Description of Pechorin. Grigory Pechorin from the novel M

Grigory Pechorin is the main character of the 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 him with all the vices characteristic of people 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 a young, handsome man, 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, the gaze of his 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. A good expert on female psychology. I could figure out each one and understand from the first minutes of the conversation what it was. Exhausted and devastated by social life, he tried to delve 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. The 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.

Attitude towards death

Pechorin is firmly convinced that everything in life is predetermined. But this does not mean that you need to sit and wait for death. We must move forward, and she herself will find the one she needs.

“...I like to doubt everything. I always go forward when I don't know what awaits me. Since there is nothing worse than death, and it can happen - and you can’t get around death!..”

Grigory Pechorin is the central character of M. Yu. Lermontov’s novel “A Hero of Our Time,” which appeared in the late 30s and early 40s of the 19th century and caused ambiguous and very diverse reactions from readers. This is the first socio-psychological novel in Russian classical literature and all plot twists, events and secondary characters are shown in order to fully reveal Pechorin’s character and personal characteristics.

The novel includes five stories, representing some stages in the development of Pechorin's personality and revealing all the depths of his complex and ambiguous character to the reader.

Characteristics of the hero

Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is a young attractive aristocrat and officer from St. Petersburg, a typical representative of the youth of the 30s of the nineteenth century. He has received proper education and upbringing, is rich and independent, has an attractive appearance and is popular with people of the opposite sex. At the same time, he is dissatisfied with his life and is spoiled by luxury. He quickly gets bored with everything and sees no opportunity for himself to become happy. Pechorin is in perpetual motion and in search of himself: now he is in a Caucasian fortress, now on vacation in Pyatigorsk, now with smugglers in Taman. Even death awaits him when he travels from Persia to his homeland.

With the help of a detailed description of the hero's appearance, the author tries to reveal his character to us. Pechorin is not deprived of masculine attractiveness, he is strong, slender and fit, the military uniform suits him very well. He has curly blond hair, expressive brown eyes, cold and arrogant, they never laugh and it is impossible to read thoughts from their expression. Blonde hair combined with a dark mustache and eyebrows give his appearance individuality and originality.

(Pechorin on horseback, drawing)

Pechorin's soul burns with a thirst for activity, but he does not know where to apply himself and therefore, wherever he appears, he sows evil and sadness around him. Because of a stupid duel, his friend Grushnitsky dies, through his fault the daughter of the Caucasian Circassian prince Bela dies, for the sake of entertainment he falls in love with himself, and then leaves Princess Mary without regret. Because of him, the only woman he loved, Vera, suffers, but he also cannot make her happy and she is doomed to suffer.

The image of the main character

Pechorin is drawn to people, longs for communication, but does not see a response in their souls, because he is not like them, their thoughts, desires and feelings do not coincide at all, which makes him strange and unlike others. Pechorin, like Pushkin’s Evgeny Onegin, is burdened by his calm and measured life, but unlike Pushkin’s hero, he is constantly looking for ways to add spice to his life, and not finding it, he suffers greatly from it. His own whims have always been and will be in the first place for him, and he is ready to do anything to satisfy his desires. He likes to manipulate people and subjugate them, he enjoys power over them.

At the same time, Pechorin also has positive qualities and, in addition to reproaches and censure, he fully deserves sympathy and sympathy. He is distinguished by a sharp mind and, judging others, is quite self-critical and demanding of himself. Pechorin is no stranger to poetry and lyrical moods; he subtly feels nature and admires its beauty. During a duel, he shows enviable courage and bravery, he is not a coward and does not retreat back, his cold-bloodedness is at its best. Despite his own egoism, Pechorin is capable of real feelings, for example in relation to Vera; it turns out that he can also be sincere and knows how to love.

(M.A. Vrubel "Duel of Pechorin with Grushnitsky" 1890-1891)

Pechorin's personality is so complex and ambiguous that it is impossible to say with certainty what feelings he evokes in readers: sharp condemnation and hostility, or sympathy and understanding. The main features of his character are the inconsistency between his thoughts and actions, opposition to surrounding circumstances and turns of fate. The hero is seething with desires to act, but most often his actions result either in empty and useless actions, or, on the contrary, bring pain and misfortune to his loved ones. Having created the image of Pechorin, a unique hero of his time, whose prototypes Lermontov met at every step, the author wanted to focus on the moral responsibility of each person for his thoughts and actions, for life choices and how they can affect the people around him.

Pechorin

PECHORIN is the main character of M.Yu. Lermontov’s novel “A Hero of Our Time” (1838-1840). Contemporaries, including Belinsky, largely identified P. with Lermontov. Meanwhile, it was important for the author to distance himself from his hero. According to Lermontov, P. is a portrait made up of the vices of an entire generation - “in their full development.” It is quite understandable why “P. Magazine” for Lermontov it is “someone else’s work.” If not the best, then the central part of it are P.’s diary entries, entitled “Princess Mary.” Nowhere does P. so correspond to the image revealed by the author in the preface. “Princess Mary” appeared later than all the other stories. The preface that Lermontov wrote for the second edition of the novel is primarily associated with this story with its critical acuity. The hero whom he introduces to the reader is exactly the same P. as he is shown on the pages of “Princess Mary”. The critical pathos of the last period of Lermontov's life manifested itself especially clearly in this story. The character of the main character was obviously influenced by the different times in which the stories were written. Lermontov's consciousness changed very quickly. His hero also changed. P. in “Princess Mary” is no longer quite the same as what appears first in “Bel”, then in “Fatalist”. At the end of work on the novel P.

acquired the expressiveness that was supposed to complete the promised portrait. Indeed, in “Princess Mary” he appears in the most unsightly light. Of course, this is a strong-willed, deep, demonic nature. But this way it can only be perceived through the eyes of the young Princess Mary and Grushnitsky, blinded by him. He imitates P. unnoticed by himself, which is why he is so vulnerable and funny to P. Meanwhile, even this Grushnitsky, a nonentity, in P.’s opinion, evokes a feeling of envy in him. And at the same time, how much courage P. showed at the climax of the duel, knowing that his own pistol was not loaded. P. really shows miracles of endurance. And the reader is already lost: who is he, this hero of our time? The intrigue came from him, and when the victim got confused, it was as if he was not to blame.

P. is called a strange man by all the characters in the novel. Lermontov paid a lot of attention to human oddities. In P. he summarizes all his observations. P.’s strangeness seems to elude definition, which is why the opinions of those around him are polar. He is envious, angry, cruel. At the same time, he is generous, sometimes kind, that is, capable of succumbing to good feelings, nobly protects the princess from the encroachments of the crowd. He is impeccably honest with himself, smart. P. is a talented writer. Lermontov attributes the wonderful “Taman” to his careless pen, generously sharing the best part of his soul with the hero. As a result, readers seem to get used to excusing a lot of things”, and not noticing some things at all. Belinsky defends P. and actually justifies him, since “in his very vices something great glimmers.” But all the critic’s arguments skim on the surface of Pechorin’s character. Illustrating the words of Maxim Maximych: “A nice fellow, I dare to assure you, he’s only a little strange...”, Lermontov looks at his hero as an exceptional phenomenon, so the original title of the novel - “One of the heroes of our century” - was discarded. In other words, P. cannot be confused with anyone, especially with the poet himself, as I. Annensky categorically formulated: “Pechorin - Lermontov.” A.I. Herzen, speaking on behalf of the “Lermontov” generation, argued that P. expressed “the real sorrow and fragmentation of the then Russian life, the sad fate of an extra, lost person.” Herzen put P.'s name here with the same ease with which he would have written the name of Lermontov.

The hero goes through the entire book and remains unrecognized. A man without a heart - but his tears are hot, the beauty of nature intoxicates him. He does bad things, but only because they are expected of him. He kills the person he slandered, and before that the first one offers him peace. Expressing multiple traits, P. is in fact exceptional. Anyone can do bad things. To recognize oneself as an executioner and a traitor is not given to everyone. The role of the ax that P. recognizes among people is not at all a euphemism, not a veiled world sorrow. It is impossible to make allowances for the fact that this was stated in the diary. Confessing, P. is horrified by his “pathetic” role of being an indispensable participant in the last act of a comedy or tragedy, but there is not a shadow of repentance in these words. All his complaints are reminiscent of the “pathetic” style of Ivan the Terrible, lamenting over his next victim. The comparison does not seem exaggerated. P.'s goal is undivided power over others. All the more insistently he emphasizes that he suffers from boredom and is “very worthy of regret.” The poet of Lermontov's school, Ap. Grigoriev, tried to poeticize and develop Pechorin's boredom, and the result was Moscow melancholy with gypsy guitars. P. says directly that he is bored - his life is “emptier day by day,” he says, as if in tune with the tyrant who calls himself a “stinking dog.” Of course, P.’s victims are not so bloody; they are primarily destroyed morally. The decoding of the idea of ​​the hero of our time must be sought in individual demonism: “The collection of evils is his element.” Lermontov placed the thirst for power, which destroys personality, at the forefront of Pechorin’s worldview. Of course, this is only outlined by Lermontov, and that is why his hero does not have sharp outlines. There is nothing predatory about him, on the contrary, there is a lot of feminine. Nevertheless, Lermontov had every reason to call P. a hero of the future. It’s not that scary that P. sometimes “understands the vampire.” For P., a field of activity has already been found: the philistine environment, in fact, is this field - the environment of dragoon captains, princesses, romantic phrase-mongers - the most favorable soil for nurturing all kinds of “gardener-executioners”. This will be exactly what Lermontov called the complete development of vices. To crave power and find the highest pleasure in it is not at all the same as involuntarily destroying the life of “honest” smugglers. This is the evolution of P.’s image from “Bela” and “Taman” to “Princess Mary”. When Belinsky admires the sparks of greatness of P.’s vices, he thereby, as it were, strives to cleanse his image from petty interpretations. After all, P. so picturesquely likens himself to a sailor born and raised on the deck of a robber brig. In this reading, P. is bad because the others are even worse. Belinsky softens Pechorin's features, not noticing the question asked by the hero to himself: “Is evil really so attractive?” The attractiveness of evil - this is how Lermontov accurately described the disease of his age.

P.’s image is not painted with just black paint. In the end, P lost his worse half. He is like a man from a fairy tale who has lost his shadow. Therefore, Lermontov did not turn P. into a vampire, but left him as a man capable of even composing “Taman”. It was this man, so similar to Lermontov, who obscured P.’s shadow. And it is no longer possible to make out whose steps are heard on the flinty path. Lermontov sketched a portrait consisting not of vices, but of contradictions. And most importantly, he made it clear that the thirst that this man suffers cannot be quenched from a well with mineral water. Destructive for everyone except himself, P. is like Pushkin’s anchar. It is difficult to imagine him among the yellowing fields, in the Russian landscape. It is increasingly somewhere in the east - the Caucasus, Persia.

Article menu:

In real life, it is rare to meet a person who has exclusively negative qualities. There may be a majority of them, but no matter what kind of person you are, it is still possible to find at least a few positive qualities. Literature has the ability to paint the most unusual plots, images and events - sometimes surreal, which would be impossible to realize in real life. Oddly enough, there are no absolutely negative or positive characters here either. Each hero is unique in his own way; he can act in the most dishonest way, but at the same time it will not be difficult to find at least one good motive in him. One of the controversial characters is the image of Grigory Pechorin in the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov "Hero of Our Time".

Pechorin's inconsistency

Grigory Pechorin in the novel is presented as the engine of trouble, his appearance in the lives of all the characters ends in some kind of tragedy, or becomes the cause of death. Most of these situations are created unintentionally. Pechorin does not plan to kill anyone or bring irreparable consequences into the lives of certain people; tragedy occurs in a random, unplanned way, due to the characters’ contradictory perception of reality, a certain amount of misunderstanding of the essence of what is happening.

Positive qualities of Pechorin

At the beginning, it seems that there should be significantly fewer positions on this matter, since Pechorin does more harm than good, but in reality everything is far from being so.

First of all, the character’s education and intelligence are striking. Pechorin received a good education, but this fact alone does not make him smart - he is inquisitive by nature, so his knowledge was never limited to dry sciences, he always wanted to get to the bottom of the truth, to comprehend the essence.

Grigory knows how to present himself in society - he has the gift of getting his interlocutor interested in even the most mundane topic, and has a good sense of humor, which also contributes to his communicative influence.

Pechorin not only has knowledge about the subject of various sciences, he is also well acquainted with the rules of etiquette and successfully applies this knowledge in practice - he is always polite and courteous.

One cannot help but mention his special attention to his wardrobe and the condition of his suit as a positive quality - he always looks neat and elegant.

Pechorin treats women with a certain amount of trepidation - he carefully looks after Bella, is affectionate and attentive with the princess. His care and attention become an opportunity to demonstrate his love and affection to women.

Gregory is a generous person. His generosity is closely related to his lack of pity or greed. He allows his friends to take his horses for a ride, generously gives Bella gifts - he does not do this for selfish purposes. They are guided by sincere impulses of the soul.

Pechorin's next positive qualities, undoubtedly, are determination and perseverance - if he has determined a goal for himself, he will follow it and do everything to achieve it as quickly as possible.

Pechorin has unprecedented courage. This fact can also be attributed to positive aspects in his image, although his courage must be considered in the context of events, since it often borders on recklessness, which introduces a significant amount of bitterness into this characteristic.

Negative qualities of Grigory Pechorin

At his core, Pechorin is an evil person, but in him this quality looks attractive - it does not become a repulsive factor from his person, but, on the contrary, possessive.

Gregory finds special pleasure in the process of playing with people's feelings. He likes to watch their mental anguish or confusion.

Moreover, he is dishonest and hypocritical. He allows himself to have affairs with married women.

In addition, he is not alien to the feeling of selfishness, which is skillfully combined, in his case, with inflated self-esteem. This becomes the reason for Pechorin’s lack of friends. He says goodbye too easily to all his acquaintances and lovers.

He kills the only person who claimed to be Grigory’s friend, Grushnitsky, in a duel. Moreover, he does it without a shadow of regret. Maxim Maksimovich, who showed interest in his person and friendly sympathy, is repelled.

Despite his reverent attitude towards women, Pechorin treats them rudely when his love fervor fades.

Succumbing to his whim, he steals and keeps Bella, which leads to the girl’s death, but even here he does not feel remorse.

He leaves Princess Mary rudely and cruelly - destroying her love and feeling of tenderness.

How Pechorin evaluates himself

The image of Pechorin is not without a share of self-criticism. Despite the fact that he suffers from inflated self-esteem, his characterization of his personality and analysis of the actions he has committed looks quite believable. He is able to sensibly assess the integrity and consequences of his actions.

Pechorin considers himself an evil, immoral person. He calls himself a “moral cripple,” claiming that he was not always this way.

In the tradition of the Byronic hero and the “superfluous man,” Pechorin is overwhelmed by despondency and spleen - he cannot realize his talents and creative potential and therefore is in deep depression and does not see a way out of it. Pechorin also cannot name the reason that led to this state of his soul, although he realizes that there must be some factor. Gregory does not deny that there may be a completely logical explanation for this, such as, for example, excess education, or the intervention of heavenly forces - God, who endowed him with an unhappy character.

Thus, Grigory Pechorin is a very controversial character who is at the crossroads of two moral eras. He clearly and clearly understands that the old traditions and principles have already become obsolete, they are alien to him and unpleasant, but he does not know what should replace them. His intuitive searches do not bring the desired positive result for the character himself and become disastrous and tragic for the lives of other personalities in the story.

Speaking about the characterization of Grigory Pechorin, first of all it should be noted that the author of the work, Mikhail Lermontov, clearly showed his attitude towards the hero Grigory Pechorin. Pechorin does not fit into society, he seems to “fall out” of it, and the point is not at all in his appearance. Indeed, Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is a handsome officer, has a sharp mind, a lively and ebullient nature, and has an explosive character. However, Mikhail Lermontov himself, mentioning the characterization of Grigory Pechorin, notes: “This is a portrait made up of the vices of our entire generation, in their full development.”

Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is, of course, a put together image of the people of that time, namely the 30s of the 19th century.

So, Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is, of course, a put together image of the people of that time, namely the 30s of the 19th century. What interesting things can be said about the characterization of Grigory Pechorin?

He leads a rather boring lifestyle, he is lonely, and it’s hard to keep himself busy. Although at one time Pechorin moved in the best circles of society, he became bored with everything: courting ladies and social amusements.

On the one hand, Grigory is afraid that society will negatively affect him, so internally he shuns its influence, but on the other hand, Pechorin does not worry about the welfare and well-being of others. Not only does he not value true love and friendship, but in addition, Lermontov’s main character does not worry about the fact that by his behavior he is ruining the fates of those close to him. This fact, of course, significantly overshadows the characterization of Grigory Pechorin.

Characteristics of Grigory Pechorin in the chapter "Bela"

As you read the book and analyze Lermontov's hero Pechorin, it becomes clear that Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin indulges in recklessness simply because he is bored. But when the passion of adventure takes possession of him, he is calculating and ready to do anything - sacrifice friendship, hurt someone's feelings, break something inside himself. For example, in the chapter “Bela” Pechorin burns with passion for the girl Bela, and does everything possible to achieve her favor. It seems that Grigory Pechorin loves Bela, but how can one explain the fact that he mercilessly destroys her family, forcibly kidnaps the girl, pushes Bela’s brother Azamat to madness, and then puts on a guise and tries to evoke sympathy and pity for himself? It is unlikely that such actions can be explained by true love.

Reflecting on the characterization of Grigory Pechorin after reading this chapter, it is clear that in fact Lermontov’s hero Pechorin did not need Bela, she became a fleeting quenching of boredom and for a time, while he was seeking her, dispersed his melancholy.

True, Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin is not devoid of compassion. Realizing that he doesn’t need Bela, but he won her heart, Pechorin continues to deceive her, only now his deception lies in the fact that he supposedly loves her dearly.

Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin indulges in recklessness simply because he is bored. But when the passion for adventure takes hold of him, he is calculating and ready to do anything.

Conclusions about the characteristics of Grigory Pechorin

Speaking in simple terms about Lermontov's hero Pechorin, let's say that Pechorin is a bad person who combines the vices of his generation and modern society. But still, from his actions and way of thinking, one can draw important conclusions about the morality of people in general, and look at oneself through the prism of the vicious character of Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin.