Comparative characteristics of Evgeny Onegin and Grigory Pechorin (Comparative analysis). What brings Onegin and Pechorin together and in what ways are they different? (Pushkin A

COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF ONEGIN AND PECHORIN

Since the second half of the 19th century, primarily thanks to fiction, the concept of “superfluous person” has come into use (this term was first used by A. S. Pushkin in one of his rough sketches for “Onegin”). A whole series of works of art, heroes who were united by the special status given to them in society - “superfluous people” who were critical of the established order and their role in the social order, but they did not accept public opinion. Onegin, Pechorin, Beltov, Rudin - this is not a complete list of characters considered by critics to be “superfluous people”. At the same time, criticism clearly distinguishes the individual traits of these heroes.

Comparing Pechorin with Onegin, Chernyshevsky wrote: “Pechorin is a man of a completely different character and a different degree of development. He has a really strong soul, longing for old age; His will is really strong, capable of energetic activity, but he takes care of himself.” Herzen paid great attention to the problem of “superfluous people”: “The Onegins and Pechorins were completely true, they expressed the real sorrow and fragmentation of the Russian life of that time. The sad fate of the superfluous, lost person appeared then not only in poems and novels, but on the streets and in living rooms, in villages and cities.”

In Lermontov's work, the image of Pechorin was not accidental. The theme of the “superfluous person” can be traced in the poet’s lyrics. Almost simultaneously with Pushkin, Lermontov in the dramas “People and Passions”, “Strange Man”, and then in “Two Brothers”, trying to connect his hero with the real Russian reality surrounding him, comes to disappointing conclusions. Thus, Yu. Volin is shown as a young man who went through a sad path of disappointment and turned into a “strange” person who had lost faith. He says about himself to a friend: “The one who is in front of you is one shadow; a half-dead man, almost without a present and without a future.” Pechorin also characterizes himself as a “half-dead” person, one part of whose soul is buried forever: “I became a moral cripple: one half of my soul did not exist, it dried up, evaporated, died, I cut it off and abandoned it.”

Taking into account the fact that the literature of that time was a reflection of reality, thoughts and orders prevailing in society, the main means of forming public opinion (in our time, these functions are performed by television, radio, and print media), it should be noted: the problem of “extra people” in the 20s The 40s of the 19th century were really tense. After all, both Onegin and Pechorin embodied a whole generation of young people - gifted, thoughtful, thirsty for activity, but forced to remain inactive. Belinsky also drew attention to the parallelism of the sound and meaning of the surnames Onegin and Pechorin: “Lermontov’s Pechorin... is the Onegin of our time, the hero of our time. Their dissimilarity with each other is much less than the distance between Onega and Pechora... In the very name that a true poet gives to his hero, there is a reasonable necessity, although perhaps not visible to the poet himself.” It can be assumed that with the name of Pechorin, Lermontov emphasized the spiritual kinship of his hero with Onegin, but Pechorin is a man of the next decade. So, the heroes are united by their alienation from society, lack of perception of the orders and laws accepted in it, boredom from the pleasures that can be obtained for money, the desire for sincere, open relationships and disbelief in the prospect of friendship, love, and marriage.

The dissimilarity between Onegin and Pechorin is determined not so much by the time period of their lives, but by the differences in their characters. No wonder Dobrolyubov wrote: “...We could not help but see the difference in temperament, for example, in Pechorin and Oblomov, just as we cannot help but find it in Pechorin and Onegin... It is very likely that under other living conditions, in a different society, Onegin was If only truly good fellows, Pechorin and Rudin would have accomplished great feats.”

Pechorin is energy, active, purposeful, although, perhaps, the last definition is somewhat exaggerated. Indeed, Pechorin is ready, firstly, to create difficulties and obstacles for himself, and secondly, to successfully overcome them. But at the same time, he does not have a certain general goal that would give meaning to his earthly existence: “I run through my entire past in my memory and involuntarily ask myself: why did I live? For what purpose was I born? And, it’s true, it existed, and, it’s true, I had a high purpose, because I feel immense strength in my soul...”

Pechorin admits that he did not guess this appointment, exchanging it for empty passions, and regrets that he “played the role of an ax in the hands of fate.” His love did not bring happiness to anyone, because he did not sacrifice anything for those he loved. After all, Pechorin loved for his own pleasure: “... I only satisfied the strange need of my heart, greedily absorbing their feelings, their tenderness, their joys and sufferings - and I could never get enough.”

In contrast to Pechorin, Onegin finds pleasure in complete inaction, self-elimination from all life's problems and passions:

...his feelings cooled down early;

He was tired of the noise of the world;

The beauties didn't last long

The subject of his usual thoughts;

The betrayals have become tiresome;

I'm tired of friends and friendship...

Beauties from high society with their false smiles and empty words disgusted Onegin. But the love of innocent, sincere Tatyana also leaves him indifferent (so Pechorin gradually becomes disillusioned with his love for Bela). Rejecting the girl’s love, he refers to his fear of marriage (just like Pechorin):

Believe me (conscience is a guarantee),

Marriage will be torment for us.

No matter how much I love you,

Once I get used to it, I’ll stop loving it immediately.

The heroes are also united by a passion for travel, constant movement around the world - away from the hateful world, towards new sensations (as we know, Pushkin released an entire chapter from his novel in which Onegin’s journey was described).

It is interesting that both Pushkin and Lermontov place contrasting figures next to the main characters - Lensky and Grushnitsky, respectively. The contrast between Onegin and Lensky, Pechorin and Grushnitsky, at first glance, seems insignificant. They live, apparently, in the circle of the same interests, they feel like people of the same generation, the same cultural environment. In fact, their apparent closeness is an imaginary closeness: a real - psychological, cultural, social - abyss is soon revealed between them.

Grushnitsky is an enthusiastic, but somewhat down-to-earth young man. He is used to producing an effect (the cadet's overcoat, so similar to the soldier's, pretentious phrases, etc.). Lensky is an enthusiastic romantic and poet. For all his ironic attitude towards Lensky, Pushkin noted his education, wide range of intellectual interests, his heated debates on philosophical topics with Onegin. However, the usual path of enthusiastic romantics in Russia is to become ordinary: “In old age, they become either peaceful landowners or drunkards, sometimes both.” These are the words of Lermontov; Pushkin also thought about a similar life path for Lensky:

He would change in many ways

I would part with the muses, get married,

The village is happy and horny

I would wear a quilted robe.

Meanwhile, the life path of these romantics was interrupted by “superfluous people” - Onegin and Pechorin. Each of the heroes perceives the upcoming duel in his own way: Onegin regrets that “that he played such a careless joke on timid, tender love in the evening.” And that public opinion forces him to make the final decision about the duel.

Pechorin also thought for a long time about his irresistible desire to punish the insolent Grushnitsky, but, in the end, he convinces himself that he is right: “Mr. Grushnitsky! You will not succeed in your hoax... We will switch roles: now I will have to look for signs of secret fear on your pale face.”

What unites the heroes is that until the end of their days they never found either peace or that higher purpose that their minds whispered to them. Their lives can serve as a good example of how not to live. In my opinion, it was not the social order that caused the heroes’ mental tribulations: only their own efforts would have helped them get out of the state of conflict with the environment. We agree that it is difficult to witness the moral squalor of others, but Onegin and Pechorin, before diagnosing the entire society, had to sort out the inner content of their own soul and mind.

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COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF ONEGIN AND PECHORIN

(1 option)

"Eugene Onegin" and "Hero of Our Time" are the main milestones in the development of Russian literature of the 19th century. These are the best works of two true geniuses of Russia: A.S. Pushkin and M.Yu. Lermontov. The novels shock readers and literary scholars not only with the grandeur of their concept, but also with their innovation. It manifests itself primarily in the disclosure of the images of the two main characters. For the first time, Pushkin wrote a realistic novel in verse. It was akin to a revolution. The poet was worried about his creation, realizing that not all people would be able to appreciate a work that was ahead of its time. These worries were not unfounded. Even many of Pushkin’s friends could not understand the genius of the concept of the work.

M.Yu. Lermontov went even further in his creative quest. The novel he created was not realistic, like Pushkin’s, but combined the features of two movements. And this brilliant work was not appreciated by critics and contemporaries.

First of all, the innovation of the two novels lies in the characters that were new to the literature of that time. Subsequently, this type was called the “superfluous person.” This concept implies a romantic, then a realistic image of a young man, a nobleman, smart, educated and interesting, but far from real life, disappointed, inactive, alien to his contemporaries. The gallery of these characters opens with Onegin, followed by Pechorin.

The time of appearance of such characters is the 1830s, a period of decline. After the Decembrist uprising and the accession of Nicholas I, a cruel, reactionary politician, public life in Russia became quiet for a long time. A new social phenomenon appeared - young people who had everything except happiness and a sense of significance of their personality. Their sufferings and quests were embodied in novels about Onegin and Pechorin - heroes of their time.

Despite the apparent dissimilarity of the two works, their plot is constructed in the same way: the hero goes through some kind of test, his character is revealed depending on the situation.

Undoubtedly, the main test for both Onegin and Pechorin is the test of love.

Onegin, like Pechorin, at the beginning of the novel appears as a conqueror of other people's hearts, "a fickle admirer of charming actresses." He was not interested in deep feelings, he did not look for love for the rest of his life, to the death, but only cynically sought the adoration of pretty girls, and, having achieved it, quickly abandoned them, without thinking about the suffering caused. It was his cure for boredom.

How early could he be a hypocrite?

To harbor hope, to be jealous,

To dissuade, to make believe,

Seem gloomy, languish,

Be proud and obedient

Attentive or indifferent!

Onegin clearly succeeded in the “science of tender passion.”

So, Onegin is a playmaker. But then he meets Tatyana. He manages to easily win over this provincial young lady. She does not shine with beauty, and her soul is darkness for a carminative. And Evgeniy here simply plays the role of a mentor, teaching the girl how to live. But, having returned from the trip, having experienced a moral revolution and purification, he looks at Tatyana with different eyes. Onegin falls in love with her, completely loses his head, and not because Tatyana has changed (she remained the same in her soul), but because profound changes have affected Eugene himself, he has grown spiritually and has become worthy of Tatyana. But Onegin was late, she is married and will be “faithful to him forever.” And this is a clear illustration of the tragedy of the “superfluous man,” his “pathetic lot.”

Pechorin repeats the fate of Onegin. He also wanders aimlessly through life, trying to find himself; for some reason he also achieves the love of women, and then leaves them. Onegin sees that Tatyana has become his victim, but it is too late. Pechorin also could have prevented the tragedies of Bela and Mary, but did not want to. He also played with the fate of Vera, but she turned out to be stronger than him - and here he is, crushed and humiliated, crying about his lost happiness.

In the romantic "Hero of Our Time" there is no single female image. We recognize Tatyana's traits in Bel, Mary, and Vera. And thus, the hero’s love is more multifaceted and expressive.

The attitude of the heroes towards friendship is no less expressively described. Lermontov again lacks clarity; Lensky is embodied in Grushnitsky, Werner, and even Maxim Maksimych. However, a comparison between Lensky and Grushnitsky suggests itself. Pechorin and Grushnitsky also “have nothing to do, friends.” The storyline of a duel over a trifle, one’s infatuation with the other’s beloved, can also be traced in both works.

It is impossible not to mention the moral quest of Onegin and Pechorin, because both of them are involuntarily alien to the high society, the society to which they should belong. Onegin travels around Russia, Pechorin – around the Caucasus, both try to find the meaning and purpose of their existence in these travels. They trail women, make them suffer, fight in duels, ruin people's lives, without knowing why. As a result, their fate is unenviable.

Both Onegin and Pechorin are real “heroes of the times.” They are very similar to each other, and their tragedies are similar. There is no refuge for them in the whole world; they are destined to suffer and seek peace all their lives. Such is the fate of extra people.

(Option 2)

Probably, when starting his novel, Lermontov thought that his main character would remind readers of the existence of Pushkin’s Onegin. The undoubted similarity of the images of Eugene Onegin and Grigory Pechorin was one of the first to be noted by V. G. Belinsky. “Their dissimilarity is much less than the distance between Onega and Pechora... Pechorin is the Onegin of our time,” the critic wrote.

The life span of the heroes is different. Onegin lived in the era of Decembrism, freethinking, and rebellion. Pechorin is a hero of the timeless era. What the great works of Pushkin and Lermontov have in common is the depiction of the spiritual crisis of the noble intelligentsia. The best representatives of this class turned out to be dissatisfied with life and removed from public activities. They had no choice but to waste their strength aimlessly, turning into “superfluous people.”

The formation of characters and the conditions of education of Onegin and Pechorin are, without a doubt, similar. These are people of the same circle. The similarity of the heroes is that both of them went from agreement with society and themselves to denial of light and deep dissatisfaction with life.

“But early the feelings in him cooled down,” Pushkin writes about Onegin, who “sick” with the “Russian blues.” Pechorin also very early “... despair was born, covered with courtesy and a good-natured smile.”

These were well-read and educated people, which placed them above other young people in their circle. Onegin's education and natural curiosity are revealed in his disputes with Lensky. One list of topics is worth it:

Tribes of past treaties,

The fruits of science, good and evil,

And age-old prejudices,

And the grave secrets are fatal,

Fate and life...

Evidence of Onegin’s high education is his extensive personal library. Pechorin said this about himself: “I began to read, study - I was tired of science too.” Possessing remarkable abilities and spiritual needs, both failed to realize themselves in life and squandered it on trifles.

In their youth, both heroes were carried away by a carefree social life, both succeeded in the “science of tender passion”, in the knowledge of “Russian young ladies”. Pechorin says about himself: “... when meeting a woman, I always unmistakably guessed whether she would love me... I never became a slave to the woman I loved, on the contrary, I always acquired invincible power over their will and heart... Is that why I never really did anything I treasure...” Neither the love of the beautiful Bela, nor the serious passion of the young Princess Mary could melt Pechorin’s coldness and rationality. It only brings misfortune to women.

The love of the inexperienced, naive Tatyana Larina also leaves Onegin indifferent at first. But later, our hero, upon meeting again with Tatyana, now a society lady and general’s wife, realizes what he has lost in the person of this extraordinary woman. Pechorin, it turns out, is not at all capable of great feeling. In his opinion, “love is satiated pride.”

Both Onegin and Pechorin value their freedom. Evgeniy writes in his letter to Tatyana:

Your hateful freedom

I didn't want to lose.

Pechorin directly states: “... twenty times I will put my life, even my honor, on the line, but I will not sell my freedom.”

The indifference to people inherent in both, disappointment and boredom affect their attitude towards friendship. Onegin is friends with Lensky "there is nothing to do." And Pechorin says: “... I am not capable of friendship: of two friends, one is always the slave of the other, although often neither of them admits this to himself; I cannot be a slave, and in this case commanding is tedious work, because it is necessary at the same time, to deceive..." And he demonstrates this in his cold attitude towards Maxim Maksimych. The words of the old staff captain sound helplessly: “I’ve always said that there is no use in those who forget old friends!..”

Both Onegin and Pechorin, disillusioned with the life around them, are critical of the empty and idle “secular mob.” But Onegin is afraid of public opinion, accepting Lensky’s challenge to a duel. Pechorin, shooting with Grushnitsky, takes revenge on society for unfulfilled hopes. Essentially, the same evil prank led the heroes to a duel. Onegin “swore to enrage Lensky and take proper revenge” for a boring evening at the Larins’. Pechorin says the following: “I lied, but I wanted to defeat him. I have an innate passion to contradict, my whole life was only a tribute to sad and unsuccessful contradictions of the heart or mind...”

The tragedy of the feeling of one’s own uselessness is deepened for both by the understanding of the uselessness of their lives. Pushkin exclaims about this bitterly:

But it's sad to think that it's in vain

We were given youth

That they cheated on her all the time,

That she deceived us

What are our best wishes?

What are our fresh dreams

Decayed in quick succession,

Like rotten leaves in autumn.

Lermontov’s hero seems to echo him: “My colorless youth passed in a struggle with myself and the light, my best qualities, fearing ridicule, I buried in the depths of my heart: they died there... Having learned well the light and springs of life, I became a moral cripple.”

Pushkin's words about Onegin, when

Having killed a friend in a duel,

Having lived without a goal, without work

Until twenty-six years old,

Languishing in idle leisure,

He “began wandering without a goal,” which can also be attributed to Pechorin, who also killed his former “friend,” and his life continued “without a goal, without work.” During the journey, Pechorin reflects: “Why did I live? For what purpose was I born?”

Feeling “immense forces in his soul,” but completely wasting them, Pechorin seeks death and finds it “from a random bullet on the roads of Persia.” Onegin, at twenty-six, was also “hopelessly tired of life.” He exclaims:

Why wasn't I pierced by a bullet?

Why am I not a frail old man?..

Comparing the description of the heroes' lives, one can be convinced that Pechorina is a more active person with demonic traits. “To be the cause of suffering and joy for someone, without having any positive right to do so, is not this the sweetest food of our pride?” - says Lermontov’s hero. As a person, Onegin remains a mystery to us. No wonder Pushkin characterizes him this way:

The eccentric is sad and dangerous,

The creation of hell or heaven,

This angel, this arrogant demon,

What is he? Is it really imitation?

An insignificant ghost?..

Both Onegin and Pechorin are selfish, but thinking and suffering heroes. Despising an idle secular existence, they do not find ways and opportunities to freely and creatively resist it. In the tragic outcomes of the individual destinies of Onegin and Pechorin, the tragedy of “superfluous people” comes through. The tragedy of the “superfluous man,” no matter what era he appears, is at the same time the tragedy of the society that gave birth to him.

A. S. Pushkin worked on the novel “Eugene Onegin” for many years, it was his most favorite work. Belinsky named in
In his article "Eugene Onegin" this work is an "encyclopedia of Russian life." Indeed, in this novel there is a picture
all layers of Russian life: the high society, the small nobility, and the people - Pushkin studied the life of all layers well
society of the early 19th century. During the years of writing the novel, Pushkin had to go through a lot, lose many friends, experience bitterness from
the death of the best people of Russia. For the poet, the novel was, in his words, the fruit of “a mind of cold observations and a heart of sorrowful observations.”

Against the broad background of Russian pictures of life, the dramatic fate of the best people, the leading noble intelligentsia of the era, is shown
Decembrists. Without Onegin, Lermontov's "Hero of Our Time" would have been impossible, because a realistic novel created
Pushkin, opened the first page in the history of the great Russian novel of the 19th century. Pushkin embodied in the image of Onegin many of
those traits that were later developed in individual characters of Lermontov, Turgenev, Herzen, Goncharov.

Exploring Lermontov's novel "A Hero of Our Time", Be-

Linsky noticed that Pechorin in many ways resembles

Pushkin's Onegin. This gave the critic reason to call Pecho-

Rina "Onegin's younger brother." Emphasizing the undoubted

the similarity of the heroes of the two great poets, he said in his article

"Hero of Our Time": "The difference between them is much less than

the distance between Onega and Pechora."

The heroes of A.S. Pushkin and M.Yu. Lermontov are separated by less than 10 years. They could meet in the same drawing room, at the same ball
or in the theater, in the box of one of the “noted beauties”. And yet, what was more - similarities or differences? Sometimes in them
divides people more powerfully and mercilessly than a whole century.

In my opinion, Evgeny Onegin and Pechorin are very similar in character, both of them are from a secular environment, received a good upbringing,
they are at a higher stage of development, hence their melancholy, melancholy and dissatisfaction. All this is characteristic of souls more
thinner and more developed.

Some readers suggested that Lermontov portrayed himself in the person of Pechorin. Of course, many thoughts and feelings

"a portrait made up of the vices and shortcomings of all our

younger generation."

Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin, like Onegin, belonged to the aristocracy of St. Petersburg and also “frantically chased

pleasures of life" when "three houses call for the evening." He,

like Onegin, perhaps even to a great extent, he is rich, has no need of funds at all, is generous and wasteful.
Apparently, like Evgeniy, he changed many occupations. “Persistent work” sickened not only Onegin, but many brilliant
young nobles. Freed from the need that drives them to activity, and devoid of ambition, they are negligent in their service and
any other business. The modest rank of ensign does not burden Pechorin at all and testifies to his attitude towards the service. Many

actions may permanently disqualify him from serving.

Grigory Alexandrovich has a lot of attractive things. He is a well-read, intelligent, interesting and witty conversationalist.
He has a steel will, self-control, and endurance. The writer endows him with physical strength. He is young, full of energy, has
Success with women unwittingly subjects others to its influence. It would seem that such a person should be happy all around. But
No! Pechorin is dissatisfied with himself and those around him; every business, like love, soon tires and becomes boring.

What is only outlined in Onegin develops in Pechorin

fully. Only three days were new for Evgeny in the village. To him

the devotion of a simple village girl is not interesting. But

he is ready to give everything to achieve the love of the already married Tatiana. And then, probably, he could leave her. Such is the nature of these

of people. Out of boredom, Onegin takes care of Olga, arousing Lensky's jealousy. And everything, as we know, ends tragically. IN

Lermontov shows a much stronger “ability” to bring nothing but trouble to people who love him. That and

He himself notices that his actions do not bring good to those around him.

Selfishness is a central part of the character of both heroes.

But these images undoubtedly reflected social phenomena associated with the timelessness that came after the Decembrist
movement, the Nikolaev reaction, that attitude to the life of the higher nobility, which Lermontov so brilliantly described.

Pushkin writes about Onegin: “Handra was waiting for him on guard, and she ran after him like a shadow or a faithful wife.” secular society,
in which Onegin, and later Pechorin, revolved, spoiled them. It did not require knowledge, a superficial one was enough
education, knowledge of the French language and good manners was more important. Evgeniy, like everyone else, “danced the mazurka lightly and bowed
at ease." He spends his best years, like most people of his circle, on balls, theaters and love interests. The same
Pechorin also leads a lifestyle. Very soon both begin to understand that this life is empty, that there is no truth behind the “external tinsel.”
nothing, boredom, slander, envy reign in the world, people waste the inner strength of their souls on gossip and anger. Little fuss
empty conversations of “necessary fools”, spiritual emptiness make the life of these people monotonous, outwardly
dazzling, but devoid of inner content. Idleness and lack of high interests trivialize their existence. Day
looks like day, there is no need to work, there are few impressions, so the smartest and best fall ill with nostalgia. Your homeland and
They essentially don’t know the people. Onegin “wanted to write, but he was sick of persistent work...”, he also did not find the answer in books
to your questions. Onegin is smart and could benefit society, but the lack of need for work is the reason why
that he does not find something to do to his liking. This is what he suffers from, realizing that the upper layer of society lives off the slave
the labor of serfs. Serfdom was a disgrace to Tsarist Russia. Onegin in the village tried to alleviate the situation of his
serfs ("...he replaced the old corvée with a light quitrent..."), for which he was condemned by his neighbors, who
They considered him an eccentric and a dangerous “freethinker.”

Many people also do not understand Pechorin. In order to further reveal the character of his hero, Lermontov places him in the most
various social spheres, encounters a wide variety of people. When was the separate edition of “Our Hero” published?
time", it became clear that before Lermontov there was no Russian realistic novel. Belinsky pointed out that "Princess Mary" -
one of the main stories in the novel. In this story, Pechorin talks about himself, reveals his soul. It's stronger here
In all, the features of “A Hero of Our Time” as a psychological novel emerged.

In conclusion, I would like to quote the words of Belinsky, who wrote that “Pechorin is the Onegin of our time.” Novel "Hero"
of our time" is a bitter reflection on the "history of the human soul", a soul destroyed by the "deceptive shine
capital", seeking and not finding friendship, love, happiness. Pechorin is a suffering egoist. Belinsky wrote about Onegin: "Strength
this rich nature was left without application: life without meaning, and the novel without end." The same can be said about Pechorin.
Comparing the two heroes, he wrote: “...The roads are different, but the result is the same.” Despite all the difference in appearance and difference
characters and Onegin; both Pechorin and Chatsky belong to the gallery of “superfluous people for whom there is no
there was no place, no business. The desire to find one’s place in life, to understand the “great purpose” is the main meaning
novel of Lermontov's lyrics. Is it not these reflections that occupy Pechorin, leading him to a painful answer to the question: “Why do I
lived?" This question can be answered with the words of Lermontov: "Perhaps, with heavenly thoughts and the power of spirit, I am convinced that I would give to the world
a wonderful gift, and for that it gives me immortality..."

I believe that in the works of Pushkin “Eugene Onegin” and Lermontov “Hero of Our Time” the authors protest against
a reality that forces people to waste their energy.

The similarities between Onegin and Pechorin are difficult not to notice, just as it is impossible to ignore the differences in their characters. Both of them are “superfluous people” of their time. Even V. G. Belinsky, comparing these two images, noted: “Their dissimilarity is much less than the distance between Onega and Pechora... Pechorin is the Onegin of our time.”
Despite the difference in the eras in which the images were created - Onegin in the era of Decembrism, freethinking, in the era of dreams and hopes for a quick transformation of the social system, Pechorin - during the cruel Nicholas regime that followed the defeat of the Decembrist uprising - both are dissatisfied life, do not find use for their remarkable powers and are therefore forced to waste time. Both of them do not like the social structure, but both of them are passive and do not take any action to change it. Both Pushkin's Onegin and Lermontov's Pechorin personify the spiritual crisis of the noble intelligentsia, who expressed their dissatisfaction with life by refusing social activities and, not finding use for their powers, wasted their lives fruitlessly.
Both Onegin and Pechorin belong to the same social environment. Both of them are educated. Both at first accepted life as it was, enjoyed it, using the privileges of the high society to which they belonged, but both gradually came to deny the light and deep dissatisfaction with the life of society and their own too. Both began to understand that this life is empty, that behind the “external tinsel” there is nothing worth it, boredom, slander, envy reign in the world, people waste the inner strength of the soul on gossip and anger. Idleness and lack of high interests trivialize their existence. “But his feelings cooled down early,” says Pushkin about his hero. We read approximately the same thing in Lermontov, where the author reports that his hero very early “was born of despair, covered with courtesy and a good-natured smile.”
The fact that both heroes are smart, educated people undoubtedly further aggravates their conflict with society, because these qualities allow them to see all the negative sides, all the vices. This understanding seems to elevate Onegin and Pechorin above the young people of their generation; they do not fit into their circle.
What makes the heroes akin is the fact that they both succeeded in the “science of tender passion,” and the fact that neither one nor the other were able to surrender to love with all their hearts and souls. A great, all-consuming passion, for which many were ready to give their lives, could not touch our heroes: in their relationships with women, as with the world, there was coldness and cynicism. Onegin considered love to be “satiated pride” that is unworthy of him. Pechorin's love consisted of achieving power over his beloved. He could only take, but was not able to give. He never allowed himself to fall in love without reciprocating feelings. For him, seeking someone’s love is the height of baseness: “...When meeting a woman, I always unmistakably guessed whether she would love me... I never became a slave to the woman I loved; on the contrary, I have always acquired invincible power over their will and heart... is it because I never value anything very much...” Not knowing how to love, Onegin and Pechorin did not value the love of others - hence Onegin’s coldness towards Tatyana, and the unrequited love of Bela and Princess Mary for Pechorin.
He who cannot truly love is incapable of true friendship, and vice versa. So, Onegin kills his friend Vladimir Lensky, although, as the eldest in age and wise with experience, he could dissuade the passionately in love poet, blinded by jealousy. But he did not do this - disappointed with life, despising his own existence, he was not able to sufficiently value the lives of others. Having met many years later, Pechorin and Maxim Maksimych do not find a common language. Kind, gentle and simple-minded, Maxim Maksimych could not explain Pechorin’s cruelty, could not understand what was guiding the actions of his former colleague. Yes, it couldn’t be otherwise: the old soldier was like everyone else, he was part of a society that Lermontov’s hero despised, with which he, an extraordinary person, was simply bored. It was not for nothing that he always strove for people who could argue with him.
Personal freedom and independence for both heroes is the best thing that can be in life, to which they are ready to prefer everything else. It is not for nothing that Onegin, remembering the past, writes in a letter to Tatyana:
I didn’t want to lose my hateful freedom.
Pechorin declares on this occasion: “Twenty times I will put my life, even my honor, on the line, but I will not sell my freedom.” Realizing that life is wasted, Lermontov’s hero does not value it at all. Freedom comes first, honor comes second, and life comes last.
We find the meaning of Pechorin’s behavior and actions in the diary of the hero in the story “Princess Mary”. Reading it, you realize that Pechorin is a victim of his time. He lost faith in people, in ideas, and this is the result of the era that came after the defeat of the Decembrist uprising, an era of moral poverty, vulgarity and cowardice. All this can be attributed to Onegin.
V. G. Belinsky said very well when comparing the two heroes: “The roads are different, but the result is the same.” Despite the external dissimilarity, despite the difference in character, both are “superfluous people” who were ahead of their time and therefore did not find a common language with their contemporaries, unable to express and realize themselves.

The theme of Lermontov's novel “A Hero of Our Time” (1840) is a depiction of the social situation of the 30s and 40s of the 19th century. This period in the history of Russia is usually called “inter-time”, because society was experiencing a so-called change of ideals. Decembrist revolt...

Many writers of different eras and peoples sought to capture their contemporary, through him conveying to us their time, their ideas, their ideals. What is he like, a young man from different eras? Pushkin in the novel "Eugene Onegin" depicted a young man...

My life, where are you going from and where are you going? Why is my path so unclear and secret to me? Why do I not know the purpose of labor? Why am I not the master of my desires? Pesso Pushkin worked on the novel "Eugene Onegin" for many years, it was his favorite work....

The novel “A Hero of Our Time” was a continuation of the theme of “extra people”. This theme became central to the novel in verse by A. S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin”. Herzen called Pechorin Onegin's younger brother. In the preface to the novel, the author shows his attitude towards his...

What a short time separates Pushkin’s Onegin and Lermontov’s Pechorin! The first quarter and forties of the 19th century. And yet these are two different eras, separated by an unforgettable event for Russian history - the Decembrist uprising. Pushkin and Lermontov managed to create works that reflected the spirit of these eras, works that touched upon the problems of the fate of the young noble intelligentsia, who did not know how to find application for their strengths.

Herzen called Pechorin “Onegin’s younger brother,” so what do these people have in common and how do they differ?

Onegin, before becoming a “young rake,” received a traditional upbringing and an extensive, but rather superficial education. Because he could eventually speak French “perfectly,” dance the mazurka easily, and “bow easily,” “the world decided that he was smart and very nice.” However, quickly fed up with the fruitless bustle of social life, Onegin begins to be burdened by it, but finds nothing in return. Realizing the worthlessness of the existence of secular people, Onegin begins to despise them, withdraws into himself, and indulges in the “Russian blues.” Living only by himself, without taking into account the feelings and experiences of other people, Onegin commits a whole series of unworthy acts. By the time he met him, Pushkin noted in Onegin “inimitable strangeness,” “a sharp, chilled mind,” “involuntary devotion to dreams,” an internal gap and misunderstanding between him and the people around him. Despite his deep contempt for the “society,” Onegin remains dependent on public opinion, and as a result kills his friend Lensky. Selfishness leads the “rake of the ardent” to severe spiritual drama and discord with himself.

We don’t know much about Pechorin’s past, mainly from the pages of his own diary, from his conversations with other people. We learn that Pechorin’s “soul is spoiled by light”: “From childhood, everyone read on my face signs of bad qualities that were not there; but they were anticipated - and they were born.” Now, those around him often do not understand either Pechorin’s thoughts or his actions, and he (and often quite justifiably) considers himself head and shoulders above those around him. Unlike Onegin, Pechorin does not shy away from people, does not avoid contact with them, but, on the contrary, becomes an extremely subtle psychologist, capable of understanding not only other people’s actions and thoughts, but also feelings. Unfortunately, communication with him most often brings people and even himself only suffering and dissatisfaction. Unlike Onegin, Pechorin is not yet tired of life, he interferes in everything, is interested in many things, but he is not capable of truly loving and making friends. And if only Tatyana suffers from Pushkin’s love for Onegin (and later from Onegin’s love), then Pechorin brings misfortune to all the women he encounters: Bela, Vera, Princess Mary, even the smugglers’ friend. Material from the site

Onegin's problem is his inability to make his life interesting, bright, and fill it with significant events. Pechorin is concerned about the question of the purpose of his own life, its meaning. The consciousness of lost opportunities constantly haunts him, since his belief in his “high purpose” does not find real confirmation. Both one and the other value their freedom, liberty, but it turns out that they too often sacrifice to it what is truly dear to them.

The differences in the destinies and characters of the heroes are explained by differences in eras: the life of Russia on the eve of the December uprising (Onegin) and the severe political reaction after the defeat of the Decembrists (Pechorin). Both Onegin and Pechorin belong to the type of “superfluous people,” that is, people for whom there was neither place nor work in the society around them. And yet, even despising their surroundings, Onegin and Pechorin were children of this society, that is, heroes of their time.

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On this page there is material on the following topics:

differences between Pechorin and Onegin
comparative characteristics of Onegin and Pechorin
comparative characteristics of Onegin and Pechorin
Onegin and Pechorin value their freedom and not being attached to anything
What is the difference between Rudin and Onegin, Pechorin and Oblomov?