Throughout his novel, A Hero of Our Time, Mikhail Lermontov reveals his protagonist’s journey through the stages of enchantment, disenchantment, and re enchantment though his relationships with the three main females in the novel, Bela, Princess Mary, and Vera. During his relationship with Vera Pechoin was enchanted, but after they split he becomes disenchanted, as demonstrated by Lermontov though Pechorin’s relationship with Princess Mary, and lastly Pechoin attempts re enchantment with Bela, but falls short of becoming re enchanted. The readers do not know of Pechorin’s enchantment until the penultimate story in the novel, “Princess Mary.” During his escapades toying with the emotions of the titular Princess Mary, he encounters an old
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Pechorin does not treat Bela the way he treated either Princess Mary of Vera at first. There is no manipulation, no floods of passion. He simply tries to win her over, day buy day, with little gifts and through providing another woman to teach Bela his language. When this drawn out process doesn’t seem to have an effect, he employs some of his old tricks and begins to pull away, going off on long hunting trips. This tactic works, and Bela begins to harbor tender feelings towards the man she previously only saw as a kidnapper and overlord. The relationship is far from ideal, but Pechorin seems glad, like he has become enchanted once again, but only for a moment. As Pechorin tells Maksim Maksimich, “When I saw Bela in my home, when for the first time I held her in my lap and kissed her black curls, I—fool that I was—imagined she was an angel sent me by compassionate fate,” but then quickly follows up with, “I as wrong again,” and “I find her company dull” (40). In these passages Lermontov makes it clear that Pechorin’s attempt at re enchantment has failed, and the death of Vela only hammers the point in, as Pechorin wastes away once Bela, the only chance he had left of freeing himself from his artifice, is taken from him. The chronological end to the hero’s escapades is found in the middle of the story, when the narrator relates that Pechorin died on the way back from Persia, just as alone and disenchanted as he was at the end of Princess
Pechorin does not treat Bela the way he treated either Princess Mary of Vera at first. There is no manipulation, no floods of passion. He simply tries to win her over, day buy day, with little gifts and through providing another woman to teach Bela his language. When this drawn out process doesn’t seem to have an effect, he employs some of his old tricks and begins to pull away, going off on long hunting trips. This tactic works, and Bela begins to harbor tender feelings towards the man she previously only saw as a kidnapper and overlord. The relationship is far from ideal, but Pechorin seems glad, like he has become enchanted once again, but only for a moment. As Pechorin tells Maksim Maksimich, “When I saw Bela in my home, when for the first time I held her in my lap and kissed her black curls, I—fool that I was—imagined she was an angel sent me by compassionate fate,” but then quickly follows up with, “I as wrong again,” and “I find her company dull” (40). In these passages Lermontov makes it clear that Pechorin’s attempt at re enchantment has failed, and the death of Vela only hammers the point in, as Pechorin wastes away once Bela, the only chance he had left of freeing himself from his artifice, is taken from him. The chronological end to the hero’s escapades is found in the middle of the story, when the narrator relates that Pechorin died on the way back from Persia, just as alone and disenchanted as he was at the end of Princess