“A Hero of Our Time” is a classic of Russian literature. Critics recognized the serious role of the work, analyzing it, comparing the images and characters of the main characters. Revolutionary in its own way, it gave the public the opportunity to become acquainted with a new type of hero, unknown until that time. It turned out to be. The remaining characters set it off, allowing us to better see Pechorin’s role in the novel, revealing the purpose of the hero’s life against the backdrop of the events taking place around him.
History of creation
The novel “A Hero of Our Time” is recognized as a new phenomenon in the literature of the 19th century and provokes a lot of discussions among literary scholars. Over time, the plot described in the work does not lose relevance, demonstrating the specificity of the generation to which Pechorin belongs.
The first half of the 19th century was eventful. The book describes the people's reaction to the Decembrist uprising of 1825 and its suppression.
The author describes a character who has advanced thoughts. Due to the fact that it does not correspond to the times, he is out of place everywhere, although he has talents. Lermontov outlines in the book the difficult situation in which people with a living and mobile consciousness find themselves. They are oppressed by doubts and unbelief, and the morality traditional of the generation of their fathers is rejected and trampled upon. Moral norms and values required revision, so Pechorin represented the sufferers of his generation. People of his age cannot use their accumulated personal resources.
Lermontov depicted reality using new means artistic expression. The usual confrontation between the hero and his antipode in the novel is presented thanks to Pechorin and Grushnitsky. The characteristics of these heroes allow us to fully appreciate social characteristics younger generation that time. The revelation of one character through others became Lermontov’s main tool in the work.
"Hero of our time"
Grushnitsky first appears on the pages of the novel in the chapter entitled “Princess Mary.” His appearance is attractive and makes it possible to make an assumption about the young age of the hero. He is dark, tall, dark-haired and has a neat, fashionable mustache that makes him look older. The soldier's overcoat gives the hero's image a romantic daring. At the same time, he became a soldier and lost his rank due to a duel.
The characterization of the image impresses the reader. This is a selfish, narcissistic man who loves to show off a couple of French remarks, unable to listen to his interlocutor. It’s nice to know that Grushnitsky chose such a mask consciously. In reality, he is different: a sweet and handsome man, not at all a bully.
The negative perception of Pechorin is formed by the fact that the reason for the duel turns out to be trivial. That's what his friends wished. Even Pechorin’s second, Werner, understands the pettiness of the reason for the disagreement. The peace-loving Grushnitsky was not averse to reconciliation, but his friends prevented him from doing so. He is cowardly and nervous. During the duel, the man demonstrates his fear of killing. He cannot kill a person.
A colleague of the main character, Grushnitsky, together with Pechorin, finds himself on the waters. Grushnitsky duplicates the characteristics of his opponent. The only drawback: he has no luck with women. The hero sees his similarity with Pechorin and perceives him as an enemy. The hunt for ladies' hearts also often resembles the behavior of the Grushnitsky prototype. This causes dissatisfaction on the part of the man.
The hero cannot be called definitely negative or positive hero, because his character is purer, but replete with inclinations to vices. Sincerity does him credit. The hero has a positive attitude towards women. He presents himself as a brave man and creates the right image according to the situation. He wants to rise up and loses individuality in the desire to play the chosen role.
Grushnitsky is overly self-confident. This greatly hinders him in his struggle for the love of Princess Mary. The girl does not choose him, and in revenge he is ready to spread rumors and gossip. He tries to set up Pechorin in a duel - he plants a pistol without a charge on him.
Comparative characteristics of Pechorin and Grushnitsky
Difference between the two bright images in the novel “A Hero of Our Time” is visible to the naked eye. But there seems to be no difference between them in the matter of nobility. Grushnitsky and Pechorin are similar in that they both play with people and live with feelings. Both are sinners.
Art for Lermontov's work - "Hero of Our Time" Grushnitsky loved, and Pechorin used it to take revenge on his opponent. Self-confidence and lack of thoughts about the future overwhelm Grushnitsky’s soul. Junker is jealous and indignant, seeing in Pechorin’s actions an attempt to prick him and bypass him.
The differences between Pechorin and Grushnitsky are noticeable from the first meeting. Pechorin is neat and looks nice. An aristocrat, he does not have serious relationships and friendships. Audacity and mystery are combined in the appearance. Such features easily captivate the fair sex. Unlike Pechorin, Grushnitsky comes from a simple family without much income. The guy wanted to become one of the people and deserve a better life. He is obsessed with making an impression, loves to look impressive and please the ladies.
Pechorin is self-confident and reasonable, understands people, demonstrates analytical abilities, cynicism and a tendency to manipulate from idleness, for the sake of fun. Grushnitsky, in turn, does not notice the manipulations, although he is not stupid. A romantic, he is always in high spirits, accustomed to dramatize and exaggerate. He likes to think that he is a sufferer and a person disappointed in life.
Illustration for the novel "Hero of Our Time" Although the heroes have different biographies, they are like two sides of one soul. Pechorin does not do everything for show. He is real, although his nature is contradictory and complex. Grushnitsky is a petty person and a self-lover who cherishes anger and hatred. Between “to be” and “to seem,” he chooses the second option.
The characters' relationships with society are also different. Pechorin became disillusioned with the ideals of the departing man, but could not find or come up with an alternative. He is restless and useless. Loneliness, fatigue and apathy progress against the background of such thoughts. The hero is opposed to society and the capital's aristocracy. He notices other people's vices.
Grushnitsky loves life and prefers romance to despondency. Therefore, the man is in demand among young people. He didn't find positive traits Pechorin, therefore he became a caricature of a large-scale image. Thanks to Grushnitsky, the depth of Pechorin’s character is revealed.
Film adaptations
The novel “A Hero of Our Time” has been filmed several times. In 1927, director Vladimir Barsky made films based on three separate chapters: “Princess Mary”, “Bela”, “Maksim Maksimych”. It was a black and white movie depicting the events described in the work. Georgy Davitashvili played the role of Grushnitsky.
And Roman Khrushch directed in the film “Pechorin” in 2011.
Who is Grushnitsky?
In the novel “Hero of Our Time,” Grushnitsky appears before us in the chapter “Princess Mary.” This is a cadet who served with Pechorin and, like him, ended up undergoing treatment on the waters. We immediately learn that Grushnitsky “wears, out of a special kind of dapperness, a thick soldier’s overcoat.” This overcoat is his mask, the “tragic mantle” that helps him appear in the eyes of women romantic hero, demoted to the ranks of soldiers for a duel. Pechorin, who himself more than once played one role or another in order to capture the lady’s heart, “understood him,” and Grushnitsky does not love him for this. And Pechorin doesn’t like him either. He feels that this young man is to some extent his competitor and that “someday they will collide on a narrow road.” The characterization of Grushnitsky in the novel “A Hero of Our Time” is mainly given by Pechorin. From his journal we learn what this character has under his mask.
Grushnitsky's character traits
"Good properties"
We must give Pechorin his due; he evaluates Grushnitsky objectively, seeing not only his negative traits, but also his “good qualities.”
When Grushnitsky stops playing his role, “he is quite sweet and funny” in his interactions with women, has a “rather sharp tongue” and is known as a brave man (although he rushes into battle with his eyes closed). And in seeking the love of Princess Mary, he does not play with her feelings, as it will look like in Pechorin’s performance, but just wants to rise in the eyes of others.
Posturing
However, in general, the image of Grushnitsky in the novel “A Hero of Our Time” is negative. His main negative quality You could call it posturing. His main pleasure is to “produce an effect.” He says and does almost nothing sincerely, from the heart. He has pompous phrases ready for all occasions. He does not seek to find beauty in life, but invents and depicts “extraordinary feelings, sublime passions and exceptional suffering.” So Grushnitsky didn’t really fall in love with Princess Mary - he was flattered by her attention, and when it disappeared, he simply got angry and began spreading dirty rumors about the girl.
Narcissism
Grushnitsky is so in love with himself that he does not see the danger posed by Pechorin. In contrast, “he doesn’t know people and their subtle strings,” because all his life he was concerned only with himself. Grushnitsky does not know how to listen to others, does not respond to objections in a dispute, instead uttering long tirades. He is confident in his irresistibility and does not consider Pechorin a rival. It is not surprising that Pechorin manages to recapture the princess from him quite easily.
meanness
By the end of the chapter, we learn that Grushnitsky, who at first seemed so sweet and harmless, is capable of meanness. This will be shown by the duel between Pechorin and Grushnitsky. Together with his company, he leaves his opponent's pistol unloaded. Only thanks to chance does Pechorin manage to uncover this insidious plan. Injured pride does not allow Grushnitsky to apologize for slandering Princess Mary even in the face of death.
Grushnitsky is a reflection of Pechorin
In the image of Grushnitsky one can discern all the features that are inherent in Pechorin, and this is precisely the meaning of this character. Pechorin looks at himself as if from the outside, and he does not like his own reflection. After all, he, like Grushnitsky, initially has no evil intentions, plays with people, but out of boredom, and not from a desire to make them unhappy. Nevertheless, his selfishness, like Grushnitsky’s narcissism, leads to tragic consequences. Is this why he does not feel triumph when he sees the bloody body of a colleague between the rocks? It's as if he himself is lying there.
Work test
In the spring of 1940, a separate edition of the work “Hero of Our Time,” written by Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov, was published. This novel became one of the most interesting and extraordinary phenomena in Russian literature. This book has been the subject of numerous studies and debates for more than a century and a half. It does not lose any of its sharpness and relevance these days. Belinsky also wrote about this book that it was never destined to grow old. We also decided to contact her and write our own essay. Grushnitsky and Pechorin are very interesting characters.
Generation Feature
Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin, main character of the novel in question, lived during the time of Lermontov, that is, approximately in the thirties of the nineteenth century. This time was a period of gloomy reaction, which followed in 1825 and its defeat. A man of advanced thinking could not find use for his talents and strengths at that time. Doubt, disbelief, denial were features of the consciousness of the young generation of those years. The ideals of their fathers were rejected by them “from the cradle,” and then these people began to doubt moral norms and values as such. Therefore, V. G. Belinsky wrote that “Pechorin suffers deeply” because he cannot use the mighty powers of his soul.
New artistic media
Lermontov, creating his work, depicted life as it really is. This required new ones and he found them. Neither Western nor Russian literature knew these means, and to this day they evoke our admiration due to the combination of a broad and free depiction of characters with the ability to objectively show them, to reveal one character through the prism of the perception of another.
Let's take a closer look at the two main characters of this novel. These are Pechorin and Grushnitsky.
Image of Pechorin
Pechorin was an aristocrat by birth and received a standard secular upbringing. Having left parental care, he went “to the big world” in order to enjoy all the pleasures. However, he soon became tired of such a frivolous life, and the hero also became bored with reading books. Pechorin, after some story that made a splash in St. Petersburg, is exiled to the Caucasus.
Depicting the hero’s appearance, the author indicates with a few strokes his origin: “noble forehead”, “pale”, “small” hand. This character is tough and physically strong man. He is endowed with a mind that critically evaluates the world around him.
The character of Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin
Pechorin thinks about the problems of good and evil, friendship and love, about the meaning of our lives. He is self-critical in his assessment of his contemporaries, saying that his generation is incapable of making sacrifices not only for the good of humanity, but also for their personal happiness. The hero has a good understanding of people, he is not satisfied with the sluggish life of the “water society”, he evaluates the capital’s aristocrats, giving them destructive characteristics. Pechorin is revealed most deeply and fully in the insert story “Princess Mary”, during a meeting with Grushnitsky. and Grushnitsky in their confrontation - an example of deep psychological analysis Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov.
Grushnitsky
The author of the work “Hero of Our Time” did not give a name and patronymic to this character, calling him simply by his last name - Grushnitsky. This is an ordinary young man, a cadet, dreaming of Great love and stars on their shoulder straps. His passion is to make an impact. Grushnitsky goes to Princess Mary in a new uniform, smelling of perfume, dressed up. This hero is a mediocrity, which is characterized by weakness, forgivable, however, at his age - a “passion to recite” and “drape” into some extraordinary feelings. Grushnitsky strives to play the role of a disappointed hero, fashionable at that time, posing as a creature endowed with “secret suffering.” This hero is a parody of Pechorin, and a completely successful one, because it’s not for nothing that the young cadet is so unpleasant to the latter.
Confrontation: Pechorin and Grushnitsky
Grushnitsky, with his behavior, emphasizes the nobility of Grigory Alexandrovich, but, on the other hand, seems to erase all differences between them. After all, Pechorin himself spied on Princess Mary and Grushnitsky, which, of course, is not a noble act. It must be said that he never loved the princess, but only used her love and gullibility to fight his enemy, Grushnitsky.
The latter, as a narrow-minded person, does not at first understand Pechorin’s attitude towards himself. He seems to himself to be a self-confident person, very significant and insightful. Grushnitsky says condescendingly: “I feel sorry for you, Pechorin.” However, events are not developing according to Grigory Alexandrovich’s plans. Now, overwhelmed by jealousy, indignation and passion, the cadet appears before the reader in a completely different light, turning out to be far from so harmless. He is capable of meanness, dishonesty and revenge. The hero who recently played the role of nobility is now capable of firing a bullet at an unarmed man. The duel between Grushnitsky and Pechorin reveals the true nature of the former, who rejects reconciliation, and Grigory Alexandrovich shoots and kills him in cold blood. The hero dies, having drunk the cup of hatred and shame and repentance to the end. This is, in brief, the confrontation waged by the two main characters - Pechorin and Grushnitsky. their images form the basis of the entire work.
Reflections of Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin
Before going to the duel (Pechorina with Grushnitsky), Grigory Alexandrovich, remembering his life, asks questions about why he lived, why he was born. And he answers it himself that he feels a “high purpose”, immense strength within himself. Then Grigory Alexandrovich understands that he has long been only an “axe” in the hands of fate. A contrast arises between spiritual strength and small actions unworthy of a hero. He wants to “love the whole world,” but only brings misfortune and evil to people. High, noble aspirations degenerate into petty feelings, and the desire to live life to the fullest- into hopelessness and consciousness of doom. The situation of this hero is tragic, he is lonely. The duel between Pechorin and Grushnitsky clearly showed this.
Lermontov named his novel this way because the hero for him is not a role model, but only a portrait that constitutes the vices of the generation contemporary to the author in their full development.
Conclusion
The character of Grushnitsky, thus, helps to reveal in Pechorin the main qualities of his nature. This is a distorting mirror of Grigory Aleksandrovich, highlighting the significance and truth of the experiences of the “suffering egoist”, the exclusivity and depth of his personality. With particular force in the situation with Grushnitsky, all the danger lurking in the depths of this type, the destructive force inherent in the individualistic philosophy that is inherent in romanticism, is revealed. Lermontov showed all the abysses of the human soul, without trying to pass a moral verdict. Pechorin and Grushnitsky, therefore, are not positive and Pechorin’s psychology is by no means unambiguous, just as some positive qualities can be found in Grushnitsky’s character.
Grushnitsky is one of the main characters of the novel "". Interestingly, this hero was not very sympathetic to the author himself. M.Yu. Lermontov constantly ridiculed Grushnitsky in various scenes of his novel, making him foolishly dependent on other characters. Ultimately, Grushnitsky ends his life with death. How did this happen? Let's start all over again.
The hero was a fairly young cadet whose leg was wounded. He underwent treatment in the waters, where he met his friend Pechorin. A feigned friendship began between the young people. They did not treat each other very well, but at the same time they spent a lot of time together.
The whole conflict between these two characters began after the arrival of the young and Princess of Lithuania. Grushnitsky fell in love with a young girl, and she reciprocated his feelings. For Pechorin, this turn of events caused extraordinary envy. Therefore, he decided to win the heart of the young princess and destroy the relationship between Grushnitsky and Mary. And Pechorin did it quite easily. Mary completely calmly switched over to the new gentleman, forgetting about Grushnitsky.
The hero is in complete disappointment and has an epiphany. He became angry with a couple of lovers and began to invent dirty gossip about them. Other offended gentlemen of the princess also became his companions. Spending a lot of time drinking, a group of envious people comes up with a plan to mock Pechorin. It fails and the main character dies.
Grushnitsky appears before us as a narcissistic and complacent character. He doesn't notice the people around him. Perhaps that’s why he didn’t even notice how Princess Mary switched her attention to. He often portrays emotions of joy and happiness, although inside he does not experience them at all. He leads a wild lifestyle. His leg wound stopped bothering Grushnitsky immediately after he became interested in the princess. This once again confirms the pretense of his actions and actions. He is very trusting, therefore, more than once he falls under the influence of both Pechorin and the dragoon captain.
The mocking plan was carried out by the hero only on the instructions and plans of other persons. And only while in the duel did Grushnitsky understand the seriousness of the situation. He did not apologize for his ridicule, he did not ask for forgiveness. It all ended with a shot and a fatal wound.
This is such a pitiful and stupid fate for the main character of the novel “A Hero of Our Time.” Perhaps if Grushnitsky had not succumbed to the influence of others, he would have continued his life. Perhaps if he had not been so selfish and narcissistic, he would have been able to build relationships with other characters in the novel. One thing I can say for sure, M.Yu. Lermontov disliked his character from the very beginning of the novel, which is why he created such a tragic fate for him.
Grushnitsky is the hero of the chapter “Princess Mary”. He introduces himself to the reader as a cadet who, while in the Caucasian waters, passes himself off as an officer demoted to the ranks of a soldier. Grushnitsky wants to play the role of a special person - he stubbornly dresses in an old soldier's overcoat, diligently plays the role of a sufferer who was unfairly removed from the first echelon of the military.
Grushnitsky was initially involved as one of the characters love triangle"Grushnitsky - Mary - Pechorin", playing the role of the first lover, but then relegated to the level of an unlucky rival. The matter could not have happened without Pechorin’s game - he told the girl about the emptiness of his opponent, his insignificance, as a result of which Mary ceases to see him as a welcome guest, and considers him an annoying interlocutor.
Regarding character and personal qualities, Grushnitsky is a narcissistic and not so smart character. He chooses for himself a mask of tragic mystery, living by the fashionable habits and ideas of his contemporaries. Grushnitsky is a weak character, his game is easy to expose, as Pechorin proved. The vain hero cannot accept defeat and takes revenge on the offender by becoming close to a dubious company and spreading dirty rumors about his opponent. The great meanness of this character is evidenced by the act of him and his gang on the eve of the duel: they leave Pechorin’s pistol unloaded and hope to carry out their vile plan. Finale: Grushnitsky is killed, Princess Mary experiences a spiritual drama, Pechorin does not understand whether this is victory or defeat.