The novel “Hero of our time” M. Yu. Lermontov can be attributed to the first socio-psychological and philosophical work in prose. In this novel, the author tried to display the vices of the whole generation in one person, to create a multifaceted portrait.
Pechorin is a complex and controversial person. The novel includes several stories, and in each of them the hero opens to the reader from a new perspective.
The image of Pechorin in the chapter "Bela"
The characterization of Pechorin in the chapter "Bela" is revealed to the reader from the words of another hero of the novel - Maxim Maksimych. This chapter describes the life circumstances of Pechorin, his upbringing and education. Here, for the first time, a portrait of the protagonist is also revealed.
Reading the first chapter, we can conclude that Grigory Alexandrovich is a young officer, has an attractive appearance, at first glance pleasant in any respect, he has good taste and a brilliant mind, an excellent education. He is an aristocrat, an esthetician, one might say, a star of secular society.
Pechorin is a hero of our time, according to Maxim Maksimych
The elderly headquarters captain Maxim Maksimych is a gentle and good-natured person. He describes Pechorin rather strange, unpredictable, not like other people. From the very first words of the captain, one can notice the internal contradictions of the protagonist. He may be in the rain all day and feel great, and sometimes freeze from a warm breeze, he may be afraid of the window shutters popping, but he’s not afraid to go to the boar one on one, he may be silent for a long time, and at some point a lot talk and joke.
Characterization of Pechorin in the chapter "Bela" has virtually no psychological analysis. The narrator does not analyze, evaluate, or even condemn Gregory, he simply conveys many facts from his life.
The tragic story of Bel
When Maxim Maximych tells the wandering officer the sad story that happened before his eyes, the reader gets acquainted with the incredible cruel egoism of Grigory Pechorin. By virtue of his whim, the protagonist steals the girl Bela from her home, not thinking about her future life, about the time when she will finally get tired of him. Later, Bela suffers from the appearing coldness of Gregory, but can not do anything about it. Noticing how Bela is suffering, the head-captain tries to talk with Pechorin, but Maxim Maksimych’s response to Gregory is only a misunderstanding. It doesn’t fit in his head like a young man, in whom everything is working out very well, can also complain about life. It all ends with the death of a girl. Unhappy kills Kazbich, who had previously killed her father. Loved by Bela as his own daughter, Maxim Maximych is struck by the coldness and indifference with which Pechorin suffered this death.
Pechorin through the eyes of a wandering officer
The characterization of Pechorin in the Bela chapter is significantly different from the same image in other chapters. In the chapter "Maxim Maksimych" Pechorin is described through the eyes of a wandering officer who was able to notice and appreciate the complexity of the character of the protagonist. The behavior and appearance of Pechorin are already attracting attention. For example, his walk was lazy and careless, but he walked without waving his arms, which is a sign of a certain secrecy in character.
The fact that Pechorin experienced emotional storms is evidenced by his appearance. Gregory looked older than his years. The portrait of the protagonist contains ambiguity and inconsistency, he has delicate skin, a children's smile, and at the same time deep wrinkles on his forehead. He has blond blond hair, but a black mustache and eyebrows. But the complexity of the character of the hero is most emphasized by his eyes, which never laugh and as if shouting about some hidden tragedy of the soul.
A diary
The comparative characteristic of Pechorin arises by itself after the reader encounters the thoughts of the hero himself, which he wrote down in his personal diary. In the chapter "Princess Mary" Gregory, having a cold calculation, falls in love with a young princess. According to the development of events, he destroys Grushnitsky first morally, and after that - physically. Pechorin writes all this in his diary, every step he takes, every thought, evaluating himself accurately and truly.
Pechorin in the chapter "Princess Mary"
The characterization of Pechorin in the chapter “Bela” and in the chapter “Princess Mary” is striking in its contrast, since Vera appears in the second chapter mentioned, who became the only woman who was able to understand Pechorin for real. It was her Pechorin who fell in love. His feeling for her was unusually reverent and tender. But in the end, Gregory loses this woman.
It is at the moment when he realizes the loss of the chosen one, a new Pechorin opens before the reader. The characterization of the hero at this stage consists in despair, he no longer makes plans, he is ready for stupid and thoughtless actions. Unable to save the lost happiness, Grigory Alexandrovich cries like a child.
Final chapter
In the chapter “Fatalist” Pechorin is revealed on one more side. The main character does not value his life. Pechorin does not even stop the possibility of death, he perceives it as a game that helps to cope with boredom. Gregory, in search of himself, risks his life. He is courageous and brave, he has strong nerves, and in a difficult situation he is capable of heroism. You might think that this character is capable of great deeds, having such a will and such abilities, but in reality it all came down to “thrills,” to the game between life and death. As a result, the strong, restless, rebellious nature of the protagonist brings people only misfortunes. This thought gradually arises and develops in the mind of Pechorin himself.
Pechorin is a hero of our time, a hero of his own, and indeed of any time. This is a person who knows the habits, weaknesses and feelings of people. To some extent, he is selfish, because he thinks only of himself and does not show concern for others. But in any case, this hero is romantic, he is opposed to the world around him. In this world, he has no place, life wasted, and the way out of this situation is death, which overtook our hero on the way to Persia.