A Hero of Our Time (Lermontov)
Short summary
The Caucasus, approximately in the 1830s. A traveler recounts meeting junior captain Maksim Maksimich, who tells him the story of Grigoriy Aleksandrovich Pechorin.
Pechorin abducted Bela, a beautiful Circassian girl, whose brother Azamat he cunningly bribed. However, Bela could not fully accept Pechorin's love and was tragically murdered by a jealous mountaineer, despite Pechorin's attempt to save her. Later, traveling on official business, the narrator once again met Maksim Maksimich, who encountered Pechorin after several years' separation, but Pechorin was indifferent toward his old friend.
Pechorin's personal journal revealed a sophisticated, manipulative character, constantly bored and restless with life, who often treated relationships with detached calculation. At Taman, he uncovered a smuggling operation and was nearly murdered by a mysterious woman. At Pyatigorsk, he cynically courted Princess Mary, arousing jealousy and rivalry with the young cadet Grushnitski. When Pechorin killed Grushnitski in a duel, he was transferred again.
I scan my whole past in memory and involuntarily wonder: why did I live, for what purpose was I born? ... And yet that purpose must have existed, and my destination must have been a lofty one, for I feel, in my soul, boundless strength.
Haunted by his inner emptiness, Pechorin tested fate by risking his life. Once he challenged fate through a reckless bet, observing if predestination governed his existence. Soon afterward, another such experiment doomed an acquaintance to a violent death. Ultimately, Pechorin himself died mysteriously upon his return from Persia, leaving a testament that echoed his lifelong cynicism and despair, but never clarifying his precise end, lost somewhere in the enigmatic Caucasus mountains.
Detailed summary
Chapter subtitles are editorial.
The Author's Introduction: Reflections on the nature of the hero
The author began by addressing criticisms of his work, noting that many readers misunderstood his intentions in creating the character of Pechorin. He explained that his novel was not meant to glorify vice but to expose it.
A Hero of Our Time, gentlemen, is indeed a portrait, but not of a single individual; it is a portrait composed of all the vices of our generation in the fullness of their development.
Bela: Pechorin's affair with a Circassian girl
The story began with the narrator traveling through the Caucasus Mountains. During a stop at a posting station, he met Maksim Maksimich, an elderly junior captain who had served in the region for many years. As they continued their journey together, Maksim Maksimich shared a story about a former officer under his command named Pechorin.
Several years earlier, Pechorin had been stationed at a remote fort in the Caucasus under Maksim Maksimich's command. During this time, they attended a wedding celebration at the home of a local prince. There, Pechorin first saw Bela, the prince's beautiful daughter. Meanwhile, the prince's son Azamat was obsessed with obtaining a magnificent horse belonging to a Circassian warrior named Kazbich.
Pechorin devised a scheme to help Azamat steal Kazbich's horse in exchange for Azamat kidnapping his own sister Bela for Pechorin. The plan succeeded, and Pechorin took Bela to the fort. Initially, she was distraught and refused Pechorin's advances. Maksim Maksimich tried to convince Pechorin to return her to her family, but Pechorin insisted on keeping her.
Over time, Pechorin's persistent courtship won Bela over, and she fell deeply in love with him. They lived happily together for several months, but eventually Pechorin grew bored and began spending more time hunting alone. Bela noticed his change in behavior and became increasingly melancholic.
Meanwhile, Kazbich discovered that Azamat had stolen his beloved horse. In revenge, he killed Azamat's father and began lurking around the fort. One day, when Bela was walking near the fortress walls, Kazbich seized her. As he attempted to escape with her, Pechorin and Maksim Maksimich pursued him. When they caught up, Kazbich stabbed Bela rather than surrender her.
Bela lingered for two days before dying from her wound. During her final moments, she expressed concern that she and Pechorin would not meet in the afterlife because she was not a Christian. After her death, Pechorin was ill for a long time but never spoke of Bela again. Eventually, he was transferred to Georgia, and Maksim Maksimich did not see him for several years.
Maksim Maksimich: A reunion with the old captain
The narrative continued with the narrator arriving in Vladikavkaz, where he again encountered Maksim Maksimich. While staying at an inn, they witnessed the arrival of an elegant carriage. Maksim Maksimich recognized the valet as belonging to Pechorin and was overjoyed at the prospect of reuniting with his old friend.
When Pechorin finally appeared, Maksim Maksimich rushed to greet him warmly, but Pechorin responded with cold politeness. He claimed to be in a hurry to reach Persia and showed little interest in reminiscing about their shared past. When Maksim Maksimich mentioned Bela, Pechorin visibly paled but quickly composed himself.
Hurt by Pechorin's indifference, Maksim Maksimich gave the narrator a bundle of papers that Pechorin had left in his care years ago. These turned out to be Pechorin's personal journals. Shortly afterward, the narrator learned that Pechorin had died on his return journey from Persia.
Introduction to Pechorin's Journal: The discovery of personal writings
The narrator explained that he had decided to publish Pechorin's journal, believing it would provide insight into the psychology of a man who embodied many of the contradictions of their generation. He hoped readers would find value in understanding such a character, even if they could not approve of him.
Taman: Encounter with smugglers
The first entry in Pechorin's journal described his arrival in Taman, a small coastal town where he was to stay briefly while traveling to join his regiment. He was given lodging in a dilapidated hut near the shore, where he encountered a strange blind boy. Suspicious of the boy's behavior, Pechorin followed him one night and discovered he was involved with smugglers.
Pechorin also met a young girl living in the hut who sang mysterious songs and seemed to possess an otherworldly quality. One evening, she invited him to meet her at the shore, ostensibly for a romantic encounter. However, once they were in a boat together, she attempted to push him overboard. Pechorin realized she and the blind boy were part of a smuggling operation and had planned to drown him because they feared he would expose them.
After a struggle, Pechorin managed to push the girl into the water instead and made his way back to shore. Later, he observed the girl meeting with a man called Yanko, who announced he was leaving for good. When Pechorin returned to his lodgings, he discovered that his belongings had been stolen. The next day, he departed from Taman, reflecting that his curiosity had nearly cost him his life.
Princess Mary: Pechorin's manipulation and duels at a spa town
The next part of Pechorin's journal chronicled his time at a spa town called Pyatigorsk. There he encountered an old acquaintance, Grushnitski, a cadet who affected romantic poses and spoke in pompous phrases. Grushnitski was infatuated with Princess Mary Ligovskoy, a young aristocrat visiting the spa with her mother.
Pechorin also discovered that his former lover Vera was staying at the spa. She was now married but still harbored deep feelings for him. Pechorin decided to pursue Princess Mary, partly out of boredom and partly to spite Grushnitski. He confided in his friend Dr. Werner about his plans.
At first, Princess Mary was offended by Pechorin's apparent indifference to her, especially compared to Grushnitski's obvious adoration. However, Pechorin's calculated behavior gradually piqued her interest. He rescued her from the unwanted attentions of a drunk man at a ball, earning her gratitude. Later, during a group excursion, he told her a fabricated story about his tragic past, which moved her deeply.
I became a moral cripple. One half of my soul did not exist; it had withered away, it had evaporated, it had died. I cut it off and threw it away—while the other half stirred and lived, at the service of everybody.
As Pechorin's relationship with Princess Mary developed, Grushnitski became increasingly jealous. Meanwhile, Pechorin continued his clandestine meetings with Vera, whose husband was related to the Ligovskoys. Vera begged Pechorin to be introduced to the Ligovskoys so they could see each other more freely, and he agreed, though this complicated his scheme regarding Princess Mary.
Grushnitski, now promoted to officer rank, grew more hostile toward Pechorin. He began spreading rumors that Pechorin was secretly meeting with Princess Mary at night. Pechorin overheard Grushnitski and a group of officers, including a Captain of Dragoons, plotting to humiliate him by challenging him to a duel with unloaded pistols, which would make Pechorin appear a coward when he accepted their terms.
Pechorin confronted Grushnitski about the slander and challenged him to a real duel. Dr. Werner served as Pechorin's second and discovered that Grushnitski and his friends planned to load only Grushnitski's pistol. Pechorin insisted on proceeding with the duel anyway, but changed the location to the edge of a cliff, where even a slight wound would result in a fatal fall.
Is it possible that my only function on earth is to ruin other people's hopes? Ever since I have lived and acted, fate has always seemed to bring me in at the denouement of other people's dramas, as if none could either die or despair without me!
During the duel, Grushnitski fired first and missed. Before taking his shot, Pechorin gave Grushnitski one last chance to apologize, but he refused. Pechorin then shot Grushnitski, who fell to his death from the cliff. After the duel, Pechorin returned to his lodgings exhausted and troubled by what had occurred.
That evening, Pechorin received two letters. One was from Dr. Werner, informing him that the authorities believed Grushnitski's death was an accident. The other was from Vera, revealing that her husband had discovered her feelings for Pechorin, and she was being forced to leave immediately. Desperate to see her one last time, Pechorin rode his horse to exhaustion trying to catch up with her carriage, but failed.
Upon returning to Pyatigorsk, Pechorin learned that Princess Mary had discovered the truth about the duel. When he visited her, she declared her love for him, but he coldly rejected her, admitting he had never loved her. Heartbroken, she and her mother soon departed from the spa. Shortly afterward, Pechorin received orders to transfer to a fort in a remote area, where the events of "Bela" would later take place.
I am like a sailor born and bred on the deck of a pirate brig: his soul is used to storms and battles, and, when cast out on the shore, he feels bored and oppressed, no matter how the shady grove lures him, no matter how the peaceful sun shines.
The Fatalist: A philosophical experiment with fate
The final entry in Pechorin's journal took place at a Cossack outpost where he was stationed after the events with Bela. One evening, during a card game, a discussion arose about predestination—whether a person's fate was predetermined or if humans had free will. A Serbian lieutenant named Vulich proposed an experiment to settle the question.
Vulich took a pistol, loaded it, and placed it against his own head. He pulled the trigger, but the gun misfired. To prove it was indeed loaded, he then fired at a cap on the wall, and this time the pistol discharged properly. The group was astonished by Vulich's survival, which seemed to confirm the existence of predestination.
Pechorin, however, remained skeptical. Looking at Vulich, he declared that the lieutenant would die that night. Strangely, his prediction came true—Vulich was killed shortly afterward by a drunken Cossack he encountered on the street. With his dying breath, Vulich acknowledged that Pechorin had been right about his fate.
Later, Pechorin himself demonstrated remarkable courage by subduing the same drunken Cossack who had killed Vulich. When asked by Maksim Maksimich about his views on predestination after these events, Pechorin remained ambivalent, suggesting that while he had experienced something extraordinary, he preferred to maintain his skepticism rather than commit to any absolute belief.
Contradiction is, with me, an innate passion; my entire life has been nothing but a chain of sad and frustrating contradictions to heart or reason. The presence of an enthusiast envelops me with midwinter frost.
The novel concluded with this philosophical meditation on fate and free will, leaving readers to ponder whether Pechorin's tragic life was the result of his own choices or predetermined by forces beyond his control. His complex character remained enigmatic to the end—a true representation of the conflicted, cynical, yet introspective "hero" of his time.