Known as the ‘Russian Byron’, Mikhail Lermontov is revered for his radical interpretation of the Romantic antihero in A Hero of Our Time. He sought to fashion “a portrait built up from the vices of our whole generation” (Lermontov, preface), to create a character who would embody the spirit of the contemporary Russian man. In what would be his only prose work, Lermontov employs traits commonly associated with the Byronic hero as the basis for the character of his protagonist, Pechorin, such as his arrogance, charisma, cynicism, and disdain for the rigid social expectations of high society. However, instead of shaping his protagonist strictly within the Byronic ideal laid down by predecessors Byron and Pushkin, Lermontov drew inspiration from
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To some extent, Pechorin is unquestionably a Byronic hero, for he exhibits many traits commonly associated with Byronism. Several of the Byronic hero’s characteristics which are prevalent in Pechorin are his arrogance, cunning, and isolation from society. Pechorin’s arrogance is shown in his contempt of Maxim Maximich when they met for the last time. Pechorin did not “come running” (43) as Maxim Maximich predicted, instead choosing to come in his …show more content…
His character is derived also from the Russian superfluous man, a variant of the Byronic hero who is morally ambiguous and struggles with existential discontent. Pechorin claims that his life “becomes emptier day by day” (33), as he attempted various activities but is still unable to find meaning in existence. He is aimlessly destructive, ruining the lives of those around him – from having “shattered” (61) the peace of honest smugglers to bringing a princess to a “sickly” (130) state – and his moral ambiguity is displayed in “but if I like her?” (21), his desire being enough justification to proceed with the kidnap of Bela, with no consideration for her thoughts. His ennui also manifests itself in “I like to doubt everything” (140), for he occupies his boredom by turning over abstract questions, a further affirmation of his metaphysical discontent which resulted from a sense of existential boredom. While similar to the Byronic hero in many aspects – for instance, both depict aristocratic and socially isolated men – the superfluous man is unique to Russia and embodies its society’s metaphysical discontent, which is then echoed in
To some extent, Pechorin is unquestionably a Byronic hero, for he exhibits many traits commonly associated with Byronism. Several of the Byronic hero’s characteristics which are prevalent in Pechorin are his arrogance, cunning, and isolation from society. Pechorin’s arrogance is shown in his contempt of Maxim Maximich when they met for the last time. Pechorin did not “come running” (43) as Maxim Maximich predicted, instead choosing to come in his …show more content…
His character is derived also from the Russian superfluous man, a variant of the Byronic hero who is morally ambiguous and struggles with existential discontent. Pechorin claims that his life “becomes emptier day by day” (33), as he attempted various activities but is still unable to find meaning in existence. He is aimlessly destructive, ruining the lives of those around him – from having “shattered” (61) the peace of honest smugglers to bringing a princess to a “sickly” (130) state – and his moral ambiguity is displayed in “but if I like her?” (21), his desire being enough justification to proceed with the kidnap of Bela, with no consideration for her thoughts. His ennui also manifests itself in “I like to doubt everything” (140), for he occupies his boredom by turning over abstract questions, a further affirmation of his metaphysical discontent which resulted from a sense of existential boredom. While similar to the Byronic hero in many aspects – for instance, both depict aristocratic and socially isolated men – the superfluous man is unique to Russia and embodies its society’s metaphysical discontent, which is then echoed in