Evgeny Onegin and Grigory Pechorin comparative characteristics

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• Evgeny Onegin and Grigory Pechorin comparative characteristics

It would seem that both Onegin and Pechorin are representatives of high society, they have a fairly good upbringing and, as they say, a good birth, that is, everyone received material support, the opportunity to create a career, and not have to worry about food. However, each of these heroes are marginal to their own time. They are unnecessary people and thrown out, as it were, to the periphery of existence.

However, they are disgusted by being in the center of this existence, which is essentially empty. For example, in Pushkin’s novel we see the author’s constant descriptions of high society and the entertainment of these people, who are full of greedy boredom. Of course, Onegin does not want to look for anything in all this and is also completely bored.

Pechorin, in turn, exists in a slightly different historical era, as is known, the era of political decline and reaction. Therefore, Pechorin is filled not only with boredom, but also with sadness and suffering. Therefore, Pechorin’s fate is more dramatic, he is looking for death, trying to test the existence of fate in risky enterprises.

Everyone has some intention of being sincere and useful to their own society. However, everyone cannot find their own use and therefore suffers from this situation, since they cannot deceive themselves. These characters are actually incredibly similar and, it seems to me, they are in some sense a continuation of each other.

More precisely, Pechorin (in particular chronologically) is the development of Onegin. After Pushkin's hero has been pushed to the limit, and his era has also been pushed to the limit (the Decembrist uprising and harsh political reaction), Lermontov's hero appears, who himself becomes tougher and more filled with suffering. If in Onegin some kind of optimism and carelessness could be seen, then in Pechorin only cynicism is visible.

When considering the comparative characteristics of Onegin and Pechorin, one should not forget about the figures of the authors. In many ways, the characters repeat the biographies and views of their creators. Of course, for the most part, the authors are ironic at themselves and offer only their largely negative or, let’s say, extreme qualities.

It is necessary to distinguish between the creators Pushkin and Lermontov, who are able to reflect and evaluate from the outside, and the secular people Pushkin and Lermontov, who, like the rest, were overcome by passions and various inclinations. So Onegin and Pechorin partially represent the secular side of their authors.

Essay Pechorin and Onegin

Evgeny Onegin, the main character of the novel of the same name by A. S. Pushkin, and Grigory Pechorin, a character in M. Yu. Lermontov’s work “A Hero of Our Time,” belong to the type of “superfluous man” in fiction. Both of these heroes are disillusioned with life and cannot find use for their exceptional abilities. Onegin and Pechorin are extremely similar to each other: bored, tired, subjected to the blues.

The similarity between the characters can already be seen in the names, because Lermontov, naming his hero, uses the same principle as Pushkin - he relies on the name of the river. Onega is a quiet, smooth river, while Pechora is fast, menacing, violent. To some extent, rivers become a reflection of the characters' characters.

Comparison of characters should begin with their life philosophy. Both heroes suffer from rare cynicism, selfishness and arrogance; they are critical of life and the people around them. Onegin and Pechorin understand that their existence is hopeless greyness, emptiness, monotony, melancholy, so they try to hide under the mask of gaiety, idleness, and various pleasures. But very soon the heroes are faced with the falsity of high society and fall into despair and begin to get bored. Evgeny grows cold towards life, while Grigory is afraid of society and considers himself “a small loss for the world.”

Onegin, not accustomed to hard physical labor, tries to write, but even this “hard work” quickly tires him. Pechorin ends up in the Caucasus and hopes that the war will not allow him to get bored, but, having gotten used to military operations, he again succumbs to melancholy.

The only thing that distinguishes these heroes is that Pushkin’s character, despairing of finding his true calling, resigns himself to the decision of fate, and Lermontov’s character continues to look for the meaning of life in risky adventures, service and love.

Next, you need to compare the characters in their attitude towards women and love.

Despite the fact that Onegin is a perfect sign of the science of tender passion, he quickly grew tired of women, as well as friendship. He did not fall in love with Tatyana right away, only when he understood himself during his travels, but, unfortunately, it was already too late and, having received a refusal, Evgeny closed himself off even more, withdrawn into himself.

Pechorin was ready to love the whole world, but no one understood him, and in return he learned to hate. He says to himself: “My colorless youth passed in struggle.” George fell in love, and was loved himself, but his icy heart continued to be filled only by emptiness. He took what he wanted, and then, having played enough, threw it away. Because of Pechorin, innocent Bela died, he ruined Mary’s life by laughing at her, and only Vera he was able to love with true love, but he lost her again because of a game of feelings. The hero became indifferent to love and any of its manifestations.

Comparing the age, appearance and financial situation of the characters, we will see that in this they are not very different. Onegin is 26 years old, he is dressed and has his hair cut in the “latest fashion,” and his gaze reveals coldness and indifference. Eugene, having received an inheritance from his relatives, became a very rich and respected man.

Pechorin is 25 years old, he doesn’t look bad at all, he’s handsome, he has brown eyes that don’t laugh when he laughs. He has a lot of money, he has lackeys, and he has access to any pleasure that can be bought.

In the end, it is worth saying a little more about the ideals and values ​​of both heroes. The reader will see differences, for example, in their attitude towards a duel. Onegin sleeps well and soundly before the duel, but after the duel, having killed Lensky, he experiences pangs of conscience and cannot come to his senses for a long time. Pechorin, on the contrary, cannot fall asleep for a long time before the duel, thinking about what is about to happen, about the meaning of his life. But at the same time, Georgy kills Grushnitsky in cold blood and leaves the scene without any remorse.

Thus, A. S. Pushkin and M. Yu. Lermontov portrayed “extra people” in successive decades, so their heroes are almost no different from each other. On the contrary, these characters are only complementary to each other, reflecting the reality and progressive views of that time.

Essay Onegin and Pechorin

Perhaps in every era there are certain ideals in popular culture by which others are equal. If we talk about the first half of the 19th century, then such ideals, of course, were Pechorin and Onegin.

These heroes are like modern celebrities that people look up to and, to some extent, want to be. Moreover, they largely reflect the biography of their creators. This is not at all difficult to verify.

For example, Pushkin in his novel introduces the figure of the author, who in turn partially resembles Pushkin himself (although he is not one), and this author is a friend of Onegin and is in many ways similar to him. In the same way, Pechorin is a young officer, a thinker. Some details from A Hero of Our Time (for example, episodes of duels) almost completely repeat episodes from Lermontov’s biography.

Thus, these people (Pushkin and Lermontov) wrote what they knew about, as if following Hemingway’s maxim “you need to write truthfully” and what you know about, they really describe practically their own biographies and worldview. Therefore, when comparing Onegin and Pechorin, we can to some extent compare Pushkin and Lermontov.

So, Pushkin is a noble man from a rather noble family who leads a secular existence. Lermontov, in turn, was an officer who, although he was going to end his military career and fully engage in creativity, remained in service until the end of his earthly journey. In the same way, Onegin is more of a person who is bored, he does a lot out of boredom and cynicism, Pechorin is also a person who is bored, but he is more consciously looking for some kind of tests and adventures, in general, he is more harsh as befits a military officer.

In many ways they are similar, since both have rather pleasant living conditions. They may, so to speak, not care about their daily bread and are more prone to mental activity. They are both a little disillusioned with this world and are looking for opportunities to somehow entertain themselves.

Comparative characteristics of Onegin and Pechorin

The famous heroes of the novels by M.Yu. Lermontov and A.S. Pushkin are representatives of the same movement in literature. Both of them illustrate the image of a “superfluous man,” a “hero” of an era when it was difficult for jaded young people to fully enjoy life and make the right choice in it. The authors put a lot of biographical information into their description. But, despite this, Onegin and Pechorin also have many differences in character and actions.

Evgeny Onegin suffers from the so-called “blues”. Nothing interests a young man, nothing attracts him. A change of scenery, it seems, should help him in his search for himself, but upon arriving in the village, Onegin only becomes even more bored. A short-term passion for communicating with Lensky ends disastrously for the latter. Eugene Onegin, having defeated his friend the poet in a duel, repents and regrets; humanity is not alien to him. In refusing Tatyana Larina, the young man also shows a kind of nobility, honestly explaining himself to the girl. Later, love for this girl will become his only hope for salvation, which will not follow due to his beloved’s marriage. Onegin again sets off to wander and wander, looking for his refuge in life.

Grigory Pechorin is an equally difficult and ambiguous character, but he contains (perhaps because the narration is often told in the first person) more bitterness and cruelty. The young man also has success with girls, and does not hesitate to play with the feelings of other people. From Pechorin's diaries it is not difficult to understand that he is deeply lonely and unhappy. This is what forces him to destroy other people's happiness, instead of creating his own. Onegin languished with his “blues”, not exhausted in his desire to harm other people. Pechorin also takes part in a duel with Grushnitsky. Realizing the baseness of the treacherous conspiracy organized against him, the hero does not regret what happened. The duel was carried out as required by the rules of honor; he did not feel guilty, unlike Onegin.

The stories of young people also end in much the same way. Without hope of happiness, they continue to chase after him, while causing pain and suffering to the women they love. Evgeny Onegin finds himself at the feet of Tatyana Larina, Grigory Pechorin gallops in vain after Vera. He drives his horse, but never returns his beloved. So, the fates of both heroes are tragic and evoke sympathy, reflecting the fate of the overwhelming majority of “heroes of the time.”

Comparative characteristics of Onegin and Pechorin - an essay with a table of similarities

Two characters from the works of Russian classics are classified as “superfluous people.” A comparative description of Onegin and Pechorin makes it possible to find similarities and highlight the differences between the characters.

Hero similarity table

Evgeniy and Grigory attend balls and social evenings. Their surroundings are fun and pleasure, which are occupied by “children of luxury”. The pleasures that were bought with money are available to them. They use gifts madly and enthusiastically. Onegin learns the laws of tender passion as successfully as Pechorin. Young people confidently play hypocrites to women. The reader notices the intelligence of men: Evgeny’s is “sharply chilled”, Pechorin is smarter than the other two. The heroes of the novels are tired of female relationships, novels and are empty in soul. They were both tired of secular entertainment, science and books. Tired of socializing, young people yawn, get bored and lose interest in life. Another similar character quality is selfishness. Evgeniy and Grigory love only themselves, they care about their own feelings, the experiences of others remain somewhere behind the wall. The characters have no desire to get married. Marriage in their understanding is torment, it kills passion, destroys love. The authors admit to readers that their characters are unhappy, and the reasons for the unhappiness lie in themselves.

Comparing Pechorin and Onegin requires clarifying the differing character traits and lives of the heroes. Pechorin serves in the active army, he is an officer. Onegin could not engage in service, so he does not have a specific business to which he is devoted. Evgeny is more often gloomy and concentrated, Pechorin knows how to have fun and make the audience laugh. Onegin can play billiards with himself all day long. Pechorin is distracted by hunting. He alone goes “to the wild boar”, all day long, regardless of the weather, he waits for prey. Rain, cold, and wind do not frighten an avid hunter. This quality proves the characters’ attitude towards nature. She distracts Pechorin, he forgets about his problems, admiring the blue sky, the southern sun, the noisy stream, cliffs and curly mountains. A man needs thunderstorms, storms, and bad weather; his life is a constant change of natural elements. Onegin does not notice the beauty of the landscapes; they cast sleep and apathy on him.

Young people have different literary preferences. Onegin reads works on economics and discusses ways to financially strengthen the country. Pechorin is interested in the plots of Walter Scott's works. It immerses you in a magical world of fiction and adventure.

Onegin and Pechorin are exceptional “superfluous” personalities. The proposed material will help you write an essay “Comparative characteristics of Onegin and Pechorin.”

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Brief Onegin and Pechorina

Both characters are representatives of the capital's aristocracy. The heroes received an excellent level of intelligence that is higher than the average level of the people around them. The characters are separated by ten years, but each of them is a representative of their era. Onegin's life takes place in the twenties, the action of Lermontov's novel takes place in the 30s of the 19th century. The first is influenced by freedom-loving ideas in the context of the flourishing of an advanced social movement. Pechorin lives in a period of brutal political reactions to the activities of the Decembrists. And if the first one could still join the rebels and find a goal, thus giving meaning to his own existence, then the second hero no longer had such an opportunity. This already speaks of the greater tragedy of Lermontov’s character.