The concept of “hero” in relation to Pechorin, a character in Lermontov’s work, is interpreted differently by many researchers of the writer’s work. Some talk about the typical image for youth of the 30s century before last. Some people don’t even understand what’s special about it and why Mikhail Yuryevich called it prominent representative time?

The image and its characteristics

Pechorin is both smart and strong-willed, even extraordinary. He has a fairly broad outlook. His difference is a constant striving for activity, the inability to sit still, which certainly speaks of his great energy content. However, surrounded by familiar people, the hero soon begins to get bored. He seeks novelty, forgetting those who were nearby. Is this why Pechorin is unhappy with any of the women?

Genius but evil

Pechorin notes in his diary about the fate of a genius, as if classifying himself as one of the high caste of talented people who cannot be chained to the dull work of an official. This is how you can “die or go crazy,” so action is the best way out for a genius!

Harmful actions

But at the same time, when performing actions, Pechorin wastes his energy. He does things unworthy of him: he kidnaps Bela, wooes Mary and abandons her, kills Grushnitsky in a duel, practically does not pay attention to the feelings of the people around him. It can be stated: Pechorin’s actions are selfish, and he himself turns into a complete “moral cripple.”

Why is he a hero?

Why, after all, did Lermontov call Pechorin that way? According to the writer, the character was both an evil genius and a victim of society - at the same time. Obviously, in the 30s of the 19th century there were many such smart, but at the same time selfish natures among their contemporaries. And his tragedy reflected the tragedy of a generation of talents who did not find themselves.

How does the author explain the title of the novel?

The central image of Mikhail Lermontov's novel “A Hero of Our Time” is Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin. According to reviews of another hero, Maxim Maksimych, who knew him personally, he “was very strange.” So why is Pechorin a “hero of our time”? What outstanding merits prompted the author to award him such a high title? Lermontov explains his decision in the preface.

It turns out that this name should not be taken literally. Pechorin is not a role model, not someone to look up to. This is a portrait, but not of one person. It is composed of the vices of “the entire ... generation, in their full development.” And the author’s goal is simply to draw it, so that readers, looking at this phenomenon from the outside and horrified, can do something to improve the society in which the appearance of such ugly characters became possible.

Pechorin is a typical representative of his generation

Social setting

The novel was written during the so-called “Nikolaev reaction”.

Tsar Nicholas I, whose ascension to the throne could have thwarted the Decembrist uprising, subsequently suppressed any manifestations of free thought and kept all aspects of public, cultural and private life under strict control. His era was characterized by stagnation in the economy and education. It was impossible to show oneself as an individual at this time, which we observe in the novel using the example of Pechorin.

Inability to realize oneself

He rushes about, not finding his place, his calling: “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 powers in my soul... But I didn’t guess this purpose, I was carried away by the lures of empty and ungrateful passions.”

The study of science brought him one disappointment: he saw that only the ability to adapt brings success, and not knowledge and abilities. He did not find himself in the monotonous military service. Family life he is not attracted. He has only one thing left to do - to look for more and more new entertainments, often very dangerous both for himself and for others, so as not to get bored.

Boredom as a characteristic state of representatives of high society

Boredom is Pechorin’s usual state. “...what did you do?” - Maxim Maksimych asks him when they had the chance to meet again after a long time. “I missed you!” - Pechorin answers. But he is not the only one in this state. And this is one of the reasons why Lermontov called Pechorin “a hero of our time.” “It seems like you’ve been to the capital recently: are all the young people there really like that?

“- Maxim Maksimych is perplexed, turning to his fellow traveler (the author plays his role). And he confirms: “... there are many people who say the same thing... there are probably those who tell the truth... today those who are really bored the most are trying to hide this misfortune as a vice.”

Can Pechorin be considered a hero of his time?

Can Pechorin be called a “hero of our time”? Even taking into account the caricature sense that Lermontov put into this definition, this is not easy to do. Pechorin’s unseemly actions, the way he treated Bela, Princess Mary, the unfortunate old woman and the blind boy from the chapter “Taman” raise the question: were there really many such people in Lermontov’s time, and Pechorin is just a reflection of the general trend? It is possible that not everyone experienced such a change in character. But the fact of the matter is that in Pechorin this process manifested itself most clearly; he took a little from everyone, and therefore fully deserved this title (but only with an ironic tinge).

Mikhail Lermontov himself is from that generation of “superfluous people.” These are the lines that reflect the state of mind of his contemporaries:

“And it’s boring and sad, and there’s no one to give a hand to

In a moment of spiritual adversity...

Desires!.. what good is it to wish in vain and forever?..

And the years pass, all the best years"

Therefore, he knows well what he is talking about.

Work test

So, “Hero of Our Time” - psychological novel, that is, a new word in Russian literature of the nineteenth century. This is a truly special work for its time - it has a truly interesting structure: a Caucasian short story, travel notes, diary…. But anyway the main objective works - revealing the image of an unusual, at first glance, strange person - Grigory Pechorin. This is truly an extraordinary, special person. And the reader sees this throughout the novel.

Who is Pechorin?

and what is it major tragedy? We see the hero from the most different people, and can thus compose it psychological picture. In the first chapters of the novel, you can see Grigory Pechorin through the eyes of Maxim Maksimych, a retired officer, a friend of the hero. “He was a strange man,” he says. But the elderly officer lives in another time, in another world and cannot give a complete and objective description. But already at the beginning of the novel, from the words of Maxim Maksimych, we understand that this is a special person. The next stage in revealing the image is the description of Pechorin by a traveling officer. He is closer to him in age, and in his views, and in his social circle, therefore, he can reveal him better inner world.

And the officer notices some features of appearance that are directly related to character. Much attention is given to the description of gait, eyes, hands, figure. But the look plays a key role. “His Eyes did not laugh when he laughed - this is a sign of either an evil disposition or an all-consuming sadness.” And it is here that we come closer to the answer to the question: what is the tragedy of the hero? The most complete answer is presented in the part of the novel illustrating psychology secular society- “Princess Mary.” It is written in the form of a diary. And that is why we can talk about the real sincerity and genuineness of the narrative, because in a diary a person expresses feelings only for himself, and, as you know, there is no point in lying to yourself. And here Pechorin himself tells the reader about his tragedy. The text contains a large number of monologues in which the hero himself analyzes his actions, philosophizes about his purpose and inner world. AND the main problem It turns out that Pechorin constantly turns inward, evaluates his actions and words, which contributes to the discovery of his own vices and imperfections. And Pechorin says: “I have an innate passion to contradict...” He fights with the world around him. It may seem that this is an angry and indifferent person, but this is by no means the case. His inner world is deep and vulnerable. He is tormented by the bitterness of misunderstanding by society. “Everyone read on my face the signs of bad qualities...” Perhaps this is precisely the main tragedy. He deeply felt good and evil, could love, but those around him did not understand, and his best qualities were strangled. All feelings were hidden in the farthest corners of the soul. He became a “moral cripple.” And he himself writes that half of his soul has died, and the other is barely alive. But she’s alive! True feelings still live in Pechorin. But they are strangled. In addition, the hero is tormented by boredom and loneliness. However, feelings break through in this man, when he runs after Vera, he falls and cries - that means he is still really human! But suffering is an unbearable test for him. And you can notice that Pechorin’s tragedy echoes the tragedy Pushkin's Onegin– Pechorin cannot find recognition in life, science is not interesting to him, service is boring...

Thus, there are several main problems: lack of understanding of society, lack of self-realization. And society did not understand Grigory Pechorin. He thought that he was destined for higher goals, but misunderstanding turned into a tragedy for him - it broke his life and divided his soul into two halves - dark and light.

Other works on this topic:

1. To reveal the typical character of his hero and express his attitude towards him, the author provides an image of the person’s appearance. So, M. Yu. Lermontov to describe Grigory Pechorin, the main character...
2. Text based on the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov Hero of Our Time Why did Pechorin treat Maxim Maksimych so coldly during their last meeting? The chapter “Maksim Maksimych” describes...
3. Why does Pechorin treat Princess Mary cruelly? At first glance this seems strange. But let’s take a closer look at how Lermontov portrays Princess Ligovskaya, let’s briefly follow...
4. The chapter “Maxim Maksimych” of M. Yu. Lermontov’s novel “Hero of Our Time” depicts the last meeting of G. A. Pechorin with staff captain Maxim Maksimych five years after...
5. In the second story of Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov’s novel “A Hero of Our Time” “Maxim Maksimych”, Pechorin meets with his old comrade in arms in front of the eyes of the main narrator -...
6. “A Hero of Our Time” - a novel by M. Yu. Lermontov - is unusual in that it consists of five parts, each of which can exist independently, but together with...

Why did Pechorin treat Maxim Maksimych so coldly during their last meeting? and got the best answer

Answer from Lynx Lynx[guru]
But it seems to me that there was no friendship or very warm relationship between Pechorin and M.M. After all, we know about the events of the times of “Bela” only from the words of M. M. Perhaps even before Pechorin treated him quite evenly, and the simple-minded and kind M. M. came up with who knows what. Pechorin is generally not the kind of person who would throw himself on anyone’s neck. Somehow it became customary to consider M.M. the ideal of a simple Russian person and to reproach Pechorin for his cold attitude towards him, but M.M. is a good, but narrow-minded person, with whom Pechorin became close only because his circle of friends was limited there.

Answer from Alexander Stupin[expert]
The link here is full of essays on literature. You'll find something you need anyway.

Answer from IronTor[active]
Because Maxim Maksimych was a reminder to him of the past, of his love for Bela.

Answer from Tenderness[guru]
matured and still hurts (this is my opinion, not for answering in class...)

Answer from Marina[guru]
One of the most important questions for understanding the image of Pechorin and Lermontov’s entire novel as a whole is the question of the author’s attitude towards his hero. It is very difficult to answer, because the author pointedly moves away from direct assessments of the hero, either taking the position of a listener in “Bel”, then giving the floor to the hero himself in “Pechorin’s Journal”, then making an ironic curtsy towards the readers expecting this assessment in the preface to the novel: “It will also be that the disease is indicated, but God knows how to cure it! "
The author’s attitude towards the hero becomes clear precisely in the story “Maksim Maksimych”. Describing the meeting between Pechorin and Maxim Maksimych from the latter’s point of view, the author thereby initially takes his position - first in the perception of what is happening, and then in the moral assessment. “We said goodbye rather dryly. Good Maxim Maksimych became a stubborn, grumpy staff captain! And why? Because Pechorin, absentmindedly or for some other reason, extended his hand to him when he wanted to throw himself on his neck! It's sad to see a young man lose his best hopes and dreams... But what can replace them in the years of Maxim Maksimych? Involuntarily, the heart will harden and the soul will close...” Of course, the author does not at all accuse Pechorin of heartlessness and cruelty, maintaining the position of an outside observer, however, he does not approve of Pechorin’s act. The dramatic change that occurs in Maxim Maksimych after Pechorin’s departure gives rise to disappointing thoughts in the author. How little was needed to the common man for happiness and how easy it is to make it unhappy - this is the author’s conclusion.
It is obvious that the author does not approve of the destructive side of Pechorin’s character, which over the years increasingly prevails in him and ultimately leads the hero to self-destruction. In “Maxim Maksimych” Pechorin is no longer capable of those emotional movements, which distinguished him before, is a withdrawn, lonely and cold misanthrope, in front of whom only one road is open - to death.

Pechorin's autocharacteristic is given at the end of the story; it, as it were, lifts the veil, allowing one to penetrate into his inner world, hidden from Maxim Maksimych. Here it is appropriate to pay attention to the variety of techniques for depicting the image of Pechorin: the story gives a brief description of him Maxim Maksimych, shows the attitude of other people towards him, talks about his actions and deeds, and gives a self-characteristic. The landscape also helps to understand the author’s attitude towards the hero. All the time, our understanding deepens: from external impressions of Pechorin we move on to an understanding of his actions and relationships with people and, finally, we penetrate into his inner world.
But even before getting acquainted with Pechorin’s confession, the reader had the opportunity to think about it. character and to some extent explain and understand it. It is no coincidence that the story about Pechorin is given in two steps. The author notes that he cannot “force the staff captain to tell before he actually began to tell,” and interrupts Maxim Maksimych’s story with a description of the pass over Krestovaya Mountain. This deliberate pause is extremely important: the landscape, slowing down the development of the plot, allows you to concentrate, think about the personality of the main character, and explain his character.
The landscape that opens up to travelers from Krestovaya Mountain is one of the most magnificent descriptions of nature in the novel. The presence of the author with his thoughts, mood, and experiences allows the reader not only to see the pictures described, but also to immerse himself in an unusually poetic world full of harmony and perfection, to experience the same “pleasant feeling” that possessed the author when he painted these pictures. This landscape is built on contrast; round dances of stars, virgin snows, on the one hand, and dark mysterious abysses on the other; on Mount Gud there hangs a gray cloud, threatening a nearby storm, and in the east everything is clear and golden; on the one hand, peace, and on the other, anxiety. Nature is as contradictory as the character of the main character is contradictory. But the contradictions in nature do not prevent one from feeling its greatness and grandeur. Nature is beautiful, and communication with it cleanses and elevates a person. “Moving away from the conditions of society,” people involuntarily become children: “everything acquired falls away from the soul, and it becomes again the same as it once was and, most likely, will be someday again.” By saying this, the author helps the reader to feel that much in Pechorin is explained by the “conditions of the society” in which he lived.
Pictures of nature make you think even more deeply about the questions posed in the novel and understand the psychology characters, which gives the right to call the landscape psychological. In addition, the description of nature at the pass over Krestovaya Mountain helps in the development of the plot. Let us remember that it was given after Maxim Maksimych interrupted the story with the words: “Yes, they were happy.” The happiness of Pechorin and Bela corresponds to the picture of a dazzling morning, snow burning with a “blush”. But a sudden thundercloud, hail, snow, and the whistle of the wind in the gorge, which instantly replaced the pink morning, hint at tragic ending stories.
Pechorin is presented in “Bel” surrounded by simple and “natural” people. To conclude the analysis of the story, we can briefly dwell on the question of how the hero is close to them and how he differs from them. If the teacher allocates a special lesson for the images of mountaineers and smugglers, then this issue can be touched upon in more detail.
In order to revive the work on the story “Bela”, you can use illustrations by artists V. Serov, M. Vrubel, D. Shmarinov and others in lessons. Using illustrations, it is interesting to reveal the image of Bela. Lermontov's heroine attracted the attention of many artists; Among the available works, we recommend “Bela” by Agina, two drawings by V. Serov depicting Lermontov’s heroine, “Bela at Pechorin” by D. Shmarinov. Chronologically, “Maksim Maksimych” is the last story in the novel. We no longer meet the hero, but only learn about his death from the preface to Pechorin’s Journal. Compositionally, it is the connecting link between “Bela” and all subsequent stories: it explains how Pechorin’s notes came to the author, a passing officer. Unlike all the others, there are almost no events in the story “Maksim Maksimych”. Its plot is extremely simple: while passing through Vladikavkaz, three people meet and soon each go their separate ways. There are no sharp clashes or struggles between these individuals, no one dies here, as in “Bel”, “Fatalist” or “Princess Mary”, but the meeting of Maxim Maksimych and Pechorin is psychologically so tragic that the whole story turns out to be the most bitter and sad in the novel . This is easy to see if you compare the endings of all the stories. In “Bela,” despite the death of the heroine, there are descriptions of nature that soften the tragedy, alone with which a person becomes “what he once was”; In conclusion, the author draws attention to Maxim Maksimych, saying that he is “a person worthy of respect.” In “Taman,” the fate of the smugglers does not inspire a mood of hopelessness, since they “go everywhere, wherever the wind blows and the sea makes noise.” Pechorin’s bitter exclamation: “And what do I care about human joys and misfortunes..!” - softened by his previous ironic phrase addressed to himself: “And wouldn’t it be funny to complain to the authorities that a blind boy robbed me, and an eighteen-year-old girl almost drowned me?”
The lyrical ending of “Princess Mary” is full of rebellion and anxiety. Her general tone is optimistic. The last phrase of Maxim Maksimych about the death of Vulich in “Fatalist”: “However, apparently, it was written in his family…” speaks of a wise acceptance of what is inevitable and what has already happened, and sounds calm.
And only in the story “Maksim Maksimych” at the end do notes of hopelessness and true sadness appear: “It’s sad to see when a young man loses his best hopes and dreams, when the pink veil through which he looked at human affairs and feelings is pulled back before him. But what can replace them in the years of Maxim Maksimych? I left alone.
Everything in the story to some extent shades and emphasizes the sad outcome of the meeting between Pechorin and Maxim Maksimych. The author, who so vividly and emotionally described pictures of nature in “Bel,” is here extremely stingy with landscape sketches. And if the polemical rejection of romantic cliches explains the absence of descriptions of nature at the beginning of the story, when the author directly says: “I spare you from describing mountains, from exclamations that express nothing, from paintings that depict nothing,” then the brevity of the remaining landscapes and their general character is no longer just a polemic with the romantic tradition, but a means to create a certain mood. So, the day preceding Pechorin’s arrival “was damp and cold.” Low houses could be seen from the hotel window; “the sun was hiding behind the cold peaks”; a “whitish fog” began to disperse in the valleys. This picture emanates coldness and melancholy. The bright and cheerful colors that flicker in nature pass as if unnoticed. Here, from behind the mountains, “Kazbek in his white cardinal’s hat” peeked out. But the author stops. The reader’s mania is not on the greatness of this picture, but on his gloomy mood when looking at it: “I mentally said goodbye to them: I felt sorry for them...”.
Here is the morning, “fresh but beautiful.” “Golden clouds piled up on the mountains, like new row air mountains; in front of the gate there was a wide area; behind her the market was bustling with people, because it was Sunday: barefoot Ossetian boys, carrying knapsacks with honeycomb honey on their shoulders, were spinning around me.” The author paints a cheerful, noisy, lively picture.” But he immediately takes the reader away from it with his remark: “I drove them away: I had no time for them, I began to share the concern of the good staff captain.” The sad tone of the story emphasizes the sad outcome of Pechorin's life.

Essay on literature on the topic: Why Pechorin could not be happy in his environment

Other writings:

1. I. The story “Princess Mary” is the confession of Pechorin, ridiculing the pretense, falsehood and emptiness of secular society. Pechorin and representatives of the “water society”: interests, activities, principles. The reasons for the hostility of the “water society” towards Pechorin. “...We will someday encounter him on a narrow road, and alone Read More......
2. Researchers rightly connect these thoughts of Pechorin with Hegelian philosophy. In Hegel we also find a contrast between youthful individualism and a mature, “reasonable” recognition of objective reality, independently following its own path. Pechorin wants to be deluded by hopes and is not deluded by them. Not due to Read More......
3. The novel “A Hero of Our Time” was written in 1840, during a time of political and social reaction, which led to the emergence of the so-called image “ extra person" V. G. Belinsky argued that main character works - Pechorin is the Onegin of his time. Pechorin Read More ......
4. The great Russian poet of the 19th century N.A. Nekrasov has wonderful words: He who lives without sadness and anger does not love his fatherland. The poet Vladimir Mayakovsky lived with “sadness and anger” and passionately loved his homeland. Motives of sadness, dissatisfaction, loneliness, Read More......
5. The author named one of the stories of his novel after the Circassian girl Bela. This name seems to predetermine the touchingness and some drama of the plot. And indeed, as the story unfolds on behalf of Staff Captain Maxim Maksimych, we become acquainted with the bright, unusual characters. Main Read More......
6. Maxim Maksimych and Pechorin (Based on the novel by M. Yu. Lermontov “Hero of Our Time” 1. The fate of two heroes. 2. Sincerity and falsehood of friendly relations. 3. Pechorin is a victim of time and circumstances. 4. Maxim Maksimych as the antipode of the “superfluous person” M. Yu. Lermontov's feelings for Russia are filled with sadness, Read More......
7. If Pechorin is typical for his society and time only as a “typical exception,” then Maxim Maksimych is typical as the most generalized expression of everything ordinary, mass (and at the same time best) that was in his social circle. He is a representative of the ordinary masses Read More ......
8. “Of course, because he saved the little dog and Mumu was with him all the time!” The reader explains to them that Gerasim experienced happiness from live communication with a defenseless creature, that caring for his beloved little dog brought him joy. But happy year takes up a tiny part Read More ......