Relations between Pechorin and Vera in the novel "A Hero of Our Time": love and relationships. Was there love in Pechorin's life? Composition How Pechorin relates to women and why
The theme of love in "A Hero of Our Time" is one of the central themes that the author explores. There are really a lot of love conflicts in the novel. Even the main character, an outwardly cold and selfish Pechorin, is looking for love, he finds it in the hearts of three women of Vera, Mary Ligovskaya and Bela, but the love of these beautiful women does not bring happiness to Pechorin.
In this novel, love in general does not bring joy to anyone, it is a test for each of the heroes, and often their love experiences end tragically.
Let's try to consider the main love lines of this work.
Pechorin - Bela - Kazbich
One of the literary scholars, analyzing the content of this work, rightly noted that the compositional structure of the novel is built on endless love triangles.
Indeed, there are a lot of love triangles here.
In the first part of the novel "Bela" we learn that Pechorin kidnaps a young Circassian woman Bela from his own father and makes her his mistress. Proud Bela is smart, beautiful and kind. She fell in love with the Russian officer with all her heart, but realized that in his soul there was no reciprocal feeling for her. Pechorin kidnapped her for fun and soon lost all interest in his captive.
As a result, Bela is unhappy, her love brought her nothing but deep sorrow.
In one of the walks near the fortress in which she lives with Pechorin, she is kidnapped by the Circassian Kazbich, who is in love with her. Seeing the pursuit, Kazbich mortally wounds Bela, and she dies two days later in the fortress in the arms of Pechorin.
As a result, this love triangle does not bring satisfaction and joy to any of the heroes. Kazbich, who has escaped her beloved, is tormented by remorse, Pechorin realizes that Bela's love could not awaken him to life and realizes that he killed the young girl in vain, driven by a sense of pride and selfishness. In his diary he later wrote: “I was wrong again, the love of a savage is little better than the love of a noble lady; the ignorance and innocence of one is as annoying as the coquetry of the other. "
Pechorin - Mary - Grushnitsky
The theme of love in the novel "A Hero of Our Time" is represented by another love triangle, which contains Pechorin, Princess Mary Ligovskaya and Grushnitsky, who is in love with her, whom Pechorin, unwillingly, kills in a duel.
This love triangle is also tragic. He leads all its participants either to endless grief, or to death, or to the realization of his spiritual worthlessness.
We can say that the main character of this triangle is Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin. It is he who constantly makes fun of the young men in love with Mary Grushnitsky, which ultimately leads the latter to jealousy and to his fatal challenge to a duel. It was Pechorin, who became interested in the princess Ligovskaya, who brings this proud girl to the point that she herself confesses her love to him. And he rejects her offer, which causes her to feel melancholy and disappointed hopes.
Pechorin is dissatisfied with himself, however, trying to explain the motives of his behavior, he only says that freedom is dearer to him than love, he simply does not want to change his life for the sake of another person, even a girl like Princess Mary.
Pechorin - Vera - Vera's husband
Love in Lermontov's "Hero of Our Time" finds expression in yet another passionate love triangle.
It includes Pechorin, a secular married lady Vera and her husband, about whom the novel only speaks. Pechorin met Vera while still in Petersburg, he was passionately in love with her, but her marriage and fear of the world hindered the further development of their romance.
In Kislovodsk, Vera and Pechorin meet by chance, and the old relationship flares up again with its former strength.
Pechorin shows Vera tenderness when she suddenly leaves Kislovodsk, he drives his horse to death in order to keep up with her, which, however, he fails. However, these love relationships do not bring happiness to either Vera or Pechorin. This is confirmed by the words of the heroine: "Since we know each other," she said, "you have given me nothing but suffering."
In fact, this love triangle anticipates the love conflict described in the novel by L.N. Tolstoy "Anna Karenina". There, too, a secular married lady meets a young officer, falls in love with him and realizes that her husband has become unpleasant to her. Unlike Vera, Anna Karenina breaks up with her husband, goes to her lover, but finds only misfortune, which leads her to suicide.
Pechorin - Undine - Yanko
And, finally, the last love triangle of the novel is the story that happened to Pechorin on Taman. There, he accidentally discovered a gang of smugglers, who almost took his life for this.
This time, the participants in the love triangle were Pechorin, a girl whom he called "undine", that is, a mermaid, and her beloved smuggler Yanko.
However, this love conflict was rather an adventure in which Pechorin decided to distract himself from his experiences. Undine was not in love with him, but lured him only in order to drown him as an unwanted witness. The girl took such a dangerous step, obeying the feeling of falling in love with Yanko.
Pechorin realized the full danger of his position and came to the conclusion that he should not have exposed himself to such a risk.
As we can see, the love theme in the novel "A Hero of Our Time" is presented quite vividly. At the same time, there are no examples of happy love in the work. And this is not surprising, because love and friendship in Lermontov's work are always tragic themes. According to the writer and poet, on earth a person can never find true love, because he himself bears the stamp of imperfection. Therefore, people will love and suffer from the fact that their love can bring them neither happiness, nor joy, nor peace.
It will be useful for pupils of the 9th grade to familiarize themselves with the description of the main love lines of the novel before writing for an essay on the theme "The theme of love in the novel" A Hero of Our Time ".
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The relationship between Vera and Pechorin from Lermontov's novel A Hero of Our Time looks very tragic and somewhat paradoxical. In cases where the relationship of the heroes becomes impossible due to a number of social or historical reasons (for example, Erasmus and Lisa, Romeo and Juliet), the tragedy takes on large-scale features - it is difficult to resist the era or social order, but when the tragedy of the relationship lies in individual traits ( unrequited love), the tragedy is felt especially acutely.
Dear Readers! We offer which was written by M.Yu. Lermontov.
At such moments, the notion comes that sometimes a person's happiness did not come true due to the fact that a person close to him was not ready to take decisive measures.
Relations between Pechorin and Vera before meeting in the Caucasus
Vera and Pechorin were old acquaintances. Lermontov does not detail the description of these relations, which formed before the described events in the Caucasus. Minor phrases suggest that these people were connected by a long-standing love, which for some unknown reason did not develop into something more, for example, into marriage. Despite the fact that Pechorin and Vera did not communicate for a long time, warm, friendly relations remained between them. It is likely that past sympathy did not allow the development of feelings of resentment or resentment against each other.
Development of relations in Kislovodsk
A new round in the relationship between Vera and Pechorin falls at the time of their stay in Pyatigorsk and Kislovodsk.
During this period, Vera is in a state of physical and mental exhaustion - she is seriously ill, it is likely that this illness, which resembles an incurable fever, will become fatal in a woman's life, since the treatment performed does not bring significant results. In addition, Vera is unhappy in marriage - she married an unloved person and is now tormented by the lack of romantic feelings towards her husband.
Pechorin, at the time of the meeting, is on the verge of depression - he does not find his place in life, which allows him to feel moral satisfaction.
After a long separation, young people meet again, and a former feeling flares up between them.
Vera's marriage does not become an obstacle to the development of relations - in order to avoid publicity, young people meet in secret.
However, the idyll in their relationship did not last long - Pechorin, driven by the desire to cause a fit of jealousy in Vera, begins to showly courting Princess Mary, thereby delivering considerable mental anguish to Vera.
Dear Readers! We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov's "A Hero of Our Time".
Despite such a selfish attitude towards herself, Vera does not stop loving Pechorin - she sincerely worries about the outcome of the duel. Haunted by fear of loss and mental anguish, Vera confesses to her husband in her relationship with Pechorin. A quarrel arises between the spouses, which, however, Vera practically does not remember - her inner state and moral turmoil do not allow her to sensibly evaluate everything that happens. As a result, the woman, having written a farewell letter to Pechorin, leaves with her husband.
The Vainness of the Sacrifice of Faith
The subtle mental organization of Vera, in combination with an extraordinary mind, becomes a key factor supporting Pechorin's interest in a woman.
However, this does not allow Vera to avoid mistakes in relationships. On the one hand, she realizes the perniciousness of these relationships and their doom. Vera understands that Pechorin acts in relation to her like any man - he just uses her favor and love, but on the other hand, she hopes that she will become the woman who will heal Pechorin from his eternal dissatisfaction and blues.
For this purpose, a woman is ready to sacrifice herself, in return hoping to receive the same thing - a certain sacrifice from Pechorin, which would allow her to become happy and to know the joy of a harmonious life, but Pechorin does not make a return move. On the one hand, such an act of his looks extremely selfish, on the other - natural. Whatever the good intentions of Vera, Pechorin did not ask her for this sacrifice.
Vera, however sad it may be, was guided solely by her own initiative, and she, as is known from the proverb, is punishable. The general tragedy of the situation is intensified by the fact that Pechorin did not promise Vera any retaliatory actions on his part. As a result, Vera, being truly in love with Pechorin, experiences mental anguish due to an unfair and unrequited attitude towards her person, while Pechorin, who did not give any promises and only accepts a sacrifice, is calm - by his standards, he does not owe Vera anything.
Did Pechorin love Vera?
The relationship between Vera and Pechorin seems more than prosaic. Straightforward statements about a passionate attraction to each other and the emergence of romantic feelings allow us to say that Vera became the only woman in Pechorin's life whom he really loved.
While on other occasions the passion that has arisen faded away as quickly as it appeared, the relationship with Vera is devoid of such transience. After a while, the woman still remains desired by Pechorin.
Having received Vera's farewell letter - Pechorin is tormented by doubts - what to do, whether it is worth catching up with Vera on the way, which also suggests that there are deeper feelings than just a temporary hobby.
However, there is another side to this story. Pechorin takes care of Princess Mary in order to cause a fit of jealousy in Vera - he likes to realize that he becomes the cause of mental anguish and torment. Do they do this with their loved ones?
To some extent, Pechorin acts selfishly in relation to a woman - he is little worried about the possible consequences of such relationships outside of marriage, as well as the further fate of Vera.
After reading the letter, Pechorin does not feel a torment of conscience for his ignoble act - emptiness and chaos still reign in his soul.
As a result, we can say that Vera in the life of Pechorin was, of course, an important and significant person. He definitely had strong, deep feelings for Vera, but it is likely that Pechorin, who himself was in disharmony with the whole world, was not able to realize the full significance of this person in his life. Vera's sincere love became an occasion for Pechorin to assert himself, to amuse his pride and egoism.
Vera, in turn, being unhappy in marriage, hoped to find peace of mind and happiness with the help of relations with Pechorin. She is so captivated by a young man that she is ready to sacrifice everything that she has, just for the sake of the hope of ghostly happiness.
Love ... Such a wonderful and sublime feeling, to which Pechorin treats so thoughtlessly. He is an egoist, and beautiful girls who see their ideal in him suffer from this. Bela and Princess Mary, Vera and Undine are so dissimilar, but equally hurt by Pechorin, who himself admits: "And what do I care about human joys and misfortunes ...".
When Pechorin first saw the beautiful Circassian woman Bela, he thought that love for her would bring him healing from melancholy and disappointment. Bela was endowed with more than beauty. She was an ardent and gentle girl, capable of deep feeling. Proud and bashful Bela is not devoid of consciousness of her dignity. When Pechorin lost interest in her, Bela, in a fit of indignation, says to Maxim Maksimych: "If he doesn't love me, who's stopping him from sending me home? .. If this continues, then I will leave myself: I am not a slave, I am a prince's daughter!" ...
The story with Bela showed Pechorin that in a woman's love he was looking for happiness in vain. ”I was wrong again, - says Pechorin, - the love of a savage is little better than the love of a noble lady; the ignorance and innocence of one is as annoying as the coquetry of the other. "
Princess Mary, like Bela, is a victim of the restless Pechorin. This proud and restrained aristocrat was deeply carried away by the "army ensign" and decided not to reckon with the prejudices of her noble relatives. She was the first to admit her feelings to Pechorin. But at the moment of a decisive explanation with the princess Pechorin felt himself unable to give up his freedom to anyone. Marriage would be a quiet haven. And he himself rejects Mary's love. Insulted in her feelings, sincere and noble Mary withdraws into herself and suffers.
Love for Vera was Pechorin's deepest and lasting affection. In the midst of his wanderings and adventures, he abandoned faith, but returned to it again. Pechorin caused her a lot of suffering. "Since we know each other," Vera said, "you have given me nothing but suffering." And yet she loved him. Ready to sacrifice to a loved one both self-esteem and the opinion of the world, Vera becomes a slave to her feelings, a martyr of love. Parting with her, Pechorin realized that faith was the only woman who understood him and continued to love, despite his shortcomings. Pechorin experiences the final separation from Vera as a catastrophe: he indulges in despair and tears. Nowhere is Pechorin's desperate loneliness and the suffering he generates so clearly revealed, which he hid from others under his usual firmness and composure.
Relations with the undine were just an exotic adventure for Pechorin. She is an undine, a mermaid, a girl from a forgotten tale. This is what attracts Pechorin. Undoubtedly, the mysterious environment influenced his interest. For him, this is one of the turns of fate; for her it is a life where everyone fights for his place, for his cause.
Thus, Pechorin did not know how to truly love. He could only make those who were so devoted and reverent to him suffer.
Grigory Pechorin is the protagonist of M. Yu. Lermontov's novel A Hero of Our Time. For the full disclosure of the image of the "superfluous person", love lines are introduced into the work. Love is one of the central themes in the novel. Women play a special role in the life of the protagonist. In total, during the story, Pechorin had four women: Bela, Princess Mary, Vera, Undina. Each love line has its own personality.
Most of Pechorin's lovers are secular women. The Circassian Bela stands out among them. This is a resident of the Caucasus, we can say that she is a savage. For Pechorin, she was just a passing hobby. Although from the very beginning he thought he had finally met the love of his life. The heroine attracted him with her purity and sincerity. When Bela can no longer imagine life without a hero, Pechorin completely loses interest in her. The simplicity that he liked earlier is now simply bored with him. Soon Bela dies at the hands of a Circassian in love with her. And Pechorin comes to the conclusion: the love of a savage is no different from the love of a noble lady. He was wrong again.
Princess Mary became the second hobby of the protagonist. Pechorin falls in love with the proud and proud beauty. The history of their relationship was pure and sincere. The princess confesses to the hero her deep feelings, but Pechorin honestly answers her that he does not love her and never did. He understands that he is not ready to give up his freedom to someone. This is a big blow to the heroine's honor. The insulted Mary withdraws into herself.
Vera became the third woman. Only Pechorin could really love her. It was a long-term affection between the two heroes. Each time they returned to each other again and again. And this brought a lot of suffering to both heroes. Vera is married, but she is ready to sacrifice herself for the sake of a loved one. However, Pechorin does not want to do something for their love. Therefore, Vera, although she continued to love the hero, decides to part with him. This decision brought great pain to Pechorin. This is a disaster for him. And the scene of parting itself shows that the egoist Pechorin still knows how to love.
Pechorin's next relationship was meetings with an undine. It was an adventure for him again. He was attracted by the exotic and unusual nature of the girl. The situation in which he found himself demanded such a mysterious relationship from the hero's soul. After a dangerous meeting, Pechorin cannot believe that a date with a girl could end in his death. For her, this is life itself, in which she is used to fighting for her cause.
Having analyzed all the relationships of Pechorin, we can say that the hero knows how to love, but he does not want to do it. He is indifferent to everything in his life, and he admits it. To all women with whom he had some kind of relationship, he brings only pain and disappointment. With his indifference, he broke not a single fate. He is selfish, and beautiful girls suffer from his selfishness. The images of Bela, Princess Mary, Vera and the Undine are so different, but the result was the same for all. No one was able to tie themselves to a strong relationship with Pechorin. He hurt the feelings of each of them.
Option 2
The real "hero" of our time, Grigory Pechorin, is a favorite of society ladies, a conqueror of women's hearts and a seducer. He is spoiled by female attention, does not tolerate women with character and is not going to tie his life in marriage.
He is a young officer with an attractive appearance - that's enough to make society ladies crazy about him. Pechorin himself is well versed in women, knows how to attract attention and make you fall in love quickly. He skillfully uses this from boredom, then from the desire to be loved. Self-centered personality traits haunt him. That is why it is so difficult for Pechorin to imagine that he should offer his hand and heart to one of his beautiful persons. He needs universal adoration. This flatters his vanity, does not let him get bored and creates the illusion that he is successful. But, alas, a happy life never shines.
Does Grigory Pechorin love or only enjoys attention? Yes, he loves, falls in love, but these feelings are fleeting. He does not allow them to take root, because this will mean the development of deep affection and will require some effort, responsibility before the choice.
Among the lovers of the young officer, there are not only secular ladies. Bela is a resident of the Caucasus, a "wild" girl, not trained in the manners of high society. It seems that Pechorin is crazy about her, that he decides to kidnap her. But only 4 months of their life together pass, and Gregory is bored again, his soul longs for a glimpse of new passion. His credo is to get carried away with passion and cool down quickly.
The young officer realizes that he is depraved and depraved. He seeks love, but only finds passion. He needs a constant feeling of some kind of movement, an atmosphere of a storm, bursts of emotion. The thoughts of everyday family life as a safe haven oppress his young mind. The hero is not ready for family life, he honestly tells his beloved about this, which finally breaks girls' hearts, and he himself condemns himself to loneliness.
It takes a deep introspection for him to understand why he is so unhappy despite his success with women. His superficial attitude to life and in particular to relationships leads to a series of losses and troubles. He thinks only about himself, about his well-being and comfort, but the feelings of his beloved women worry him to a lesser extent, hence all the problems of an egoist.
Women and love Pechorin (grade 9)
Pechorin is a non-standard and peculiar personality. He may seem capricious, like a lady, and after a while - demonstrate heroism during the battle with the enemy. The inconsistency of his image is expressed both in the appearance of the hero and in his actions. His smile is like a child's, his face is young, but there are traces of wrinkles on it. When he laughs, his eyes are serious. He looks like a melancholic, disappointed in life. But is it really so? At that time it was fashionable to put on a kind of "bored" mask. Perhaps this is how he attracted women who fell in love with him selflessly and faithfully. In the work, the hero meets many girls who are carried away by his passionate nature. It's hard to tell if this is real love or a whim of a bored officer. Completely different women, different fates, different upbringing. This is a smuggler girl ("Taman"), Nastya in "Fatalist", and a Circassian princess ("Bela"), and two women at once in "Princess Mary".
Pechorin quickly got carried away and quickly cooled off. The object of his love became fun. And he made all these women unhappy, for some, the relationship with Gregory ended tragically. The Circassian Bela died because of Pechorin's indifference to her. Once seeing this girl, Grigory, like a capricious child, certainly wanted to have a beautiful "doll". At first, the Caucasian princess did not reciprocate, and he was interested in making her feel passion. Bela was in a Russian fortress, very homesick and did not respond to Pechorin's advances. He gave her gifts, spent evenings at her feet. And when Bela's heart thawed, and she fell in love with him, he had already begun to cool. The aristocrat Mary of Lithuania fell seriously ill. Vera died of consumption, most likely, not having survived the betrayal and periodic indifference of Pechorin. But it is important to replace that his relationship with Vera was different from his relationship with other girls. It can be assumed that he loved only her. The image of Vera is somewhat vague. Lack of self-esteem, slavish worship of the object of love. But at the same time, the sincerity of her feelings is questionable. Vera loves Pechorin, but she gets married twice by calculation, so that she would cheat on her husbands with Pechorin again and again. What is it? Love? Or maybe she is simply attracted by the mystery of relationships and romanticism?
Pechorin, passionately wants to be the ruler of the soul of a loving woman, demanding that she sacrifice herself, but he himself is not capable of long-term, sincere love. But at the same time, the hero is an egoist tormenting himself, breaking the heart of others, experiencing unfeigned pain. Causing torment to the heroines in love with him, he himself suffers painfully. He was already ready to propose to Princess Mary, because he feels compassion for her. When he received the last letter from Vera, but could not catch up with her, he cries out of despair, and at that moment she becomes for him "more precious than anything in the world - more precious than life, honor, happiness!" Pechorin sincerely grieved and tormented when Bela died in his arms.
In all love stories, not only the courageous character of the hero looms, but also the inferiority of his life position. He tries to hide and disguise his fear of the realities of life. Pechorin did not find happiness in love, despite his numerous novels.
Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov was born in Moscow in 1814 from the marriage of a noble noblewoman and a military man from an impoverished family. Having lost his mother early, he was brought up by his grandmother. After receiving his primary education from home teachers, he entered a boarding school at the university, then graduated from Moscow University, spent two years at the school of guards officers.
He wrote his first psychological novel "A Hero of Our Time" in Russian literature in 1838-1840. The novel includes several stories that describe Pechorin's love affairs (except for "Maxim Maksimovich"). The main character, Grigory Pechorin, is an interesting young officer. Lermontov describes the character of the hero in order to reveal his weak and strong features, to make the reader think, the negative or positive hero Pechorin.
Composition 4 (Love in the life of Pechorin)
The novel by M. Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time" is a subtle and deep psychological study of the character of the protagonist, Grigory Pechorin. Passing through different life situations, he is revealed from different sides. The facets of character are characterized, first of all, by the relationships between people who meet on his way.
In all the stories (except “Fatalist” and “Maxim Maksimych”), which make up the novel, there are female characters. The young hero, in the past a secular lion, cannot remain indifferent to female beauty. But his attitude towards the heroines of the novel cannot be called love, it is a short-term hobby, a desire to win a new heart. And when it is conquered, interest immediately fades away.
So it was with Bela, the heroine of the story of the same name. Pechorin is ready to risk his life, ruining the fate of others only for the sake of achieving one goal - the love of a Caucasian beauty. His whim leads to the death of the girl. Fed up with connections with secular women, for whom love is often also just a game, fun, he, like them, does not attach much importance to love relationships. But for an inexperienced, pure, almost wild mountain woman, love is the main thing in life, so deception and disappointment deeply hurt her. Lermontov decides Bela's fate mercilessly: she dies. Apparently, this was a more humane ending of the girl's fate than staying alive and being abandoned by Pechorin. For a young Georgian woman, this would be an indelible shame among her fellow tribesmen and an inglorious end in loneliness.
Pechorin is bored, he is looking for thrills, and love, which he does not get easily, attracts him as a victim of a hunter.
The conquered, proud Princess Mary immediately meets Pechorin's coolness and indifference. Lermontov gradually leads his hero through overcoming obstacles on the way to the conquest of Mary. He is sincerely fond of wrestling, the more difficult the situation, the more interesting. Pechorin acts as an intelligent psychologist, calculating businessman, talented actor. As a result, the girl's heart is broken, the love tragedy she experienced will leave a deep sad mark on her life.
Pechorin also thoughtlessly, without thinking about the consequences, destroys the life of a poor family in the story "Taman". The undine girl becomes a toy for Pechorin, there is not even a hint of love here. It’s just fun for a bored young man to spy on an unfamiliar life, to intervene in it. He enjoys a risky adventure, which is love for him. And the fact that his intervention breaks the usual way of life of smugglers.
In the novel, perhaps, there is one woman whom Grigory Alexandrovich loves. This is Vera in the story "Princess Mary". It is after her that he rushes, driving the horse, sobbing in despair, having lost.
But the image of Vera is in the background, it is not revealed. Obviously, Lermontov understood that if Vera were next to him, Pechorin would quickly fall out of love.
Thus, the love in Pechorin's life is a kaleidoscope of fleeting hobbies that do not go deep into the hero's heart. Pechorin shows his selfishness, inability to empathize, indifference. The most intimate, deepest human feeling in the hands of Lermontov becomes a tool for revealing the character of the hero of the 40s of the 19th century, devastated, indifferent, not seeing a goal in life.
Rylov's painting "In the Blue Space" depicts a seascape. We see the summer blue sky. Light, fluffy clouds float along it. A flock of snow-white swans flies over the endless expanse of the sea.
Shishkin was very impressionable. He put all his emotions into paintings. One of these works by a great master is “In the forest of Countess Mordvinova. Peterhof ". This canvas was painted in 1891,
Rarely do they say that something is human, more often it sounds "inhuman". Here all adjectives with a negative meaning can be added.
How sly in a simple maiden
I revolted the dreams of my heart!
Unwitting, disinterested love
She gave herself up innocently ...
Well now my chest is full
Longing and hateful boredom? ...
A.S. Pushkin
In the novel "A Hero of Our Time" Lermontov sets himself the task of describing the character of the protagonist. The author openly formulates this task in the preface to the "Pechorin Journal": "The history of the human soul is almost more interesting than the history of an entire people." Revealing the character of Pechorin, Lermontov confronts him with a variety of people who should highlight the strong and weak character traits of the hero.
In the literature of the 19th century, the hero is most often tested in emergency situations (Pechorin's adventures in the stories "Taman" and "Fatalist"), in friendship (Pechorin's relationship with Grushnitsky and Maxim Maksimovich) or in love (love stories are in four out of five stories, with an exception composes "Maxim Maksimovich"), In the novel, the hero meets many women who attract his bored gaze. In "Taman" this is a smuggler girl, in "Fatalist" Nastya is the daughter of a centurion, in whose house Pechorin lived for several days, in "Bela" a Circassian princess, in "Princess Mary" Vera and Mary. If the first two heroines just flickered in Pechorin's life, then the other three will become his serious hobbies.
These three women will truly love him and will suffer from their unrequited feelings. Moreover, in the story of unhappy love, each of them will behave very dignified: they will not complain to others about Pechorin's coldness, they will not make scandals for him, pester him with persecution, although for each love for the hero will be a sincere, strong feeling that will turn their lives upside down. The Circassian Bela will eventually die because of Pechorin's indifference to her; aristocrat Mary of Lithuania will get sick from upset feelings; clever and discerning Vera dies of consumption, which may have been caused by unhappy love. It must be admitted that Pechorin knew how to choose wonderful women for his love affairs, which testifies to his intelligence, taste, observation, experience, although it contradicts his own admission that he does not like "women with character: is it their business!" ("Princess Mary"). However, having an affair with an empty and stupid young lady is unbearably boring for him.
Thus, Pechorin is loved by different women, they love with all their hearts, selflessly, and all love stories end tragically. Why? Because Pechorin, who wants to possess the soul of a woman in love, who demands all kinds of sacrifices and proofs of love from her, is himself not capable of long, devoted love. He even developed his own philosophy on this matter: if love brings suffering, it is never forgotten, and, therefore, a woman will be forever connected with the man who caused her this love suffering. Paradoxically, the hero, for whom conquering women's hearts is one of the main activities in life, does not himself believe in love. Here are his reflections before the duel with Grushnitsky: familiar ladies, having learned about the death of Pechorin, in the arms of another man will slander the dead lover in order to calm the jealousy of their current lover. Pechorin admits in his diary: “No matter how passionately I love a woman, if she only gives me the feeling that I have to marry her, forgive love! (...) I am ready for all sacrifices except this one; twenty times my life, I will even put my honor on the line ... but I will not sell my freedom! " ("Princess Mary"). In other words, in love, Pechorin demonstrates extreme egoism, he says that he values his freedom. But why is she to him?
At the same time, Lermontov shows that the hero is a suffering egoist, that he experiences all unhappy love stories deeply and sincerely. He brings suffering to the heroines in love with him, but he himself suffers heavily. Having received a farewell letter from Vera, he tries to catch up with her carriage in order to "see her for one minute, another minute, say goodbye, shake her hand ...". During the chase, he realized that Vera had become for him "dearer than anything in the world - dearer than life, honor, happiness!" When the horse fell, unable to withstand the frantic race, Pechorin sobbed bitterly from despair and impotence. During the last explanation with Princess Mary, he feels sorry for her to the depths of his soul, he can hardly refrain from the impulse to propose to her. After Bela dies in Pechorin's arms, Maxim Maksimovich wants to console him, but Pechorin laughs so strangely that the kind staff captain is seriously scared if Pechorin has gone mad.
So, all the love stories in Pechorin's life end tragically, because he himself does not believe in love. It can be assumed that the hero is afraid of responsibility for a woman who will trust him, or does not want to sacrifice her freedom in anything, does not want to limit her own desires in anything. “There is no woman's gaze, which I would not forget at the sight of curly mountains illuminated by the southern sun, at the sight of the blue sky or listening to the sound of a stream falling from a cliff to a cliff,” he admits to himself in his diary (“Princess Mary”). Probably, in his youth, he experienced a lot of disappointments (he vaguely hints about this in a conversation with Mary) and lost faith in true love. In place of a sincere feeling, he puts envy of a happy rival (at the well in Pyatigorsk, Princess Mary looked affectionately at Grushnitsky, not paying attention to Pechorin) or boredom, which is pleasant to dispel with a love adventure (the story with a smuggling girl, and then with Bela).
Having lost faith in love, Pechorin makes his life limited, deprives himself of emotional experiences that enrich and decorate life. By his behavior, he condemns himself to loneliness, but retains, like Eugene Onegin, “hateful freedom” (8, XXXII). Although sincere feelings overwhelm his soul, he knows how to suppress them with logic, arguments of reason. When he cries on the road, not catching up with Vera's carriage, his chest bursts with sobs, his usual composure disappears like smoke. But his “thoughts came to their usual order”: “What else do I need? - to see her? - why? isn't it all over between us? One bitter farewell kiss will not enrich my memories, and after it it will only be more difficult for us to part. "
In all love stories, not only the strong character traits of the hero (knowledge of life and people) are manifested, but also the inferiority of his life position, fear of the world around him, which Pechorin successfully hides, but which is clearly noticeable in his attitude to love. He manages to go through numerous love adventures and remain proud, free and alone. But he does not find happiness in this.
