The love story of Pechorin and Bela evokes sadness and regret about the fate of Bela, the daughter of a Chechen prince, who met Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin on her way. The main character, in order to satisfy his interest, seeks the girl’s affection and love, but, having received what he wants, quickly loses interest in her. His actions lead to tragedy for Bela's entire family. An analysis of the chapter “Bela” will help you understand the character of the main character, introduce you to the peculiarities of the life of the mountaineers, and the status of women.
The material was prepared jointly with a teacher of the highest category, Kuchmina Nadezhda Vladimirovna.
Experience as a teacher of Russian language and literature - 27 years.
Horse and beauty
The value of a woman in a mountain village is comparable to a horse. Azamat offers an exchange: sister Bela for Kazbich’s horse. Real men value both horses and women. Young Azamat has not yet matured to understand the essence of true feelings. A horse is your best friend, devoted and faithful. A woman is the keeper of the family hearth. Pechorin plays with the feelings of the young prince. He helps steal a horse and gets the girl he likes. Everything is strict in the life of Chechens: it is imperative to take revenge for an insult. Kazbich kills the young prince and steals Bela. Pechorin tries to save the mountain beauty, shoots the horse, but Kazbich does not give up: he hits Bela with a knife, inflicting a mortal wound on her. Everything revolves around the horse and the girl. The corrupt soul of a loved one becomes the cause of his own death and the death of the princess. Azamat suffers due to greed and stupidity.
Popular writings
- Essay on Lensky in the novel Eugene Onegin (image and characterization)
In the image of Lensky, the author showed a character who had a tremendous influence on the development of the storyline in this work. The young poet reflects some of the author's own traits - The image and characterization of Simeonov-Pishchik in the Cherry Orchard, the essay
Simeonov-Pishchik at first appears to be an ordinary and caricatured character, whose motives are understandable to anyone. He is simple-minded, clumsy, forgetful, constantly fussing and in a hurry - Comparison of “The Prophet” by Pushkin and “The Prophet” by Lermontov
Both poems were written by our great poets. Pushkin’s work, of course, was created earlier than Lermontov’s work of the same name. The difference is as much as seventy-five years! A whole human life...
Boundary of inaccessibility
Pechorin's feelings remain unknown to the reader; they are hidden somewhere far in the depths. Passion and desire to master a “new toy,” on the contrary, are in plain sight. The attraction to the mountain princess is so strong that the hero cannot restrain his emotions. He does not think through how his desires could end for the kidnapped woman. Bela, finding herself in Pechorin’s house, is wild and unapproachable. She wanted to go home to her father, and she does not hide her emotions and refuses the Russian officer. The Circassian woman has a beautiful, sublime soul. She is sweet and kind. The nice girl doesn't accept gifts. She proudly refuses Pechorin: “... I am not his slave - I am a prince’s daughter!” But Pechorin is not the type to give up and give in to a woman. A girl with character could not resist Pechorin’s charms. Inaccessibility grew into true love, bright and interesting, like the nature of the Caucasus. Pechorin, an expert on female feelings, admits, “...that no woman... has ever loved him so much.”
Bela's first love is sincere and open; she does not understand all the vicissitudes of men's cold cunning and hypocrisy.
Bela in the novel “Hero of Our Time” (M.Yu. Lermontov)
Bela in the novel “A Hero of Our Time” (M.Yu. Lermontov) is a cure for boredom for Pechorin at the beginning of the chapter and a reproach at the end.
Pechorin met Bela at the wedding of her older sister. She sang “something like a compliment” to him. But that’s not why the main character of the novel fell in love with her. Having grown up in luxury and the availability of everything his heart desired, he quickly grew tired of society and wealth. He was tired of his studies and even the Caucasus, to which he had escaped from city boredom. In Bela, Pechorin saw salvation from melancholy, a lively look, a different character, different from secular ladies. That’s why he so wanted to get an unusual girl.
And Bela was a real beauty, standing out among other Circassian women. It was a young girl. About sixteen,” “tall, thin, with black eyes, like those of a mountain chamois, that looked into our souls.” She was not at all like the society ladies to whom the main character was accustomed and tired of. He learned them by heart, and was sick of their coquetry and insincerity. Bela seemed to be part of nature; there was something real in her image that Pechorin had not yet encountered. It is no coincidence that the author compares it with mountain chamois, thereby showing its natural beauty.
Pechorin, an adventurer by nature, could not deny himself the desire to get Bela. Therefore, he decided to commit a crime and stole her with the help of Azamat. But he made a mistake when he tried to win the heart of the mountain chamois with his usual tricks, which always worked in courting city young ladies. Bela's pride and independence, strict upbringing in Eastern traditions did not allow her to buy into the gifts that the main character showered. For a long time Pechorin tried to force her to kiss, but even admitting that she was his captive and slave, Bela did not want to obey his will.
The love for freedom turned out to be stronger than the love for the kidnapper, but she fell in love with him from the very first minute. But she could not open her soul while she was in captivity. And only when Pechorin offered her the long-awaited freedom, letting her go and making her free in her desires, did she rush into his arms.
And yet Pechorin managed to conquer Bela. Despite the proud, independent character and love of freedom, the feeling for Pechorin turned out to be the strongest. “I am not his slave - I am a prince’s daughter!” Bela exclaims when she realizes that Pechorin’s interest began to fade, and with it his love for her. And she could have left, but she loved him so much that she was ready to stay with the man who had fallen out of love with her until her last breath. She was consumed by melancholy and annoyance, but Pechorin did not hear a single reproach from her when he returned after long absences.
Her loyalty and devotion played a cruel joke on Bela, because she quickly bored Pechorin. While she was inaccessible to him, his interest did not fade, but he expected something new from this timid mountain chamois. And when he was able to receive boundless love from her, he felt the sensations he had already experienced: “... the love of a savage is little better than the love of a noble lady; the ignorance and simple-heartedness of one are just as annoying as the coquetry of the other...”
As much as Bela was faithful to her loved one, she was just as devoted to her faith. Dying, she regretted that she was not a Christian and would not be able to meet Pechorin’s soul in heaven; another woman would take her place. But still, when Maxim Maksimovich invited her to be baptized, she flatly refused, proudly saying that she would die in the faith in which she was born.
She felt this way and lived this way. That’s why she was sincere even in her dying moments. She did everything according to the dictates of her heart, and she loved Pechorina sincerely. And he felt it and loved her to the end. But he couldn’t do anything about his character.
Bela, in my opinion, reveals the inner world of the main character more than all other female characters. It seems that she is about to be able to melt his frozen heart with her sincerity and will not let him get bored. This is also the last attempt to touch the natural world, so alien, but desired for him.
But, alas, Pechorin’s tragedy is that he is not able to surrender to feelings for a long time and completely, so the life of natural people remains inaccessible to him. He tried to save himself in love for Bela, but was finally convinced that he could not change: “I get used to sadness just as easily as to pleasure.”
Why does Bela die?
I think that this story could not have had any other ending. Pechorin would sooner or later get bored. And Bela, having such a proud and independent disposition, would have left him and would have died anyway. But Lermontov forced Pechorin to experience Bela’s death next to her, and finally convinces the reader that he will never be saved from himself and from melancholy.
Bela's death is very symbolic. This is a reproach to Pechorin and his desire to always get his way. After all, he most likely knew that she would bore him, but the desire to own the inaccessible turned out to be stronger than reason and human sympathy.
I think that the story with Bela, her death showed in all its glory the degree of Pechorin’s moral decline. Along with her, the last hope that anything will change in him dies. Therefore, Bela’s role in the novel is enormous and puts an end to the creation of the image of a “hero of our time.”
"Princess Mary"
In this story, the author continues to trace the character of his hero. To his already familiar traits to readers, namely, contempt for the rules of honor and selfishness existing in society, a talent for subjugating people and making women fall in love with him, while causing the hatred of gentlemen, Lermontov added one more.
It becomes obvious in an extreme situation - the night before a duel. Grigory fully accepted the idea that he might be killed the next morning. That is why he tried to sum up his life in a unique way. A question arises in his head: why was he born and what did he live for? And here, when analyzing “Princess Mary” from “A Hero of Our Time,” readers see a person suffering from loneliness and his own uselessness, realizing that there is hardly anyone who will cry upon learning of his death.
"Fatalist"
Throughout his entire novel, the author showed his hero through the eyes of Maxim Maksimych, characterized him with the help of the officer-narrator, and after getting acquainted with the pages of the magazine, one gets the impression that we have already fully studied the “history of the human soul.” Is the final chapter of the work capable of adding any new touches to the image of Pechorin?
When analyzing “Fatalist” (“Hero of Our Time”), it becomes obvious that Grigory and Lieutenant Vulich, with whom he made a bet, are very similar to each other. Both of Lermontov's characters are closed, they can easily subjugate people, and both are concerned about the question of predetermined fate. However, in this chapter, the author leaves in the background those episodes in which Pechorin shows his selfishness, already well known to the reader, obvious in his heartless bet with Vulich. At the same time, Lermontov describes in every detail the bloodless and very successful capture of a tipsy Cossack, which Pechorin boldly and decisively carried out.
By this, the author seeks to prove that his main character can perform not only selfish actions. He is also capable of active good. This gives the reader the opportunity to see a representative of that generation from a completely unexpected angle.
"Bela"
Even a brief analysis of “A Hero of Our Time” confirms the fact that Lermontov reveals Pechorin’s character gradually. In the very first story of his novel, he introduces the reader to his main character through the story of Maxim Maksimych. This man is very kind and honest, but very limited and insufficiently educated, which does not allow him to understand Pechorin. In this regard, when analyzing the chapter “Bel” of “A Hero of Our Time,” the main character can be judged as an extreme egoist. Maxim Maksimych believes that the young man sets the rules of behavior for himself. He believes that he, only on his own whim, became the cause of Bela’s death and helped Azamat steal a horse from Kazbich. And this is in clear contradiction with the code of honor of an officer.
What else does the analysis of “Bela” (“Hero of Our Time”) say about Pechorin’s character? Despite the officer committing such unsightly acts, Maxim Maksimych notes the inconsistency of his behavior. On the one hand, the young man, according to him, very quickly became indifferent to Bela, but on the other hand, he was very worried about her death. Maxim Maksimych also noted that Grigory Alexandrovich was not afraid to go against a wild boar while hunting, but at the same time he turned pale when he heard the creaking of the door, etc. Such incomprehensible contradictions can leave the impression of Pechorin not as an extraordinary villain and egoist, but as a person with an interesting and complex character.
The author intrigues the reader with the main character from the very first story. He follows with pleasure the events and characters who seem to highlight the features of Gregory’s nature.
What is Pechorin’s character, what can be said briefly about him when analyzing the work “Hero of Our Time” already from the first chapter? On the one hand, this Russian officer is brave and strong. The people around are subject to his charm. But other character traits are undoubtedly visible here. Pechorin is too busy with himself. This leads to him ruining other people's lives. This is confirmed, for example, by his fleeting whim, because of which he literally pulls Bela out of her familiar native element. He also forces Azamat to become a traitor to his own family and deprives Kazbich of what is most dear to him.
At this stage of the work, the reader does not understand the motives that guide Pechorin.
Theme of the novel
What does the analysis of “A Hero of Our Time” tell us? About the situation that developed in society in the period of the 30s - 40s of the 19th century, which is usually called “inter-time”. The fact is that during these years there was a rapid process of changing ideals. The Decembrist uprising pushed people to do this. The defeat of the attempt to overthrow the government spoke of the fallacy of revolutionary beliefs. Society became disillusioned with the ideals put forward by the Decembrists, but had not yet formed other goals. All this led to the fact that the young people who lived at that time, including Lermontov himself, belonged to the “lost generation”, which was at a crossroads in life.
The creation was originally called by the author “One of the heroes of the beginning of the century.” According to many contemporaries, this version was a polemic with the novel by Alfred Musset, the French writer who created Confessions of a Son of the Century. However, the direction of thought of the Russian writer was completely different. He created not a “child of the century” type at all, but an integral personality, endowed with heroic traits and entering into an unequal struggle with the surrounding reality. That is why the word “hero” in the title of the novel is more than appropriate. However, in general the name has an ironic connotation. But he falls on the word “ours”. At the same time, the author focuses on the entire era, and not at all on one person. In his “Preface” to the work, Lermontov himself gives an interpretation of its title. He points out that the main character of the story is a portrait made up of the vices of the entire generation of that time, which embodied the traits characteristic of the consciousness of people who lived in the 30s of the 19th century.
"Maksim Maksimych"
Judging by the analysis of the work “Hero of Our Time” by Lermontov, the next story gives us a more complete picture of Pechorin’s character. In the story “Maksim Maksimych” the reader learns about Grigory from a young officer, the author of travel notes. This technique was not chosen by Lermontov by chance. If in the previous story a person of lower social status and having significant differences in views spoke about Pechorin, then the second story comes from the mouth of a young officer. But he is also unable to explain the motives for Gregory’s actions.
The nameless traveler composes a psychological portrait of Pechorin. And again, even with a brief analysis of “A Hero of Our Time,” a rather contradictory nature appears before us. The image of Pechorin was created by Lermontov in the form of an incomprehensible interweaving of strength and weakness. The main character has a strong physique and a sudden onset of “nervous weakness of the waist,” dirty gloves and dazzling underwear, tender skin and traces of wrinkles. The most important thing, according to the narrator, in Pechorin’s appearance are his eyes. After all, they did not laugh when Gregory laughed. His gaze remained indifferently calm.
Pechorin's behavior when meeting with Maxim Maksimych is simply discouraging. When analyzing Lermontov’s novel “A Hero of Our Time,” it becomes obvious that Grigory managed to comply with all the rules of communication with his old acquaintance. However, he conducts the conversation in cold tones, gives monosyllabic answers and forces a yawn. All this suggests that this meeting is a burden for the main character. He doesn't want to remember the past. The selfishness and indifference of the young man hurt Maxim Maksimych. In addition, they are unpleasant to the narrator. Such behavior also repels the reader.
After the story that happened with Bela, Pechorin was “bored.” Now he is going to Persia. However, the main character is again strange and incomprehensible to the reader, who is deeply immersed in his thoughts and pushes away the person attached to him from the recent past. The question immediately arises: “Is anything in this world dear to him?”
Plot
An analysis of the work “A Hero of Our Time” convincingly proves the unusual nature of the entire narrative. The plot of the novel lacks exposition. This leads to the fact that the reader knows nothing about Pechorin's life before he came to the Caucasus. The author does not talk about the parents of his main character, the conditions of his upbringing, the education he received and the reasons for his arrival in these places.
What else unusual can be revealed when analyzing the work “A Hero of Our Time”? The plot created by Lermontov lacks a plot. It could be, for example, a description of Pechorin’s arrival at his place of duty. The entire action is presented in the form of a series of episodes. Each of them concerns the life of the main character. There are also five climaxes in the novel. After all, their number is related to the number of stories.
But there is a denouement in the novel. It is the message that Pechorin died upon returning from Persia. Thus, when analyzing the plot in the work “A Hero of Our Time,” we can say that it consists only of climaxes and denouement. But that's not all. What is also unusual about the novel is that each of the stories included in it has its own complete plot. This can be seen using the example of Taman. The story begins with a night scene, which is its plot. In it, Pechorin accidentally saw a meeting of smugglers. The exposition of the story is a description of the town of Taman itself, as well as the house where the officer was given temporary quarters, and the inhabitants of this housing.
The climactic scene describes a nightly rendezvous during which the hero almost drowns. What about the denouement? The analysis of “A Hero of Our Time” suggests that it occurs at the end of an unsuccessful date. This is the scene in which the smuggler girl sailed away with her lover Janko. They took large bundles with them. Later it turned out that they contained things stolen from Pechorin. The story ends with a kind of epilogue, containing the main character's reflections on his unfortunate fate and the ability to destroy everything that is around.
