Differences between Onegin and Pechorin table. Essay on the topic “Comparative characteristics of Onegin and Pechorin
In Russian literature of the 19th century, the images of Eugene Onegin and Pechorin became symbols of the era. They combined the typical features of representatives of the noble class with outstanding personal qualities, deep intelligence and strength of character, which, alas, were not used in conditions of a deep moral crisis, which became the main sign of the times in the 30s and 40s. Misunderstood in their circle, superfluous, they wasted their strength in vain, unable to overcome the moral deafness of their contemporaries and the pettiness of public opinion, which was considered the main measure of human values in high society. Despite all their similarities, Onegin and Pechorin are endowed with bright individual traits, thanks to which modern readers also show interest in these literary heroes.
Pechorin- the main character of the novel by M. Yu. Lermontov “Hero of Our Time”, a Russian nobleman, an officer who, due to his duty, found himself in the war zone in the Caucasus. The extraordinary personality of this literary hero caused heated controversy among critics and the ardent interest of contemporary readers.
Onegin- the main character of the novel in verse “Eugene Onegin”, written by A. S. Pushkin. Onegin belongs to the noble aristocracy. His biography, according to V. G. Belinsky, became an encyclopedia of Russian life in the first half of the 19th century.
What is the difference between Pechorin and Onegin?
Comparison of Pechorin and Onegin
The first chapters of “Eugene Onegin” were published by A. S. Pushkin in 1825. Readers met Pechorin in 1840. The slight difference in the time of creation of these literary images was nevertheless of fundamental importance for the revelation of their personal qualities, which contemporaries perceived as a reflection of deep social processes.
At the beginning of the novel, Onegin is a social dandy. He is rich, educated and constantly under the close attention of high society. Tired of idleness, Evgeniy makes an attempt to get down to serious business: reforming the economy he inherited. The novelty of village life turned into boredom for him: the lack of the habit of working gave rise to melancholy, and all the endeavors of the learned economist came to naught.
Both characters are representatives of the capital's aristocracy. The heroes received an excellent education and upbringing. Their intelligence level is higher than the average level of the people around them. The characters are separated by ten years, but each of them is a representative of their era. Onegin's life takes place in the twenties, the action of Lermontov's novel takes place in the 30s of the 19th century. The first is influenced by freedom-loving ideas in the context of the flourishing of an advanced social movement. Pechorin lives in a period of brutal political reactions to the activities of the Decembrists. And if the first one could still join the rebels and find a goal, thus giving meaning to his own existence, then the second hero no longer had such an opportunity. This already speaks of the greater tragedy of Lermontov’s character.
Onegin's drama lies in the uselessness of his own powers and the emptiness of his lifestyle, which was imposed by public opinion and accepted by the hero as a standard, beyond which he never dared to step. The duel with Lensky, the difficult relationship with Tatyana Larina are a consequence of deep moral dependence on the opinions of the world, which played a primary role in Onegin’s fate.
Pechorin, unlike Onegin, is not so rich and noble. He serves in the Caucasus, a place of dangerous military operations, showing miracles of courage, demonstrating endurance and strength of character. But his main feature, repeatedly emphasized in the novel, is the dual contradiction of spiritual nobility and selfishness, bordering on cruelty.
The reader learns about Onegin’s personality from the narrator’s remarks and Tatyana Larina’s observations. The narrator and Maxim Maksimych express judgments about Pechorin. But his entire inner world is revealed in his diary - the bitter confession of a man who failed to find his place in life.
Pechorin's diary entries are the philosophy of the Byronic hero. His duel with Grushnitsky is a kind of revenge on secular society for its heartlessness and passion for intrigue.
In his confrontation with the light, Pechorin, like Onegin, suffers defeat. Strength without application, life without purpose, inability to love and friendship, secular tinsel instead of serving a high goal - these motives in “Eugene Onegin” and “A Hero of Our Time” have a common sound.
Pechorin became a hero of his time: the second half of the 30s of the 19th century, marked by a deep social crisis after the events associated with the Decembrist movement in Russia.
Both characters are very critical of people and life. Realizing the emptiness and monotony of their existence, they show dissatisfaction with themselves. They are oppressed by the surrounding situation and people mired in slander, malice, and envy. Disillusioned with society, the heroes fall into melancholy and begin to get bored. Onegin tries to start writing to satisfy his spiritual needs. But he quickly gets tired of "hard work." Reading also fascinates him for a short time. Pechorin also quickly gets tired of any business he starts. However, once in the Caucasus, Grigory still hopes that there will be no room for boredom under the bullets. But he also gets used to military action very quickly. Lermontov's character also became bored with his love adventures. This can be seen in Pechorin's attitude towards Mary and Bela. Having achieved love, Gregory quickly loses interest in the ladies.
A comparative description of Onegin and Pechorin would be incomplete without mentioning the self-criticism of the heroes. The first is tormented by remorse after the duel with Lensky. Onegin is unable to stay in the places where the tragedy occurred, he gives up everything and begins to wander around the world. The hero of Lermontov's novel admits that he has caused quite a lot of grief to people throughout his life. But, despite this understanding, Pechorin is not going to change himself and his behavior. And Gregory’s self-criticism does not bring relief to anyone - neither himself nor those around him. This attitude towards life, himself, and people portrays him as a “moral cripple.” Despite the differences between Pechorin and Onegin, both of them have many common features. Each of them has a particularly pronounced ability to understand people well. Both heroes are good psychologists. So, Onegin singled out Tatyana immediately, at the first meeting. Of all the representatives of the local nobility, Eugene became friends only with Lensky. Lermontov's hero also correctly judges the people who meet him on the way. Pechorin gives quite accurate and accurate characteristics to those around him. In addition, Gregory has an excellent knowledge of female psychology, can easily predict the actions of the ladies and, using this, wins their love. A comparative description of Onegin and Pechorin allows us to see the true state of the characters’ inner worlds. In particular, despite all the misfortunes that each of them caused to people, both of them are capable of bright feelings.
Love in the lives of heroes
Realizing his love for Tatyana, Onegin is ready to do anything just to see her. Lermontov's hero immediately rushes after the departed Vera. Pechorin, not having caught up with his beloved, falls in the middle of the path and cries like a child. Pushkin's hero is noble. Onegin is honest with Tatyana and does not think of taking advantage of her inexperience. In this, Lermontov's hero is the direct opposite. Pechorin appears as an immoral person, a person for whom the people around him are just toys.
Pechorin and Onegin belong to that social type of the twenties of the nineteenth century, who were called “superfluous” people. “Suffering egoists”, “clever uselessness” - this is how Belinsky figuratively and accurately defined the essence of this type.
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 of the spiritual forces 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 got tired of the bustle of society, and “the Russian melancholy took possession of him little by little.”
The heroes are also united by 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. The same is said about Onegin: “... the feelings in him cooled down early; he was tired of the noise of the world.”
This is where the idea of escapism arises in both works - 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.” Onegin and Pechorin are also united by the common motif of “wandering without a goal,” “wanderlust” (Pechorin’s wanderings in the Caucasus, Onegin’s fruitless travels after the duel with Lensky).
Spiritual freedom, which is understood by the characters as independence from people and circumstances, is the main value in the worldview system of both characters. So, for example, Pechorin explains his lack of friends by the fact that friendship always leads to the loss of personal freedom: “Of two friends, one is always the slave of the other.” The similarity between Onegin and Pechorin is also manifested in their identical attitude towards love and inability for deep affection:
“We’ve had time to tire of the betrayals;
I’m tired of friends and friendship.”
Such a worldview determines the special significance of the heroes’ actions in the lives of other people: both of them, in Pechorin’s different expressions, play the role of “axes in the hands of fate,” causing 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 the type of intellectual character who is characterized by originality of judgment, dissatisfaction with oneself, a penchant for irony - everything that is brilliantly defined by Pushkin as a “sharp, cooled mind.” In this regard, there is a direct overlap between Pushkin’s and Lermontov’s novels.
However, there are clear differences between the characters of these characters and the means of their artistic depiction in both novels.
So what's 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, and takes a more passive position.
Pechorin’s worldview is also distinguished by great cynicism and some disdain for people
The difference between Pechorin and Onegin
- Onegin is a literary hero who could devote his life to democratic changes in society, but due to his personal qualities he became a hostage of high society.
- Pechorin understands the worthlessness of his own existence and tries to change it: at the end of the novel he leaves Russia.
- Onegin does not seek to change anything in his destiny: all his actions are a consequence of the current circumstances.
- Pechorin is able to objectively evaluate himself and honestly admits his passions and vices.
- Onegin understands his own imperfection, but is unable to analyze his own actions and their consequences. Read more:
Pechorin and Onegin belong to that social type of the twenties of the nineteenth century, who were called “superfluous” people. “Suffering egoists”, “clever uselessness” - this is how Belinsky figuratively and accurately defined the essence of this type.
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 money can get.” The same definition is quite applicable to Pushkin’s hero: “a child of fun and luxury,” he quickly got tired of the bustle of society, and “the Russian melancholy took possession of him little by little.”
The heroes are also united by 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. The same is said about Onegin: “... the feelings in him cooled down early; he was tired of the noise of the world.”
This is where the idea of escapism arises in both works - 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.” Onegin and Pechorin are also united by the common motif of “wandering without a goal,” “wanderlust” (Pechorin’s wanderings in the Caucasus, Onegin’s fruitless travels after the duel with Lensky).
Spiritual freedom, which is understood by the characters as independence from people and circumstances, is the main value in the worldview system of both characters. So, for example, Pechorin explains his lack of friends by the fact that friendship always leads to the loss of personal freedom: “Of two friends, one is always the slave of the other.” The similarity between Onegin and Pechorin is also manifested in their identical attitude towards love and inability for deep affection:
“We’ve had time to tire of the betrayals;
I’m tired of friends and friendship.”
Such a worldview determines the special significance of the heroes’ actions in the lives of other people: both of them, in Pechorin’s different expressions, play the role of “axes in the hands of fate,” causing 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 the type of intellectual character who is characterized by originality of judgment, dissatisfaction with oneself, a penchant for irony - everything that is brilliantly defined by Pushkin as a “sharp, cooled mind.” In this regard, there is a direct overlap between Pushkin’s and Lermontov’s novels.
However, there are clear differences between the characters of these characters and the means of their artistic depiction in both novels.
So what's 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, and 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 the age of twenty-six, ... he did not know how to do anything,” “he was sick of persistent work.” 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 are 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.
Onegin and Pechorin.
This is probably very rare in the history of literature when two literary geniuses are born almost simultaneously and almost in the same place. Pushkin and Lermontov. This was the time of the birth of Great Russian Literature and at the same time the time of the beginning of the great crisis of Russian society.
The crisis of society is best manifested in its ideals. Both Pushkin and Lermontov understood this perfectly, therefore, in their main works - the novels “Eugene Onegin” and “Hero of Our Time”, they sought to manifest these ideals in their main characters - Onegin and Pechorin.
Lermontov reflected his understanding of the image of Pechorin both in the title of the novel and in the preface. For Lermontov, “A Hero of Our Time” is “a portrait made up of the vices of our time, in their full development.” However, for the title the author chose the term “hero”, and not some other term - “anti-hero”, “villain”, etc. What is this? Mockery, irony or author's whim? It seems to me - neither one nor the other, nor the third... In fact, Lermontov portrays precisely the hero of the society that gave birth to him, shows those of his qualities that are most respected in this society, most valued.
It is in this that lies the deep continuity of the image of Pechorin with his literary predecessor, Evgeny Onegin.
On the one hand, you can find a lot in common in them. Fate led them along similar paths: both of them were the “cream” of secular society, both were mortally tired of it, both despised this society.
It was no coincidence that their lives coincided for some time: obviously, this was the lot of any rich and handsome young rake:
“What more: the light has decided,
That he is smart and very nice"
But this life, which in Eugene Onegin was the content of the novel, for Pechorin remained only in memories. We can say that Pechorin was once Onegin, but in the novel he is already different, and this difference is the most interesting point in the comparative analysis of these images, since it allows us to evaluate the tendencies of society, the gradual shift of its ideals.
In Onegin we still find, if not compassion and repentance, then at least a cold, mental awareness that they must exist. Onegin is still capable, if not of love, then at least of passion, albeit extremely selfish, but ardent.
Pechorin is not even capable of such manifestations of human feelings. He tries to awaken them in himself and cannot:
“No matter how much I looked in my chest for even a spark of love for dear Mary, my efforts were in vain.”
In his soul, even love for life (and therefore for himself) is absent. If Onegin nevertheless lived, “languishing in the inaction of leisure,” then Pechorin lives simply “out of curiosity: you expect something new...”
However, Pechorin, unlike Onegin, is able to think in spiritual categories, his indifference is close to despair (it is no coincidence that he seeks death). He suffers from his indifference, he sees it!
Onegin, in this sense, is completely blind, and at the same time he does not notice his blindness. There is no despair in his indifference. His passion for Tatyana is filled with selfishness, but he does not notice this and takes her for love.
As Belinsky put it, “Lermontov’s Pechorin is the Onegin of our time.” But not in the sense that they are similar, but in the sense that one is a logical continuation of the second.
Secular society is rapidly losing its last ideals: neither love, nor compassion, nor honor are anymore valued. There is only one curiosity left: what if there is something “spicy”, “tickling” the nerves, that can amuse and distract at least for a while...
Comparing the images of Onegin and Pechorin, we see what a terrible end to such innocent hobbies as idleness, selfishness, the pursuit of fashion, and how they can degenerate into such a terrible state of soul, which is usually called spiritual death.
All this is not alien, unfortunately, to our society. And it’s scary if we are not able, like Onegin, to discern our own inferiority, and we look down on Onegin: we’re not like that - we go to theaters, discos, surf the Internet, in general, we live a full cultural life. And we don’t notice how this complacency inevitably leads to the same devastated indifference to everything except oneself that Onegin came to, and to the same unrepentant hardness of heart that Pechorin came to.
Truly, the images of Pechorin and Onegin are images of heroes of our time.
COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF ONEGIN AND PECHORIN
(Advanced people of the 19th century)
My life, where are you going from and where are you going?
Why is my path so unclear and secret to me?
Why do I not know the purpose of labor?
Why am I not the master of my desires?
Pushkin worked on the novel “Eugene Onegin” for many years; it was his favorite work. Belinsky called this work “an encyclopedia of Russian life” in his article “Eugene Onegin.” Indeed, this novel gives a picture of all layers of Russian life: high society, the small nobility, and the people - Pushkin studied well the life of all layers of society at the beginning of the 19th century. During the years of writing the novel, Pushkin had to endure a lot, lose many friends, and experience the bitterness of the death of the best people of Russia. For the poet, the novel was, in his words, the fruit of “a mind of cold observations and a heart of sorrowful observations.” Against the broad background of Russian pictures of life, the dramatic fate of the best people, the advanced noble intelligentsia of the Decembrist era, is shown.
Without Onegin, Lermontov's "Hero of Our Time" would have been impossible, because the realistic novel created by Pushkin opened the first page in the history of the great Russian novel of the 19th century.
Pushkin embodied in the image of Onegin many of those traits that were later developed in individual characters of Lermontov, Turgenev, Herzen, Goncharov. Evgeny Onegin and Pechorin are very similar in character, both of them are from a secular environment, received a good upbringing, they are at a higher stage of development, hence their melancholy, melancholy and dissatisfaction. All this is characteristic of souls that are more subtle and more developed. Pushkin writes about Onegin: “Handra was waiting for him on guard, and she ran after him like a shadow or a faithful wife.” The secular society in which Onegin and later Pechorin moved spoiled them. It did not require knowledge, a superficial education was enough, knowledge of the French language and good manners was more important. Evgeniy, like everyone else, “danced the mazurka easily and bowed at ease.” He spends his best years, like most people in his circle, on balls, theaters and love interests. Pechorin leads the same lifestyle. Very soon, both begin to understand that this life is empty, that behind the “external tinsel” there is nothing worth it, boredom, slander, envy reign in the world, people waste the inner strength of the soul on gossip and anger. Petty vanity, empty conversations of “necessary fools”, spiritual emptiness make the life of these people monotonous, outwardly dazzling, but devoid of internal “content.” Idleness and lack of high interests vulgarize their existence. Day is like a day, there is no need to work, there are few impressions, therefore the smartest and the best ones fall ill with nostalgia. They essentially do not know their homeland and people. Onegin “wanted to write, but he was tired of hard work...”, he also did not find the answer to his questions. , but the lack of need for work is the reason that he does not find something to his liking. From this he suffers, realizing that the upper layer of society lives off the slave labor of serfs. Serfdom was a disgrace of tsarist Russia. Onegin tried to alleviate it in the village. the position of his serfs ("...he replaced the ancient corvée with a light quitrent..."), for which he was condemned by his neighbors, who considered him an eccentric and a dangerous "freethinker." Many people also do not understand Pechorin. In order to further reveal the character of his hero, Lermontov places him in a wide variety of social spheres and confronts him with a wide variety of people. When a separate edition of A Hero of Our Time was published, it became clear that there had been no Russian realistic novel before Lermontov. Belinsky pointed out that “Princess Mary” is one of the main stories in the novel. In this story, Pechorin talks about himself, reveals his soul. Here the features of “A Hero of Our Time” as a psychological novel were most clearly manifested. In Pechorin's diary we find his sincere confession, in which he reveals his thoughts and feelings, mercilessly castigating his inherent weaknesses and vices: Here is a clue to his character and an explanation of his actions. Pechorin is a victim of his difficult times. Pechorin's character is complex and contradictory. He talks about himself; “There are two people in me: one lives, in the full sense of the word, - the other thinks and judges him.” The character traits of the author himself are visible in the image of Pechorin, but Lermontov was broader and deeper than his hero. Pechorin is closely associated with advanced social thought, but he counts himself among the pitiful descendants who wander the earth without convictions and pride. “We are not capable of greater sacrifices, either for the good of humanity or for our own happiness,” says Pechorin. He lost faith in people, his disbelief in ideas, skepticism and undoubted egoism - the result of the era that came after December 14, the era of moral decay, cowardice and vulgarity of the secular society in which Pechorin moved. The main task that Lermontov set for himself was to sketch the image of a contemporary young man. Lermontov poses the problem of a strong personality, so unlike the noble society of the 30s.
Belinsky wrote that “Pechorin is the Onegin of our time.” The novel “A Hero of Our Time” is a bitter reflection on the “history of the human soul,” a soul destroyed by the “brilliance of the deceptive capital,” seeking and not finding friendship, love, and happiness. Pechorin is a suffering egoist. About Onegin, Belinsky wrote: “The powers of this rich nature were left without application: life without meaning, and the novel without end.” The same can be said about Pechorin. Comparing the two heroes, he wrote: “...The roads are different, but the result is the same.” With all the difference in appearance and difference in characters, Onegin; both Pechorin and Chatsky belong to the gallery of “superfluous people for whom there was neither place nor work in the surrounding society. The desire to find one’s place in life, to understand the “great purpose” is the main meaning of the novel of Lermontov’s lyrics. Isn’t it these thoughts that occupy Pechorin , lead him to a painful answer to the question: “Why did I live?” This question can be answered with the words of Lermontov: “Perhaps, with heavenly thought and the power of spirit, I am convinced that I would give the world a wonderful gift, and for that it would give me immortality... "In Lermontov's lyrics and Pechorin's thoughts we encounter a sad recognition that people are skinny fruits, ripened before their time. How Pechorin's words that he despises life and Lermontov's words, "but I despise fate and the world," echo in “A Hero of Our Time” we so clearly hear the voice of the poet, the breath of his time. Did Pushkin and Lermontov depict the fates of their heroes, typical of their generation, protest against the reality that forces people to waste their energy.
(1 option)
"Eugene Onegin" and "Hero of Our Time" are the main milestones in the development of Russian literature of the 19th century. These are the best works of two true geniuses of Russia: A.S. Pushkin and M.Yu. Lermontov. The novels shock readers and literary scholars not only with the grandeur of their concept, but also with their innovation. It manifests itself primarily in the disclosure of the images of the two main characters. For the first time, Pushkin wrote a realistic novel in verse. It was akin to a revolution. The poet was worried about his creation, realizing that not all people would be able to
Appreciate a work that was ahead of its time. These worries were not unfounded. Even many of Pushkin’s friends could not understand the genius of the concept of the work.
M.Yu. Lermontov went even further in his creative quest. The novel he created was not realistic, like Pushkin’s, but combined the features of two movements. And this brilliant work was not appreciated by critics and contemporaries.
First of all, the innovation of the two novels lies in the characters that were new to the literature of that time. Subsequently, this type was called the “superfluous person.” This concept implies a romantic, then a realistic image of a young man, a nobleman, smart, educated and interesting, but far from real life, disappointed, inactive, alien to his contemporaries. The gallery of these characters opens with Onegin, followed by Pechorin.
The time of appearance of such characters is the 1830s, a period of decline. After the Decembrist uprising and the accession of Nicholas I, a cruel, reactionary politician, public life in Russia became quiet for a long time. A new social phenomenon appeared - young people who had everything except happiness and a sense of significance of their personality. Their suffering and quest were embodied in novels about Onegin and Pechorin - heroes of their time.
Despite the apparent dissimilarity of the two works, their plot is constructed in the same way: the hero goes through some kind of test, his character is revealed depending on the situation.
Undoubtedly, the main test for both Onegin and Pechorin is the test of love.
Onegin, like Pechorin, at the beginning of the novel appears as a conqueror of other people's hearts, "a fickle admirer of charming actresses." He was not interested in deep feelings, he did not seek love for the rest of his life, to the death, but only cynically sought the adoration of pretty girls, and, having achieved it, quickly abandoned them, without thinking about the suffering caused. It was his cure for boredom.
How early could he be a hypocrite?
To harbor hope, to be jealous,
To dissuade, to make believe,
Seem gloomy, languish,
Be proud and obedient
Attentive or indifferent!
Onegin clearly succeeded in the “science of tender passion.”
So, Onegin is a playmaker. But then he meets Tatyana. He manages to easily win over this provincial young lady. She does not shine with beauty, and her soul is darkness for a carminative. And Evgeniy here simply plays the role of a mentor, teaching the girl how to live. But, having returned from the trip, having experienced a moral revolution and purification, he looks at Tatyana with different eyes. Onegin falls in love with her, completely loses his head, and not because Tatyana has changed (she remained the same in her soul), but because profound changes have affected Eugene himself, he has grown spiritually and has become worthy of Tatyana. But Onegin was late, she is married and will be “faithful to him forever.” And this is a clear illustration of the tragedy of the “superfluous man,” his “pathetic lot.”
Pechorin repeats the fate of Onegin. He also wanders aimlessly through life, trying to find himself; for some reason he also achieves the love of women, and then leaves them. Onegin sees that Tatyana has become his victim, but it is too late. Pechorin also could have prevented the tragedies of Bela and Mary, but did not want to. He also played with the fate of Vera, but she turned out to be stronger than him - and here he is, crushed and humiliated, crying about his lost happiness.
In the romantic "Hero of Our Time" there is no single female image. We recognize Tatyana's traits in Bel, Mary, and Vera. And thus, the hero’s love is more multifaceted and expressive.
The attitude of the heroes towards friendship is no less expressively described. Lermontov again lacks clarity; Lensky is embodied in Grushnitsky, Werner, and even Maxim Maksimych. However, a comparison between Lensky and Grushnitsky suggests itself. Pechorin and Grushnitsky also “have nothing to do, friends.” The storyline of a duel over a trifle, one’s infatuation with the other’s beloved, can also be traced in both works.
It is impossible not to mention the moral quest of Onegin and Pechorin, because both of them are involuntarily alien to the high society, the society to which they should belong. Onegin travels around Russia, Pechorin – around the Caucasus, both try to find the meaning and purpose of their existence in these travels. They trail women, make them suffer, fight in duels, ruin people's lives, without knowing why. As a result, their fate is unenviable.
Both Onegin and Pechorin are real “heroes of the time”. They are very similar to each other, and their tragedies are similar. There is no refuge for them in the whole world; they are destined to suffer and seek peace all their lives. Such is the fate of extra people.
(Option 2)
Probably, when starting his novel, Lermontov thought that his main character would remind readers of the existence of Pushkin’s Onegin. The undoubted similarity of the images of Eugene Onegin and Grigory Pechorin was one of the first to be noted by V. G. Belinsky. “Their dissimilarity is much less than the distance between Onega and Pechora... Pechorin is the Onegin of our time,” the critic wrote.
The life span of the heroes is different. Onegin lived in the era of Decembrism, freethinking, and rebellion. Pechorin is a hero of the timeless era. What the great works of Pushkin and Lermontov have in common is the depiction of the spiritual crisis of the noble intelligentsia. The best representatives of this class turned out to be dissatisfied with life and removed from public activities. They had no choice but to waste their strength aimlessly, turning into “superfluous people.”
The formation of characters and the conditions of education of Onegin and Pechorin are, without a doubt, similar. These are people of the same circle. The similarity of the heroes is that both of them went from agreement with society and themselves to denial of light and deep dissatisfaction with life.
“But early the feelings in him cooled down,” Pushkin writes about Onegin, who “sick” with the “Russian blues.” Pechorin also very early “... despair was born, covered with courtesy and a good-natured smile.”
These were well-read and educated people, which placed them above other young people in their circle. Onegin's education and natural curiosity are revealed in his disputes with Lensky. One list of topics is worth it:
Tribes of past treaties,
The fruits of science, good and evil,
And age-old prejudices,
And the grave secrets are fatal,
Fate and life...
Evidence of Onegin’s high education is his extensive personal library. Pechorin said this about himself: “I began to read, study - I was tired of science too.” Possessing remarkable abilities and spiritual needs, both failed to realize themselves in life and squandered it on trifles.
In their youth, both heroes were fond of a carefree social life, both succeeded in the “science of tender passion”, in the knowledge of “Russian young ladies”. Pechorin says about himself: “... when meeting a woman, I always unmistakably guessed whether she would love me... I never became a slave to the woman I loved, on the contrary, I always acquired invincible power over their will and heart... Is that why I have never been very I treasure...” Neither the love of the beautiful Bela, nor the serious passion of the young Princess Mary could melt Pechorin’s coldness and rationality. It only brings misfortune to women.
The love of the inexperienced, naive Tatyana Larina also leaves Onegin indifferent at first. But later, our hero, upon meeting again with Tatyana, now a society lady and general’s wife, realizes what he has lost in the person of this extraordinary woman. Pechorin, it turns out, is not at all capable of great feeling. In his opinion, “love is satiated pride.”
Both Onegin and Pechorin value their freedom. Evgeniy writes in his letter to Tatyana:
Your hateful freedom
I didn't want to lose.
Pechorin directly states: “... twenty times I will put my life, even my honor, on the line, but I will not sell my freedom.”
The indifference to people inherent in both, disappointment and boredom affect their attitude towards friendship. Onegin is friends with Lensky "there is nothing to do." And Pechorin says: “... I am not capable of friendship: of two friends, one is always the slave of the other, although often neither of them admits this to himself; I cannot be a slave, and in this case commanding is tedious work, because it is necessary at the same time, to deceive..." And he demonstrates this in his cold attitude towards Maxim Maksimych. The words of the old staff captain sound helplessly: “I’ve always said that there is no use in those who forget old friends!..”
Both Onegin and Pechorin, disillusioned with the life around them, are critical of the empty and idle “secular mob.” But Onegin is afraid of public opinion, accepting Lensky’s challenge to a duel. Pechorin, shooting with Grushnitsky, takes revenge on society for unfulfilled hopes. Essentially, the same evil prank led the heroes to a duel. Onegin “swore to enrage Lensky and take proper revenge” for a boring evening at the Larins’. Pechorin says the following: “I lied, but I wanted to defeat him. I have an innate passion to contradict, my whole life was only a tribute to sad and unsuccessful contradictions of the heart or mind...”
The tragedy of the feeling of one’s own uselessness is deepened for both by the understanding of the uselessness of their lives. Pushkin exclaims about this bitterly:
But it's sad to think that it's in vain
We were given youth
That they cheated on her all the time,
That she deceived us
What are our best wishes?
What are our fresh dreams
Decayed in quick succession,
Like rotten leaves in autumn.
Lermontov’s hero seems to echo him: “My colorless youth passed in a struggle with myself and the light, my best qualities, fearing ridicule, I buried in the depths of my heart: they died there... Having learned well the light and springs of life, I became a moral cripple.”
Pushkin's words about Onegin, when
Having killed a friend in a duel,
Having lived without a goal, without work
Until twenty-six years old,
Languishing in idle leisure,
he “began wandering without a goal,” which can also be attributed to Pechorin, who also killed his former “friend,” and his life continued “without a goal, without work.” During the journey, Pechorin reflects: “Why did I live? For what purpose was I born?”
Feeling “immense forces in his soul,” but completely wasting them, Pechorin seeks death and finds it “from a random bullet on the roads of Persia.” Onegin, at twenty-six, was also “hopelessly tired of life.” He exclaims:
Why wasn't I pierced by a bullet?
Why am I not a frail old man?..
Comparing the description of the heroes' lives, one can be convinced that Pechorina is a more active person with demonic traits. “To be the cause of suffering and joy for someone, without having any positive right to do so, is not this the sweetest food of our pride?” - says Lermontov’s hero. As a person, Onegin remains a mystery to us. No wonder Pushkin characterizes him this way:
The eccentric is sad and dangerous,
The creation of hell or heaven,
This angel, this arrogant demon,
What is he? Is it really imitation?
An insignificant ghost?..
Both Onegin and Pechorin are selfish, but thinking and suffering heroes. Despising an idle secular existence, they do not find ways and opportunities to freely and creatively resist it. In the tragic outcomes of the individual destinies of Onegin and Pechorin, the tragedy of “superfluous people” comes through. The tragedy of the “superfluous man,” no matter what era he appears, is at the same time the tragedy of the society that gave birth to him.
