The image of Bela in the novel āHero of our timeā is one of the most memorable and exciting. Proud disposition, devotion to their traditions, sincerity in everything, the ability to love selflessly - these are the main qualities of this heroine, contrasted in the work of the romantic undine and secular beauty Mary.
Narrative feature
The first chapter of the work is devoted to the tragic fate of the girl. The image of Bela in the novel āA Hero of Our Timeā is given through the perception of her by Maxim Maksimych - a simple and kind person who has become an involuntary participant in the events described. For several months of acquaintance, he well recognized the character of the Caucasian princess and stuck to her soul. Therefore, his story is filled with warmth and compassion for the "poor" Circassian. He recalls how he served in the fortress beyond Terek, where the young officer arrived. The appearance of Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin soon served as the cause of the tragic events.
So the story of the Circassian woman M. Lermontov introduces into the novel.
Bela: a brief summary of the introduction of heroes
The prince of the world, a Tatar acquaintance of Maxim Maksimych, invited Russian officers to the wedding of his eldest daughter. During the holiday Pechorin drew attention to the younger princess. Thin, tall, black-eyed, about sixteen - this is how M. Lermontov describes the girl at the beginning of the story. Bela immediately struck Grigory Alexandrovich with her beauty and grace. She, in turn, also noticed a young man and, going up to him, made a compliment in the form of a song. Pechorin was familiar with the traditions of the highlanders, but here everything was decided by chance.
Maxim Maksimych went out to freshen up and heard a conversation. Kazbich, the owner of the best horse in the district, praised his Karagez, and Azamat, the son of the prince, persuaded him to give him a horse. He even cried, and then offered to steal his sister in exchange for a steed. Kazbich remained adamant, and a quarrel broke out between them. And Maxim Maksimych, not suggesting how all this could end, told Pechorin about the conversation he had heard. Grigory Aleksandrovich then laughed, but he thought something up - said Lermontov. Bela, as he himself later explained, was perceived by him as a salvation from boredom and disappointment.
Victim of a whim
Unstable in everything, tired of the light, the young officer tried in every possible way to find meaning in life. When he first saw the princess, she seemed to him not like all the girls he knew. Naturalness and the inability to pretend - these are the qualities that, in addition to beauty, Pechorin saw in it. And when Azamat appeared in the fortress, Grigory Alexandrovich offered him a deal: Bela in exchange for Karagez. At that moment, the young man was sure: she was an angel whom fate had finally sent him. Perhaps the author wanted to emphasize that other "heroes of our time" sometimes entertained themselves with such thoughts. Bela that night was in the house of Grigory Alexandrovich. And the next day, when Kazbich drove the rams to the fortress, Azamat stole Karagez and didnāt appear at home anymore.
In captivity
Maxim Maksimych was first outraged by the young officerās act, and he began to insist on the girlās return to her parents. However, Pechorin was adamant - these were, according to the author, āheroes of our timeā: Bela remained in the fortress.
Proud, independent, with an innate self-esteem - the heroine for a long time did not want to obey the Russian officer. She often felt sad and sang songs in her own language. I stayed away from strangers speaking a foreign language. She was not seduced by either outfits or expensive jewelry, so beloved by other women. Loyal to the laws of the highlanders and offended by Pechorin's act, Bela rejected her captor for a long time. Maxim Maksimych compares her these days with wild sulfuric, freedom-loving and rebellious. Circassian eyes burned like embers. In general, they seemed to look into the soul, trying to find there answers to the questions tormenting the heroine. And without suspecting it, the heroine, with her rebellion, inflamed Pechorin more and more. Now he was simply moving toward his goal: to conquer the rebellious bitterness at all costs. Seeing that all efforts were futile, Pechorin went on a trick - these were probably for the author āheroes of our timeā.
Lermontov shows that the feeling of a girl matured in her soul gradually. There were minutes when the Circassian woman looked at Grigory Alexandrovich affectionately. She learned to understand Russian speech and as if she began to trust him. But the pride and upbringing of the highlanders did not allow her to show her feelings: Islam does not allow such a relationship with a man. And only at that moment when the young officer made it clear that he was saying goodbye to Bella forever, the captive who fell in love with him, sobbed, rushed to the man's neck.
Love Circassians
The image of Bela in the novel āA Hero of Our Timeā evokes admiration and compassion from the reader. Having broken herself, the heroine completely surrendered to her first love. According to Maxim Maksimych, in her sincere and touching feeling, she was beautiful: a blush glowed on her cheeks, and fun and leprosy became her constant companions. This went on for four months, until Pechorin cooled to his dzhanechka. Once he confessed to Maxim Maksimych that, as it turned out, the Circassian love is not much better than the love of a noble woman. More and more often the young man began to leave the house, and in front of Bela's eyes, which again dimmed and looked with sadness, tears glittered. And no words could convince her that Grigory Alexandrovich still loved her. But even at such moments Bela did not forget that she was the daughter of a prince. Willingness to leave, so as not to feel like an abandoned woman, testified to innate pride - emphasizes Lermontov.
Bela: a summary of the death episode
Somehow the officers left the fortress. On this day, the Circassian woman became a weapon of revenge, not reconciled to the loss of the horse of Kazbich. He stole a girl who alone went down to the river. And when he discovered the chase, he mortally wounded, plunging a dagger into his beautiful chest.
Fate released the heroine two more days. The image of Bela in the novel āHero of Our Timeā from the very beginning embodies devotion to the traditions of the eastern people. Dying, the girl does not forget for a minute about her beloved and regrets that their souls will not meet in another world. But when Maxim Maksimych invites her to accept the Christian faith, the beauty refuses. She was brought up according to Muslim customs and does not want to change her home and people.
conclusions
In the novel āA Hero of Our Timeā, the image of Bela is the most light and innocent. The girlās life largely depends on those around her: the will of her father, who betrayed her brother, who used Pechorin for his own purposes. Cherkesshenko speaks little in the story and only in communication with Maxim Maksimych sometimes complains that Grigory Alexandrovich fell out of love with her. But the description of Bela's eyes and actions gives a complete picture of what is happening in her soul. And this sincerity of feelings, combined with the inability to pretend, arouse respect and admiration in the reader.
In conclusion, I want to note that after reading the story, there is bitterness from the fact that Pechorin-like āheroes of our timeā - Lermontov repeatedly emphasized the typical character of the image - can easily and unpunishedly interfere in the fate of other people and break them.