“The Hero of Our Time” is the most outstanding creation of Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov in prose. This novel is distinguished by a plot originality. Each of the chapters is a complete story, reflecting one of the facets of the character of the protagonist. But we will not consider the whole work, but only one part, more precisely, its brief content. “Maxim Maksimych” is a chapter that is valuable to us in that it reflects Pechorin’s attitude towards loved ones. Therefore, we will dwell on its analysis.
The novel "Hero of our time"
This work was the first novel in Russian literature, incorporating moral, philosophical and socio-psychological problems of the 30s of the XIX century. By the time the work was published, the genre of the novel itself was still not fully formed and developed.
The uniqueness of this work lies in the combination of two different and even contradictory literary trends used by Lermontov: romanticism and realism. Also, the work has the features of a socio-psychological novel. Despite the fragmentation of the narrative, consisting of short stories describing fragments of Pechorin’s life, the novel does not lose its integrity and completeness.
Lermontov, creating the “Hero of our time”, in fact, synthesized such genres as essay, travel notes, short story, confession, diary entries, philosophical and psychological novel. Combining all these forms, the poet achieved that the image of Pechorin appears before the reader as complex, multifaceted, ambiguous, but incredibly lively and real. The chapters of the novel in their own way highlight each side of the personality of the hero. This feature affects the volume of parts. The same can be said about our summary. “Maxim Maksimych” is a chapter written in the genre of a story.
Storytelling timeline
As noted above, “The Hero of Our Time” is distinguished by its fragmentary and incoherent narrative. The only thing that unites all parts of the novel is the main character. And the characters that arise in the story are associated with the image of Pechorin. However, they are not just pale shadows designed to tint the main character, they themselves are quite full-blooded and living personalities. And this can be seen simply by reading the summary. Maxim Maksimych, Bela, Vulich, Grushnitsky, Princess Mary, Vera, Werner - all of them are endowed with their characters, habits, history. Such an attitude to the creation of characters was necessary so that in communicating with these real and full-fledged characters, the personality and character of Pechorin became even more distinct and brighter.
The chapters in the novel are presented in the following order: “Bela”, then “Maxim Maksimych”, the preface to the “Pechorin Journal”, after which the chapters from it are given: “Taman”, “Princess Mary”, “Fatalist”. If we consider the events in chronological order, then they should be arranged like this: “Taman”, then “Princess Mary”, then “Bela”, “Fatalist”, “Maxim Maksimych” and the closing introduction to the “Journal of Pechorin”. Lermontov, not without reason, chose the chronologically inconsistent way of presenting the life of Pechorin. It is in the novel sequence of the chapter that the portrait of the protagonist is most accurately painted. Of particular importance is the story "Maxim Maksimych", a summary of which we will give below.
The image of Pechorin
Pechorin is a representative of his time, he is an officer and nobleman, smart and educated. But he is dissatisfied with his life, does not know where to apply his talents, he is tormented by longing, loneliness and restlessness. He tirelessly seeks to find the meaning of existence, defies fate, but he quickly gets bored.
Pechorin is always on the road, he does not stay anywhere for long, even death overtakes him on the road. Lermontov as if wants to emphasize the restlessness of the hero and his desire to find his place in the world. Tormented by boredom, the protagonist can not only take a gamble, but also start to play with the fate of other people. However, nothing can bring him joy and satisfaction. Pechorin is an egoist and is not used to appreciating those around him. This character trait of the character was especially vividly manifested in the chapter "Maxim Maksimych", a summary of which we will describe below.
Even love is not able to distract Pechorin from his longing for a long time, he quickly becomes disappointed and leads his beloved to suffering and death.
The image of Maxim Maksimych
Information about this hero is contained in the chapter “Bela” and the chapter “Maxim Maksimych”, a brief summary of which helps to reveal and understand the image.
Maxim Maksimych is one of the central characters in the novel. With his eyes we see Pechorin, he is both a narrator and a hero. Maxim Maksimych - captain headquarters, has long served in the Caucasus, knows the terrain, nature and customs of the local inhabitants. This character is endowed with a good heart and a wide soul, he appreciates peace and does not seek adventure. The main thing for him is to fulfill his duty. All these features of the character's character can be found by reading the summary.
Maxim Maksimych never abused his rank and behaved in a friendly manner with a subordinate. Only during the service did he recall his rank, but intervened only when one of his subordinates did the wrong thing. Friendship for this person comes first, so Pechorin’s coldness offends him so much.
Chapter "Maxim Maksimych": summary
The retelling of this chapter can begin with a description of the meeting between Maxim Maksimych and Pechorin. The headquarters captain has not seen his friend for a long time, his attention is attracted by a dandy carriage. The footman guarding her reports that she belongs to Pechorin, who stopped at the colonel. Maxim Maksimych, believing that an old friend would be glad to see him, asks the servant to report to the owner about his place of stay. However, the evening passes, and Pechorin never appears.
In the morning, the staff captain leaves for official business, and almost immediately after his departure is the main character - he is going to leave. And then the narrator sees Maxim Maximych running towards them, who is ready to throw himself on his friend’s neck. But Pechorin smiles coldly and reaches out for a shake. The headquarters captain wants to chat with a friend, but the main character is in a hurry. When asked whether he would pick up the papers that Maxim Maksimych had carefully kept, Pechorin replied that their fate did not interest him. The main character is leaving. Openness and joy in the image of an old officer draws Lermontov.
“Maxim Maksimych”, the summary of which we are retelling, is a very indicative chapter in terms of Pechorin’s attitude to other people.
Maxim Maksimych is very upset by the coldness of the protagonist, he is even ready to cry. And without hesitation, she gives the storyteller the papers that Pechorin so easily refused. The headquarters captain wishes to leave as soon as possible, but due to unresolved matters he is forced to linger for another day.
Conclusion
Interesting and important in relation to understanding the image of Pechorin is the chapter "Maxim Maksimych". A brief summary of it provides comprehensive information on the attitude of the protagonist to close people.