The image of Pechorin in the novel "The Hero of Our Time" by M. Yu. Lermontov: the drama of one person

The image of Pechorin, depicted by Mikhail Lermontov, is, first and foremost, the personality of a young boy who suffers from his restlessness and is constantly imprisoned in questions: "Why did I live?" Why was I born? "

What is he, a hero of the XIX century?

Pechorin is not at all like his peers, there is not a drop of desire to move along the beaten path of the secular youth of that time. A young officer serves, but does not seek to curry favor. He is not fond of music, philosophy, does not want to go into the subtleties of studying military craft. But the reader immediately becomes clear that the image of Pechorin is an image of a man who is a head taller than the people surrounding him. He is smart enough, educated and talented, differs with energy and courage. Nevertheless, Pechorin's indifference to other people, the selfish nature of his nature, his inability to empathize, friendship and love repels. The contradictory image of Pechorin is complemented by his other qualities: the desire to live in full force, the ability to critically evaluate one's actions, the pursuit of a better. The "paltry actions" of the character, the senseless squandering of forces, his actions that hurt others - all this puts the hero in a bad light. However, at the same time, the officer himself is experiencing deep suffering.

The complexity and contradictoriness of the main character of the famous novel are especially vividly represented by his words that two people live in it simultaneously: one of them lives in the full sense of the word, and the second thinks and judges the actions of the first. It also tells about the reasons that triggered this "split": "I told the truth - they did not believe me: I began to deceive ..." A young and full of hope the young man in just a couple of years turned into a hard-hearted, rancorous, bilious and ambitious man; As he himself put it - "moral cripple." The image of Pechorin in the novel "The Hero of Our Time" echoes the image of Onegin created by Alexander Pushkin: it is "selfish selfish", disappointed in life, prone to pessimism, experiencing constant internal conflict.

Social and political situation of the 30-ies. XIX century did not allow Pechorin to find and reveal himself. He repeatedly makes attempts to forget himself in small adventures, love, puts himself under the bullets of Chechens ... However, all this does not bring him the desired relief and remains only an attempt to distract.

Nevertheless, the image of Pechorin is an image of a richly gifted nature. After all, he has an acute analytical mind, he very accurately assesses the people and actions that they are doing. His critical attitude was formed not only in relation to others, but also in relation to himself. In his diary, the officer reveals himself: in his chest beats a warm heart, able to feel deeply (Bela's death, meeting with Vera) and extremely worry, although she disappears under the guise of indifference. However, this indifference is no more than self-defense.

"Hero of Our Time", the image of Pechorin in which is the basis of the narrative, allows you to see the same personality from completely different sides, to look into different corners of her soul. Simultaneously with all of the above in the guise of an officer, we see a strong-willed, strong and active person, in which the "vital forces" are dormant. He is ready to act. Unfortunately, almost all his actions end up hurting Pechorin himself and others, his activities are not creative, but destructive.

The image of Pechorin strongly echoes Lermontov's "Demon", especially at the beginning of the novel, when in the hero there is something demonic, unsolved. The young man, by the will of fate, becomes the destroyer of other people's lives: he is guilty of Bela's death, that Maxim Maximovich was finally disillusioned with friendship, in how much Vera and Mary suffered. From the hand of Pechorin, in turn, Grushnitsky dies. Pechorin played a role in the death of another young officer - Vulich, as well as in how "honest smugglers" were forced to leave their homes.

Conclusion

Pechorin is a person who no longer has a past and only hopes for something better in the future. In the present, he remains a perfect ghost - that is how Belinsky described this contradictory image.