A Hero of Our Time

1462 Words6 Pages
‘A Hero of Our Time’ Why is it told the way it is? The term “hero” has always been used to describe a person of great strength, courage and no fear, who can go in to a burning building and save many lives without any reason too. The definition for the word “hero” has changed many times over generations, but merely means: “a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities”. When it comes to the character – Pechorin – of Mikhail Lermontov’s novel A hero of Our Time, could be argued that this character cannot be labelled as a hero as he does not show all the traditional characteristics of one, but it cannot be denied that he is a person that shows no fear in the face of death. The novel examines the term “hero” and whether or not Pechorin is worthy of the title “hero”. It also considers his evolvement with women and his treatment of them as well as his opinion of human behaviour and how he manipulates people for his own enjoyment. Mikhail Lermontov, the author of the novel positions the audience to view Pechorin as a hero. Having reflected on the evidence presented within the novel, it is evident that though the image of Pechorin is not the typical “hero” in today’s world. For Lermontov, it is obvious that he was trying to project the side of Pechorin that most human beings possess. The novel A Hero of Our Time, by M.Y.Lermontov, is set in the wilderness of the Caucasus in the 1830’s. A Hero of Our Time is made up of a collection of five stories; each involving a young officer named Pechorin. The five segments are: Bela, Maksim Maksimych, Taman, Princess Mary and the Fatalist. If placed in chronological order the stories would read: Taman, Princess Mary, The Fatalist, Bela and Maksim Maksimych. The author structured the novel to show Pechorin in a different light than if it was read in chronological order. Lermontov has
Open Document