Pechorin's behavior in the fatalist chapter. Essay on the topic: Pechorin is a fatalist (based on the novel by M. Yu
Speaking about the work of Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov, one cannot ignore his famous philosophical novel “A Hero of Our Time”. In his work, the writer tried to explore the psychological image of Grigory Pechorin, but he could not get by with Pechorin alone, since the main character captures many destinies, after whose touch they all either die or lose their meaning, interest and love for life.
Lermontov depicts the life stages of the main character in his novel, starting with a chapter called “Bella”, ending with an absolutely philosophical and thoughtful chapter, which contains in its title the main meaning of the entire content. “Fatalist” is the last section of Pechorin’s diary. According to one critic, the absence of the last chapter of the novel would make the image of Pechorin incomplete. Why, without this chapter, would the internal portrait of the main character be incomplete?
Reading the novel by Mikhail Lermontov, we observe the life cycle of Grigory Pechorin. During his life, Pechorin left only suffering in the memory of people, however, he himself was a terribly unhappy person. The contradictions and loneliness that were born in his soul consumed him, not giving life to sincere emotions and feelings. This is how, chapter by chapter, we got to know the main character, revealing new portions of human vices in his soul. But the main point of the entire novel is the chapter “Fatalist”. It shows Pechorin's attitude to fate; it is in it that the phenomenon of predestination is called into question. Thus, the author does not relieve the hero of responsibility for all the actions he has committed. The writer, varying life situations, only guides Pechorin through them, exploring new facets of his soul. It is this chapter that affirms the truth of Pechorin’s statements and the author’s thoughts in that the significance of human activity in one’s own destiny is very, very important. So, going against the fate of events and fate, Pechorin enters the hut where the Cossack killer is raging, whom he rather quickly and skillfully disarmed. At this moment, the best qualities of the hero’s nature emerged.
The final chapter of the novel “A Hero of Our Time,” “Fatalist,” brings the main idea of the novel to its logical conclusion and full disclosure of the main character. Collective image, containing both good qualities, and completely unforgivable, asserts its position in the last part of the work. The writer leaves open question about fatalism, ending Pechorin’s life on the way to Persia. It is in this chapter that the image of Grigory Pechorin is exhausted to the very end, completely absorbed in philosophical reflections on fate, the meaning of life and the fact that a person’s struggle for his own life is possible and necessary.
Of course, the final chapter of the novel is the most important section of Pechorin’s diary. Only in it do we reveal the last recesses of the soul of the main character, finding in him reflections on predestination, which certainly find their refuge in the soul of the writer himself.
The Fatalist chapter is the last, final part of the novel. The action begins with a heated argument, the ending of which is a bet between Pechorin and Vulich. The theme is predetermination of fate. Vulich believed in this, but Grigory did not agree with him. He is used to denying everything, questioning everything. Vulich's evidence is not significant for him. He must verify everything personally. An analysis of the chapter “Fatalist” from the novel “A Hero of Our Time” will reveal the author’s position in relation to Pechorin and help to understand who Pechorin is, a victim in the current circumstances or a winner.
Gregory foresaw his death and was surprised when, shooting from a loaded pistol, he remained alive. Was it really a mistake? How could this happen, because he clearly saw the stamp of death on his face. Pechorin returned home in deep thought. Near the house, the reflections were interrupted by officers who suddenly appeared and reported the news of Vulich’s death. This is predestination. He knew that Vulich was not a tenant and was now convinced that he was right.
Deciding to try his own fate, Pechorin goes to the killer’s house, relying on cold calculation, courage and clear, consistent actions that have saved him more than once in difficult situations. Grigory immediately assessed the situation. He noticed the slightest nuances of the further development of events. Seeing the Cossack killer, he noted his unhealthy appearance, madness in his gaze, panic at the sight of blood. He is a madman ready to die, but not surrender to the police. Then he decides to capture the killer alone. A great opportunity to play roulette with fate.
He managed to capture the killer and remain unharmed. He was lucky again. He remains alive again. So is there destiny or does it all depend on the person. Returning to the fortress, he shares his thoughts with Maxim Maksimych. Another in his place would definitely have become a fatalist, but not Pechorin. After reflecting on this topic, Gregory came to the final conclusion that man
“always moves forward more boldly when he does not know what awaits him.”
This chapter is Pechorin’s thoughts about himself and his actions. His character requires him to take decisive action and struggle, but he is not ready to rebel against reality. There is nothing real in the society to which he belongs. His fight against him has no meaning and no future. In this fight he wasted all his mental strength. Morally devastated, he realizes that he has no strength left for real life.
In his notes, Pechorin admits:
“Why did I live? For what purpose was I born? And it’s true that it existed, and it’s true that I had a high purpose, because I feel immense strength in my soul; but I did not guess this purpose. I was carried away by the lures of empty and ungrateful passions; I came out of their crucible, hard and cold as iron, but I lost forever the ardor of noble aspirations for a better color of life...”
Restless, aimlessly existing, spiritually devastated, he became superfluous in this society and at this time.
The novel “Hero of Our Time” by 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 an entire generation in one person, to create a multifaceted portrait.
Pechorin is a complex and contradictory person. The novel includes several stories, and in each of them the hero reveals himself to the reader from a new side.
The image of Pechorin in the chapter “Bela”
In the chapter “Bela” it opens to the reader from the words of another hero of the novel - Maxim Maksimych. This chapter describes Pechorin’s life circumstances, his upbringing and education. Here the portrait of the main character is also revealed for the first time.
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 esthete, one might say, a star of secular society.
Pechorin is a hero of our time, according to Maxim Maksimych
The elderly staff captain Maxim Maksimych is a gentle and good-natured man. He describes Pechorin as quite strange, unpredictable, and unlike other people. From the first words of the staff captain, one can notice the internal contradictions of the protagonist. He can be in the rain all day and feel great, and another time he can freeze from a warm breeze, he can be frightened by the slam of window shutters, but he is not afraid to go to the wild boar one on one, he can be silent for a long time, and at some point a lot talk and joke.
The characterization of Pechorin in the chapter “Bela” has practically 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 Maksimych tells the traveling officer sad story which happened before his eyes, the reader becomes acquainted with the incredible cruel egoism of Grigory Pechorin. Due to his whim, the main character steals the girl Bela from her home, without thinking about her future life, about the time when he will finally get tired of her. Later, Bela suffers because of Gregory’s emerging coldness, but cannot do anything about it. Noticing how Bela is suffering, the staff captain tries to talk to Pechorin, but Grigory’s answer causes only misunderstanding in Maxim Maksimych. He can’t wrap his head around how a young man, for whom everything is going very well, can still complain about life. It all ends with the girl's death. The unfortunate woman is killed by Kazbich, who previously killed her father. Having fallen in love with Bela as his own daughter, Maxim Maksimych is amazed at the coldness and indifference with which Pechorin suffered this death.
Pechorin through the eyes of a traveling officer
The characterization of Pechorin in the chapter “Bela” differs significantly from the same image in other chapters. In the chapter “Maksim Maksimych” Pechorin is described through the eyes of a traveling officer who was able to notice and appreciate the complexity of the protagonist’s character. Behavior and appearance Pechorin is already attracting attention. For example, his gait was lazy and careless, but at the same time he walked without swinging his arms, which is a sign of a certain secrecy in his character.
The fact that Pechorin experienced mental storms is evidenced by his appearance. Gregory looked older than his years. The portrait of the main character contains ambiguity and inconsistency; he has delicate skin, a childish smile, and at the same time deep. He has light blond hair, but a black mustache and eyebrows. But the complexity of the hero’s nature is most emphasized by his eyes, which never laugh and seem to scream about some hidden tragedy of the soul.
Diary
Pechorin appears 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,” Grigory, having a cold calculation, makes the young princess fall in love with him. As events unfold, he destroys Grushnitsky, first morally, and then physically. Pechorin writes all this in his diary, every step, every thought, accurately and truly assessing himself.
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 in the second mentioned chapter Vera appears, who became the only woman who managed to truly understand Pechorin. It was her that Pechorin fell in love with. His feeling for her was unusually reverent and tender. But in the end, Gregory loses this woman too.
It is at the moment when he realizes the loss of his chosen one that a new Pechorin is revealed to the reader. The characterization of the hero at this stage is despair, he no longer makes plans, is ready for stupid ones and, having failed to save his lost happiness, Grigory Alexandrovich cries like a child.
Final chapter
In the chapter “Fatalist,” Pechorin reveals one more side. Main character doesn't value his life. Pechorin is not stopped even by the possibility of death; he perceives it as a game that helps to cope with boredom. Grigory risks his life in search of himself. He is courageous and courageous, he has strong nerves, and in a difficult situation he is capable of heroism. You might think that this character was capable of great things, having such a will and such abilities, but in reality it all came down to the “thrill”, to the game between life and death. As a result, the strong, restless, rebellious nature of the protagonist brings people only misfortune. 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 of any time. This is a person who knows habits, weaknesses and, to some extent, he is an egoist, because he thinks only about himself and does not show concern for others. But in any case, this hero is romantic, he is opposed to the world around him. There is no place for him in this world, his life is wasted, and the way out of this situation is death, which overtook our hero on the way to Persia.
Lermontov worked on his novel throughout 1838. The novel was published only two years later. In “Hero of Our Time,” the poet continues to develop the same idea that formed the basis of the “Duma” poems, namely: why don’t people with enormous life potential and energy find worthy use for them? By describing the life of Pechorin, the main character of the novel, Lermontov tries to illuminate this issue.
“The Fatalist” is the fifth part of the novel “A Hero of Our Time”, at the same time, like the other four parts, it is completely an independent work. The image of the main character is the unifying link of these parts. All characters united around him.
If in the first two parts - “Bela”, “Maksim Maksimych” - Maksim Maksimych and the author himself talk about the hero, then the next three parts, including “Fatalist”, are Pechorin’s diary. As such, they help to understand the reasons for the hero’s actions. If in four parts the author shows the social environment as a sculptor of Pechorin’s character and moral character, then in “Fatalist” Lermontov is interested in whether a critically thinking person, well aware of the shortcomings of his society, can rebel against them. From the point of view of fatalists, this is useless, because it is impossible to avoid what is destined to be, because the world is ruled by fate, or fate.
Initially, the hero also thought so, especially after the death of Vulich. He recklessly strives to tempt fate, believing that what is written in the family cannot be avoided. But every time, emerging victorious from the most dangerous situations thanks to his intelligence, sober calculation and fearlessness, he began to doubt whether it was a matter of fate? Or maybe it doesn’t exist at all? Since Pechorin’s nature is characterized by skepticism, pushing him to doubt everything, he cannot come to a final conclusion on this matter. But he is sure of only one thing: whether destiny exists or not, a person in all situations must show willpower and determination.
The author, at every opportunity, focuses on how Pechorin is always disdainful secular society and is alienated from it, he is bored there. He is an active nature, and in the society to which he belongs, all activity is aimed at petty intrigues and idle talk, external pomposity. In this society there is no real selfless love, no friendship, no normal relationships between people. But is he ready to rebel against such a society? Apparently not, otherwise he wouldn’t have run away from him. His struggle is petty, as it manifests itself when meeting individual representatives of the world, and therefore has no future. Later, the hero himself understands this, admitting that in this struggle he exhausted all his mental strength necessary for real life. By real life he means a life spent in noble service to society.
Pechorin is a representative younger generation 30s of the XIX century. Through him, Lermontov condemns this generation for their inability to serve high goals.
The work of M. Yu. Lermontov is a novel about one hero. The image of Grigory Pechorin is collective; the author himself believed that the image includes all the shortcomings of an entire generation. Compositional features novels deserve special attention. The work consists of five parts, independent of each other.
The only thing that unites them is the main character himself. The author invites the reader to familiarize themselves with these parts in the order that most fully reveals the character of the central character.
The main character in the chapter "Fatalist"
The final chapter “Fatalist” is a kind of finale to the work, highlighting and complementing the main features of Pechorin.
In the first four parts, the main character is presented as a person who has an extraordinary, analytical mindset and is aware of his own shortcomings.
Before us appears a contradictory, truly tragic personality, disappointed in life. He does not know how to be happy himself and brings misfortune to others. At the same time, as a rule, there is no malicious intent in his actions, but he does not feel any regrets either. Pechorin could not understand the meaning of his existence, did not find a goal in life.
The theme of predestination in the novel
In the story “Fatalist,” the central character arrives in a Cossack village, where he whiles away the time playing card games with other officers. In one of the conversations we talked about predestination, the predetermination of fate. Vulich opposed this position and made a bet with Grigory Pechorin. The officer took the gun, put it to his head and pulled the trigger. But it turned out that the shot was a blank, and the next one was real. It might have seemed that the dispute was over, but Pechorin carefully watched Vulich and noticed the “stamp of death” on his face. But Vulich did not believe the main character. And in vain: he accidentally died that same day at the hands of a Cossack.
The theme of predestination is a cross-cutting theme in Mikhail Lermontov's novel. Pechorin is contradictory in this too.
On the one hand, the situation with Vulich, that is, we can say that he believes in fate. But on the other hand, Gregory ridicules those who believe that the stars can influence human life. From his reasoning we understand that he considers the belief that the heavenly bodies predetermine fate “convenient.” It’s easier for a person to live this way. And Pechorin himself is trying to understand his thoughts and form a common point of view on this issue.
Other officers' opinions about predestination also differ: some believe in fate, while others do not.
The most important is the final episode, in which the inhabitants of the village gather around the house of Yefimych, the same Cossack who killed Vulich. Pechorin believes that there is no determination in the Cossack’s gaze, but in the entire crowd there is no one who would dare to break down the door and take Yefimych out.
The old esaul believes that you can try to shoot the criminal through the cracks in the hut, leaving him no chance of repentance, but the situation is complicated by the fact that Yefimych’s mother is also there. To avoid killing a Cossack in front of his mother, Pechorin dares to take a brave action.
The main character sneaks into the house and captures the criminal alive, thereby saving his life. Such an act is like an attempt to test fate. After all, nothing can save if you are destined to perish. But the main character remains alive.
From the first pages of the diary it becomes known that the hero died on the way to Persia. But by the end of the story, we perceive him differently: he is not just an ordinary representative of his generation, but a hero, a bright personality with his own vices and virtues.
This is a young man, tired of the trials that befell him, but still believing in the best, in the fact that he can find a purpose and meaning for his own existence. He is critical of his thoughts and actions, and does not create illusions about himself. And this earns the reader's respect.
Such inconsistency in everything constitutes the very essence of his personality. Such is Pechorin - the hero of his time.
