This disappointment turns into the loss of the last hope for normal life and the happiness of the hero.
The image was created by M. Yu. Lermontov to show the loss moral guidelines generation of the 30s of the nineteenth century.
"Hero of Our Time" - the first in our country psychological novel, in which Lermontov, by analyzing the actions and thoughts of the main character, reveals to the readers his inner world. But despite this, characterizing Pechorin is not an easy task. The hero is ambiguous, as are his actions, largely due to the fact that Lermontov created not a typical character, but a real, living person. Let's try to understand this person and understand him.
The portrait description of Pechorin contains a very interesting detail: “his eyes did not laugh when he laughed.” We can see that the hero is reflected even in his external description. Indeed, Pechorin never feels his life entirely, according to him in my own words, two people always coexist in it, one of whom acts, and the second judges him. He constantly analyzes his own actions, which is “observation of a mature mind over itself.” Perhaps this is what prevents the hero from living life to the fullest and makes him cynical.
The most striking character trait of Pechorin is his selfishness. His desire at all costs to arrange everything exactly as it came to his mind, and nothing else. By this he reminds that he does not retreat until he gets what he wants. And, being childishly naive, Pechorin never realizes in advance that people may suffer from his petty selfish aspirations. He puts his own whim above the rest and simply does not think about others: “I look at the suffering and joy of others only in relation to myself.” Perhaps it is thanks to this trait that the hero moves away from people and considers himself superior to them.
The characterization of Pechorin should contain one more important fact. The hero feels the strength of his soul, feels that he was born for a higher goal, but instead of searching for it, he wastes himself on all sorts of trifles and momentary aspirations. He constantly rushes around in search of entertainment, not knowing what he wants. So, in pursuit of small joys, his life passes. Without any goal in front of him, Pechorin wastes himself on empty things that bring nothing but short moments of satisfaction.
Since the hero himself does not consider his life to be something valuable, he begins to play with it. His desire to enrage Grushnitsky or turn his gun on himself, as well as the test of fate in the chapter “Fatalist” - all these are manifestations of morbid curiosity generated by the hero’s boredom and inner emptiness. He does not think about the consequences of his actions, be it even his death or the death of another person. Pechorin is interested in observation and analysis, not the future.
It is thanks to the hero’s introspection that Pechorin’s characterization can be completed, since he himself explains many of his actions. He has studied himself well and perceives each of his emotions as an object for observation. He sees himself as if from the outside, which brings him closer to the readers and allows us to evaluate Pechorin’s actions from his own point of view.
Here are the main points that should be contained brief description Pechorina. In fact, his personality is much more complex and multifaceted. And it’s unlikely that a characterization can help to understand it. Pechorin needs to be found within himself, to feel what he feels, and then his personality will become clear to the heroes of our time.
). As its title itself shows, Lermontov depicted in this work typical an image that characterizes his contemporary generation. We know how little the poet valued this generation (“Sadly I look...”) - he takes the same point of view in his novel. In the “preface” Lermontov says that his hero is “a portrait made up of the vices” of people of that time “in their full development.” [Cm. also articles The image of Pechorin in the novel “A Hero of Our Time”, Pechorin and Women.]
However, Lermontov hastens to say that, speaking about the shortcomings of his time, he does not undertake to read moral teachings to his contemporaries - he simply draws a “history of the soul” modern man, as he understands it and, to his and the misfortune of others, has met it too often. It will also be that the disease is indicated, but God knows how to cure it!
Lermontov. Hero of our time. Bela, Maxim Maksimych, Taman. Feature film
So, the author does not idealize his hero: just as Pushkin executes his Aleko in “Gypsies,” so Lermontov in his Pechorin brings down from the pedestal the image of a disappointed Byronist, an image that was once close to his heart.
Pechorin speaks about himself more than once in his notes and conversations. He talks about how disappointments haunted him since childhood:
“Everyone read on my face signs of bad qualities that were not there; but they were anticipated - and they were born. I was modest - I was accused of guile: I became secretive. I felt good and evil deeply; no one caressed me, everyone insulted me: I became vindictive; I was gloomy, - other children were cheerful and talkative; I felt superior to them - they put me lower. I became envious. I was ready to love the whole world, but no one understood me: and I learned to hate. My colorless youth passed in a struggle with myself and the world; Fearing ridicule, I buried my best feelings in the depths of my heart; they died there. I told the truth - they didn’t believe me: I began to deceive; Having learned well the light and springs of society, I became skilled in the science of life and saw how others were happy without art, freely enjoying the benefits that I so tirelessly sought. And then despair was born in my chest - not the despair that is treated with the barrel of a pistol, but cold, powerless despair, covered with courtesy and a good-natured smile. I have become a moral cripple."
He became a “moral cripple” because people “distorted” him; They didn't understand him when he was a child, when he became a youth and an adult... They imposed on his soul duality,- and he began to live two halves of life, one for show, for people, the other for himself.
“I have an unhappy character,” says Pechorin. “Whether my upbringing created me this way, whether God created me this way, I don’t know.”
Lermontov. Hero of our time. Princess Mary. Feature film, 1955
Insulted by the vulgarity and mistrust of people, Pechorin withdrew into himself; he despises people and cannot live by their interests - he has experienced everything: like Onegin, he enjoyed both the vain joys of the world and the love of numerous fans. He also studied books, looked for strong impressions in the war, but admitted that all this was nonsense, and “under Chechen bullets” was as boring as reading books. He thought of filling his life with love for Bela, but, like Aleko, he was mistaken in Zemfira , - and he was not able to live the same life with a primitive woman, unspoiled by culture.
“Am I a fool or a villain, I don’t know; but it is true that I am also very worthy of regret,” he says, “maybe more than she: my soul is spoiled by light, my imagination is restless, my heart is insatiable; Everything is not enough for me: I get used to sadness just as easily as to pleasure, and my life becomes emptier day by day; I have only one remedy left: travel.”
In these words, an extraordinary person is outlined in full size, with a strong soul, but without the ability to apply his abilities to anything. Life is small and insignificant, but there is a lot of strength in his soul; their meaning is unclear, since there is nowhere to put them. Pechorin is the same Demon who was tangled with his wide, loose wings and dressed in an army uniform. If the moods of the Demon expressed the main features of Lermontov’s soul - his inner world, then in the image of Pechorin he portrayed himself in the sphere of that vulgar reality, which like lead pressed him to the earth, to people... No wonder Lermontov-Pechorin is drawn to the stars - more than once he admires the night sky - it’s not for nothing that only free nature is dear to him here on earth...
“Thin, white,” but strongly built, dressed like a “dandy,” with all the manners of an aristocrat, with sleek hands, he made a strange impression: in him strength was combined with some kind of nervous weakness.” On his pale, noble forehead there are traces of premature wrinkles. His beautiful eyes “did not laugh when he laughed.” “This is a sign of either an evil disposition or deep, constant sadness.” In these eyes “there was no reflection of the heat of the soul or the playful imagination - it was a shine, like the shine of smooth steel, dazzling, but cold; his gaze is short, but penetrating and heavy.” In this description, Lermontov borrowed some features from his own appearance.
Treating people and their opinions with contempt, Pechorin, however, always, out of habit, broke down. Lermontov says that even he “sat like Balzakov’s thirty-year-old coquette sits on her downy chairs after a tiring ball.”
Having accustomed himself not to respect others, not to take into account the world of others, he sacrifices the whole world to his own. selfishness. When Maxim Maksimych tries to hurt Pechorin’s conscience with cautious hints about the immorality of Bela’s kidnapping, Pechorin calmly answers with the question: “When do I like her?” Without regret, he “executes” Grushnitsky not so much for his meanness, but because he, Grushnitsky, dared to try to fool him, Pechorin!.. Self-love was indignant. To make fun of Grushnitsky (“the world would be very boring without fools!”), he captivates Princess Mary; a cold egoist, he, in order to please his desire to “have fun,” brings a whole drama into Mary’s heart. He ruins Vera's reputation and her family happiness all out of the same immense selfishness.
“What do I care about human joys and misfortunes!” - he exclaims. But it’s not just cold indifference that evokes these words from him. Although he says that “the sad is funny, the funny is sad, and, in general, to be honest, we are quite indifferent to everything except ourselves” - this is just a phrase: Pechorin is not indifferent to people - he is takes revenge, evil and merciless.
He acknowledges himself and “ minor weaknesses, and bad passions." He is ready to explain his power over women by the fact that “evil is attractive.” He himself finds in his soul a “bad but invincible feeling” - and he explains this feeling to us in the words:
“There is immense pleasure in possessing a young, barely blossoming soul! She is like a flower whose best scent evaporates towards the first ray of the sun; it must be picked at this moment and, after breathing it to your heart’s content, thrown along the road: maybe someone will pick it up!”
He himself is aware of the presence of almost all the “seven deadly sins” in himself: he has an “insatiable greed” that absorbs everything, which looks at the suffering and joy of others only as food that supports spiritual strength. He has mad ambition and a thirst for power. He sees “happiness” in “saturated pride.” “Evil begets evil: the first suffering gives the concept of pleasure to torment another,” says Princess Mary and, half-jokingly, half-seriously, tells him that he is “worse than a murderer.” He himself admits that “there are moments” when he understands “Vampire.” All this indicates that Pechorin does not have complete “indifference” to people. Like the “Demon,” he has a large supply of malice - and he can do this evil either “indifferently” or with passion (the Demon’s feelings at the sight of an angel).
“I love enemies,” says Pechorin, “although not in a Christian way. They amuse me, they stir my blood. To be always on guard, to catch every glance, the meaning of every word, to guess the intention, to destroy conspiracies, to pretend to be deceived and suddenly, with one push, to overturn the entire huge and laborious edifice of tricks and plans - that’s what I call life».
Of course, this is again a “phrase”: not all of Pechorin’s life was spent in such a struggle with vulgar people, there is a better world in him, which often makes him condemn himself. At times he is “sad,” realizing that he is playing “the pathetic role of an executioner or a traitor.” He despises himself,” he is burdened by the emptiness of his soul.
“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. But I did not guess this destination - I was carried away by the lures of passions, empty and ungrateful; I came out of their furnace hard and cold as iron, but I lost forever the ardor of noble aspirations - best color life. And since then, how many times have I played the role of an ax in the hands of fate. Like an instrument of execution, I fell on the heads of the doomed victims, often without malice, always without regret. My love did not bring happiness to anyone, because I did not sacrifice anything for those I loved; I loved for myself, for my own pleasure; I satisfied the strange need of my heart, greedily absorbing their feelings, their tenderness, their joys and sufferings - and could never get enough.” The result is “double hunger and despair.”
“I am like a sailor,” he says, 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 the shady grove beckons him, no matter how the peaceful sun shines on him ; he walks all day along the coastal sand, listens to the monotonous murmur of the oncoming waves and peers into the foggy distance: will the desired sail flash there, on the pale line separating the blue abyss from the gray clouds.” (Cf. Lermontov’s poem “ Sail»).
He is burdened by life, is ready to die and is not afraid of death, and if he does not agree to commit suicide, it is only because he still “lives out of curiosity,” in search of a soul that would understand him: “maybe I will die tomorrow!” And there will not be a single creature left on earth who would understand me completely!”
Grigory Pechorin - main character novel. A unique personality that no one has been able to fully understand. Such heroes are found in every time. Any reader will be able to recognize himself in it with everyone characteristic of people vices and the desire to change the world.
The image and characterization of Pechorin in the novel “A Hero of Our Time” will help you understand what kind of person he really is. How the long-term influence of the surrounding world was able to leave its mark on the depth of character, turning the complex inner world of the main character upside down.
Pechorin's appearance
Looking at the young nice person it is difficult to determine how old he really is. According to the author, no more than 25, but sometimes it seemed that Gregory was already over 30. Women liked him.“...he was generally very handsome and had one of those original physiognomies that are especially popular with secular women...”
Slim. Superbly built. Athletic build.
“...of medium height, his slender, thin figure and broad shoulders proved his strong build...”
Blond. The hair was slightly curled. Dark mustache and eyebrows. When meeting him, everyone paid attention to his eyes. When Pechorin smiled, his gaze brown eyes remained cold.
"...they didn't laugh when he laughed..."
It was rare that anyone could bear his gaze; he was too heavy and unpleasant for his interlocutor.
The nose is slightly turned up. Snow-white teeth.
“...a slightly upturned nose, dazzling white teeth...”
The first wrinkles have already appeared on the forehead. Pechorin's gait is imposing, slightly lazy, careless. The hands, despite the strong figure, seemed small. The fingers are long, thin, characteristic of aristocrats.
Gregory dressed immaculately. The clothes are expensive, clean, well ironed. Pleasant aroma of perfume. The boots are cleaned to a shine.
Gregory's character
Gregory's appearance completely reflects the inner state of his soul. Everything he does is imbued with a precise sequence of steps, cold prudence, through which emotions and feelings sometimes try to break through. Fearless and reckless, somewhere weak and defenseless, like a child. It is entirely created from continuous contradictions.Grigory promised himself that he would never show his real face, forbidding him to show any feelings for anyone. He was disappointed in people. When he was real, without guile and pretense, they could not understand the depth of his soul, accusing him of non-existent vices and making claims.
“...everyone read on my face signs of bad feelings that were not there; but they were anticipated - and they were born. I was modest - I was accused of guile: I became secretive. I felt good and evil deeply; no one caressed me, everyone insulted me: I became vindictive; I was gloomy, - other children were cheerful and talkative; I felt superior to them - they put me lower. I became envious. I was ready to love the whole world, but no one understood me: and I learned to hate...”
Pechorin is constantly searching for himself. He rushes about, looking for the meaning of life, and does not find it. Rich and educated. A nobleman by birth, he is used to hanging out in high society, but he doesn’t like that kind of life. Gregory considered her empty and worthless. Good connoisseur female psychology. I could figure out each one and understand from the first minutes of the conversation what it was. Exhausted and empty social life, he tried to delve deeper into science, but soon realized that power does not lie in knowledge, but in dexterity and luck.
Boredom was eating away at the man. Pechorin hoped that the melancholy would go away during the war, but he was wrong. Caucasian War brought another disappointment. Lack of demand in life led Pechorin to actions that defied explanation and logic.
Pechorin and love
The only woman he loved was Vera. He was ready for anything for her, but they were not destined to be together. Vera is a married woman.Those rare meetings that they could afford compromised them too much in the eyes of others. The woman was forced to leave the city. It was not possible to catch up with my beloved. He only drove the horse to death in an attempt to stop and bring her back.
Pechorin did not take other women seriously. They are a cure for boredom, nothing more. Pawns in a game where he set the rules. Boring and uninteresting creatures made him even more despondent.
