A Hero of Our Time - Gregoriy Pechorin is No Hero Essay examples -- H

A Hero of Our Time  Ã‚  - Gregoriy Pechorin is No Hero Is Pechorin, the protagonist of Mikhail Lermontov's novella A Hero of Our Time an honorable man? Much of Pechorin's behavior proves him to be a cruel and insensitive man, who seems to bring only havoc and destruction to a situation. He is often aggravating, self-serving and insensitive to others. However in other instances, Pechorin proves himself to be the least reprehensible character. He shows himself to be a man with great self knowledge and knowledge of human behavior.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Pechorin can be seen as a dangerous man, who is insensitive and manipulative to others for self-serving reasons to the point of their destruction. Over the course of this book, A Hero of Our Time, Pechorin plays a major role, whether intentionally or recklessly, in the cruel destruction of four secondary characters: Princess Mary, Grushnitsky, Bela and Maxim Maximych.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Pechorin finds entertainment in playing with people's lives and emotions. Princess Mary, the young beautiful and slightly pompous Moscow princess and Grushnitisky, a young, arrogant, superficial and self-centered cadet, two young people beginning to fall in love, are Pechorin's victims. "The stage is set," Pechorin cries, delighted, to his friend Dr. Werner, "We'll see if we can provide a denouement for this comedy. Evidently fate means to see that I am not bored."(102-103) Envious of their happiness, particularly Grushnitsky's, as well as their utter blindness, Pechorin takes it upon himself to make sure their relationship is obliterated. He uses their individual and human weakness against them.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The most manipulated character of this novel is Princess Mary. The majority of her interactions with Pechorin serve only to... ... be truly blamed for his behavior because he is tormented by eyes that seek truth and purity in a corrupt and deranged society. Pechorin is a man of contradictions, for he writes honestly to himself, "I was born with a passion for contradiction. My whole life has been nothing but a series of dismal, unsuccessful attempts to go against heart or reason." (98)   Ã‚  Ã‚   Pechorin is a contradiction within himself. He is a disturbing and dangerous character masked behind the innocent facade of a beautiful and heroic young man. His redeeming quality is that he understands this about himself. However it isn't enough.    Works Cited and Consulted Brown, William Edward. ed. Critical Essays on Mikhail Lermontov. Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1997. Lermontov, Mikhail. A Hero of Our Time. Ed. Neil Cornwall. Trans. Martin Parker. Rutland, Vermont: Charles E. Tuttle, 1995.