Psychological characteristics of Pechorin

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

"A Hero of Our Time" is the first psychological novel in our country, in which Lermontov, by analyzing the actions and thoughts of the protagonist, reveals his inner world to readers. But, despite this, the characterization of Pechorin is not an easy task. The hero is ambiguous, as are his actions, largely due to the fact that Lermontov created not a typical character, but a real, living person. Let's try to understand this person and understand him.

Pechorin's portrait description contains a very interesting detail: "his eyes did not laugh when he laughed." We can see that the inner world of the hero is reflected even in his external description. Indeed, Pechorin never feels his whole life, in his own words, two people always coexist in him, one of whom acts, and the second judges him. He constantly analyzes his own actions, which is "the observation of a mature mind over itself." Perhaps this is what prevents the hero from living a full life and makes him cynical.

The most striking feature of Pechorin's character is hisselfishness. His desire, by all means, to arrange everything exactly as it occurred to him, and nothing else. In this way, he resembles a stubborn child who does not back down until he gets what he wants. And, being childishly naive, Pechorin never realizes in advance that people can suffer from his petty selfish aspirations. He puts his whim above the rest and simply does not think about others: "I look at the suffering and joy of others only in relation to myself." Perhaps it is thanks to this trait that the hero moves away from people and considers himself superior to them.

Pechorin's characterization should contain one more important fact. The hero feels the strength of his soul, feels that he was born for a higher goal, but instead of looking for it, he wastes himself on all sorts of trifles and momentary aspirations. He constantly rushes about in search of entertainment, not knowing what he wants. So, in pursuit of petty joys, his life passes. Having no goal in front of him, Pechorin spends himself on empty things that bring nothing but short moments of satisfaction.

Since the hero himself does not consider his life to be something valuable, he begins to play with it. His desire to enrage Grushnitsky or point his gun at himself, as well as the test of fate in the chapter "The Fatalist", are all manifestations of a morbid curiosity generated by the boredom and inner emptiness of the hero. He does not think about the consequences of his actions, whether it be his death orthe death of another person. Pechorin is interested in observation and analysis, not in the future.

It is thanks to the introspection of the hero that Pechorin's characterization can be completed, since he himself explains many of his actions. He has studied himself well and perceives each of his emotions as an object for observation. He sees himself as if from the outside, which brings him closer to the readers and allows us to evaluate Pechorin's actions from his own point of view.

Here are the main points that should contain a brief description of Pechorin. In fact, his personality is much more complex and multifaceted. And it is unlikely that a characterization can help to understand it. Pechorin needs to be found within himself, to feel what he feels, and then his personality will become clear to the heroes of our time.