(17 )

After some time, Pechorin arrived in Pyatigorsk and rented an apartment on the edge of the city, at the foot of Mashuk. In the morning he went to the healing spring, where all the local community gathered. On the site near the well, a small house was built with a red roof above the bathroom, and further away there was a gallery where people walk in the rain. Several officers were sitting on a bench, and ladies were walking about in the gallery. Pechorin stopped to rest, and then his old acquaintance, Grushnitsky, who had been wounded in the leg and had arrived at the water a week earlier, called out to him.

Grushnitsky is a cadet. but out of some kind of smartness, he wears a thick soldier's greatcoat, with a soldier's cross of St. George. He is no more than twenty-one years old, although he tries to look more mature. He constantly twists his mustache with his left hand, because he has a crutch in his right.

Grushnitsky is one of those people who have ready-made pompous phrases for all occasions; his goal is to become the hero of the novel. He does not like Pechorin, although outwardly they are on friendly terms. Grigory Aleksandrovich responds in kind, anticipating that one day he will run into him on a narrow path and one of them will be uncomfortable.

Grushnitsky began to tell Pechorin about the people who had come to the waters, in particular, about the Moscow princess Ligovskaya with her daughter Mary, with whom he was unfamiliar, the reason for which was his soldier's overcoat. At this time, two ladies walked past them to the well: one elderly, the other young. They were dressed with great taste. the young one really liked Pechorin with her grace. Grushnitsky said that these were the Ligovskys, and after that he began to speak deliberately loudly so that the princess would pay attention to him, and achieved his goal: she looked at him with a long, curious look. Pechorin noticed that the girl had very beautiful eyes. Then they parted with Grushnitsky.

Grigory Alexandrovich walked a little along the vineyards, but it got hot, and he went home. passing by the sulphate spring, the officer saw that Grushnitsky had deliberately dropped his glass and was trying unsuccessfully to raise it, showing with all his unhappy air how his wounded leg was getting in his way. Princess Mary ran up to the cadet and brought in a glass, blushing terribly at the same time. When Grushnitsky wanted to thank her, the girl was already far away. Passing some time with her mother past the wounded, she assumed a decorous and important look.

Noticing Pechorin, the cadet drew his attention to the girl's act, but Grigory Alexandrovich said that there was nothing special about him: he wanted to annoy the veil. The friends went down to the city together and proceeded past the Ligovskys' house - one of the best houses in Pyatigorsk, where they saw the princess sitting by the window. She smiled graciously at the cadet and looked indignantly at Pechorin, who was looking at her through the lorgnette.

Two days later, Dr. Werner dropped in to see Grigory Alexandrovich. This was a man whose appearance, at first glance, is unpleasantly striking, but then you completely forget about her thanks to his mind. They were friends with Pechorin, they understood each other perfectly and always found something to talk about. Pechorin asked Werner to tell him the news here and heard that the princess thinks that Grushnitsky has been demoted to a soldier because of a duel, and the princess is surprised why Grigory Alexandrovich does not come to visit them, and tells everyone about his adventures in St. Petersburg, while Mary is listening these secular gossip with great attention. The doctor also mentioned that a young lady, a relative of the princess by her husband, had come to the city, very pretty and very sick. She has a mole on her cheek. This news greatly interested Pechorin: according to the description, he recognized his old lover, with whom he parted several years ago.

After lunch, Grigory Alexandrovich went to the boulevard. A small circle of young people gathered around the Ligovskys. Pechorin sat down on a bench, stopped two familiar officers and began to tell them funny stories and anecdotes. Little by little, all the men who surrounded the princess left her and went over to Grigory Alexandrovich, which annoyed Mary, although she did her best to seem indifferent. Grushnitsky followed the princess with a predatory gaze, and Pechorin was sure that tomorrow he would ask someone to be introduced to Ligovsky.

Grigory Alexandrovich did his best to pique the princess's curiosity. He did not want to be introduced to her, but tried to distract all her admirers from her. When the girl wanted to buy a Persian carpet, he overpaid forty rubles and bought it himself, and in the evening he led his horse, covered with this carpet, past Mary's windows, which infuriated the princess. Grushnitsky found an opportunity to meet the Ligovskys and now spent a lot of time with them. Pechorin told his friend that the princess was probably already in love with him. The latter blushed and pouted, although it was clear that this observation pleased him.

Once Grigory Alexandrovich got up late and came to the spring when there was no one else there. He thought about Vera - a woman with a mole on her cheek - and suddenly saw her in the cool shadow of the grotto. They both immediately felt that they all loved each other just the same. Vera said that she had married for the second time, that her husband was old, rich and suffering from rheumatism, and that she respected him as a father. It turned out that her husband is a distant relative of the princess and Vera often visits them, so Pechorin gave his word to get acquainted with the Ligovskys and to follow Mary in order to divert attention from his connection with Vera. Returning home, Pechorin mounted a horse and rode off to the steppe to unwind: his old beloved really looked very sick. It was already six o'clock when he remembered that it was time for dinner. Returning, Grigory Alexandrovich saw a cavalcade of horsemen, led by Grushnitsky with Princess Mary. Late in the evening, meeting the cadet returning from the Ligovskys, Pechorin said that if he wanted to, he would be with the princess tomorrow and even intended to court the princess, he would just wait. until she gets bored with Grushnitsky.

About a week has passed, and Grigory Alexandrovich still has not met the Ligovskys. Once at the source, he met with Vera, who reproached him for not being in the princess's house, and the next evening Pechorin decided to go to a ball at a restaurant. At the ball, he invited Mary to a waltz and got real pleasure: she danced beautifully. After the dance, they began to talk, and the girl made it clear that the doors of her house were closed for Pechorin. Then a very drunk gentleman, accompanied by a dragoon officer, approached the princess and invited the girl to the mazurka. Mary was at a loss: her mother was far away, the familiar gentlemen were not around, and there was no one to intercede for the girl. But Grigory Alexandrovich firmly took the drunken gentleman by the hand and weightily said that the princess had hung a mazurka dance with him.

The gentleman withdrew, and Mary, thanking Pechorin, told her mother everything. The princess immediately invited the officer to visit them. During the mazurka, Mary and Grigory Alexandrovich started talking about Grushnitsky. The princess took pity on him, and Pechorin, as if by the way, mentioned that his friend was a cadet. The girl was somewhat disappointed by the lack of a romantic story of being demoted for the duel. The next evening, walking along the boulevard, Grigory Alexandrovich met Grushnitsky. who thanked him for helping the princess at the ball and confessed that he loved her. Together they went to the princess.

A little later Vera entered the living room. Ligovskaya introduced Pechorin to her, and that whole evening he was very kind and entertained the guests. While the princess sang, Vera warned her lover that she did not want him to meet her husband. When Mary asked if the officer liked her singing, the officer boldly replied that he loved music only after dinner, because he slept well with it, and spent the rest of the evening with Vera, having talked a lot with her about the past. From that day on, Pechorin began to see the princess often and told her a lot about himself, as if deliberately trying to show himself from the worst side, so the girl became interested in him in earnest.

Once Grushnitsky came to see a friend with good news: he was promoted to an officer. The former cadet decided not to see the princess until a new uniform, on which he had high hopes, was ready. In the evening, Pechorin again talked with Mary for a long time, flaunting his disappointment in life, and made sure that the girl clearly began to reproach herself for being cold to him. Meanwhile, Vera tormented him with her jealousy and demanded that Grigory Alexandrovich prove his love by following her to Kislovodsk, where she and her husband are leaving the day after tomorrow. They will live in the same house with the princess, but she will arrive later, and next to it there is an empty apartment belonging to the same owner. Pechorin promised and immediately rented this apartment.

The next day a ball was to be held, and Grushnitsky, who had come to Grigory Alexandrovich, joyfully announced that the uniform was ready and that he was going to invite the princess to the mazurka. In the evening Pechorin met with Mary and himself invited her to the mazurka. The next day, entering the hall, Grigory Alexandrovich immediately saw Grushnitsky with the princess. The girl, clearly bored, listened to her interlocutor in a new uniform with epaulets of incredible size. All evening, the former Juncker tried not to leave the princess, and she was clearly burdened by his attention. The fact that the mazurka was given to Pechorin greatly infuriated Grushnitsky, and at dinner he whispered for a long time about something with the dragoon officer.

In the morning Vera left for Kislovodsk. Grigory Alexandrovich went to see the princess, but Mary did not come out, saying she was sick, and he suddenly realized that he was missing something. Has he fallen in love? The next day they managed to meet in private. The girl was very excited and tried to challenge him to be frank, but Grigory Alexandrovich answered very coldly. And later rumors spread around the city that Pechorin would marry Princess Mary. The officer guessed that Grushnitsky was spreading these rumors.

A few days later Pechorin followed Vera to Kislovodsk and every day he met her at the source. Soon Mr. Grushnitsky appeared in the city, pretending not to notice his former friend. Finally the Ligovskys arrived. The princess did not leave her daughter, and Vera was mercilessly jealous of Pechorin for the princess.

Once, returning from a horse ride, Grigory Alexandrovich found himself alone with Mary. They were crossing a fast river, and suddenly the girl felt sick. Pechorin hugged her to help, and then kissed her on the cheek. Mary confessed her love to him, forcing him to make a return confession, but she heard an indifferent answer - “why?”. The princess whipped the horse with her whip and galloped away. Grigory Alexandrovich left for the mountains, spent time there until nightfall, and returning, in one of the houses he noticed a light and looked through the window. There was a military feast. He saw Grushnitsky with the dragoon captain, who were talking about him. Dragoon outlined his plan: Grushnitsky challenged Pechorin to a duel with the condition to shoot from six steps. The trick is that the captain will not put bullets in the pistols, but the enemy will not know this and will chicken out, and they will enjoy this spectacle. To the delight of everyone present, Grushnitsky agreed.

The next morning the princess demanded that Pechorin say directly whether he loved her, and Grigory Alexandrovich replied that he did not. He understood that he had acted dishonestly in relation to the girl, but the very idea of ​​marriage inspired him with disgust: above all he valued freedom.

A couple of days later, a magician arrived in Kislovodsk, and the whole society gathered for a concert. Vera sent a note to Pechorin that her husband had left, and she bought tickets for all the servants and would wait for her lover in the evening at her place. The princess also went to the concert, and only Vera and Mary remained in the house. In the evening, Grigory Alexandrovich looked into the hall, made sure that the princess and the servant were there, and went to Vera. On the way, it seemed to him that someone was following him. At about two o'clock in the morning, he left Vera through the window and could not resist not to look into
the window of the princess, in which the light was burning. Mary sat on her bed and was very sad.

He jumped off the balcony, and the dragoon captain and Grushnitsky overtook him. Pechorin hit the captain on the head with his fist, knocked him down and rushed to his room, where he quickly undressed and lay down. Soon there was a knock on the door. Grigory Alexandrovich replied that he was asleep.

The next day, he happened to be a witness to a conversation that decided Grushnitsky's fate. The latter said that he witnessed Pechorin descending from the balcony of Princess Mary at night. Suddenly the former cadet raised his eyes and saw Grigory Alexandrovich, who accused him of slander. Grushnitsky did not agree to give up his words and received a challenge to a duel. Dragoon announced that he would be his second.

After that, Pechorin went to Werner, told about his relationship with Vera, about the events of the night and about the conspiracy he had overheard earlier, and asked to become his second. The doctor went to Grushnitsky to agree on the terms of the duel, and when he returned, he said that he had accidentally heard a couple of phrases there, from which he understood that the conspiracy had changed: Grushnitsko's pistol would be loaded. Werner tried to dissuade Grigory Alexandrovich from a duel, but he was adamant.

At two o'clock in the morning Pechorin was still awake, He thought about his life and was ready for any outcome of the fight. Early in the morning he took a Narzan bath, and after returning from the bath, he had already found a doctor. They set off on horseback to the place of the duel. They drove for a long time in silence, only Werner asked if Pechorin had written a will, and the officer replied that it was completely unnecessary. the opponents were already waiting for them. The doctor suggested that the duelists explain themselves and do without a duel.

Pechorin said that he was ready, Grushnitsky also agreed, but upon learning that Grigory Alexandrovich was demanding a public apology and refusal of slander, he decided to shoot himself. Pechorin proposed to hold a duel on a narrow platform over the abyss, so that the killed or wounded rival would fall into the abyss, and after that the doctor would remove the bullet from the body, and death could be explained by an accident. They cast lots. The first to shoot was Grushnitsky. He faced a difficult choice, since he understood that he was aiming at an unarmed one, and the conditions of the duel were deadly. He started to aim and suddenly lowered the muzzle of the pistol, saying “I can’t,” but the dragoon called him a coward, and Grushnitsky fired. The bullet scratched Pechorina hot. after Grushnitsky and the captain hugged, and the first took his place at the edge of the square.

Here Grigory Aleksandrovich finished with Fars, saying that the enemy's second had probably forgotten to put a bullet in his pistol and asked to reload. The confused dragoon did not agree, claiming that it was against the rules, then Pechorin suggested that he fight tomorrow on the same conditions. Grushnitsky stood confused and gloomy. The doctor loaded the pistol. Grigory Aleksandrovich once again suggested that his former friend give up the slander and apologize, but he refused. Pechorin fired. When the smoke cleared, Grushnitsky was not on the site.

Grigory Alexandrovich went home, and he had a stone on his heart. Before reaching the settlement, he turned his horse around and wandering in the mountains all day, returned to the apartment when the sun was already melting. at home the footman gave him two notes. The first was from Werner. He reported that the bullet had been removed from the corpse and there was no evidence against Pechorin. In the second note, Vera wrote that she confessed everything to her husband, he ordered the horses to be pawned and now they are leaving. She spoke of the bitterness of her love and said goodbye forever. Grigory Alexandrovich, like a madman, jumped on his horse and set off in full spirit on the road to Pyatigorsk. He mercilessly drove the horse until it fell down dead. The legs did not obey Pechorin. He fell to the grass and cried bitterly for a long time. Returning on foot to Kislovodsk early in the morning, Grigory Alexandrovich went to bed and fell asleep dead. He slept until the evening, when Werner appeared with the news that they had learned about the duel.

4.4 / 5. 17

Princess Mary is a separate chapter of the same name dedicated to this heroine.The princess is young enough, and therefore romantic. An important point that betrays the absolute instability of the princess's seemingly strong position in society and in the world is the situation at the ball, when a drunken gentleman in a tailcoat tried to invite the girl to dance. In Mary, there is still a confrontation between two principles - secularity and naturalness, but the author is convinced that the same secularity has already prevailed over her.

At first, the girl is very passionate about Grushnitsky, listening and believing his pathetic speeches. An indelible impression on the girl is made by his appearance as a soldier, demoted for a brave act. Further, Mary appears as a suffering person, because it is with her help that Pechorin is trying to expose his rival Grushnitsky. Mary here is an innocent victim, who has accidentally fallen in love with the hero-pseudo-romance, who drew her into his game. Pechorin skillfully managed the situation, treating the girl with all love, then with deep hatred. At the same time, the princess is absolutely sincere and deep in her feelings, but the hero doesn't care. At the end of the story, Pechorin explains to Mary, stating that he laughed at her, that all courtship is a game to drive away boredom. The princess's trouble is that, due to her immediacy, seeing the difference between the immediate impulse of the soul and secular etiquette, she is unable to distinguish a face from a mask. Needless to say, after all that has happened, Mary is unlikely to be the same. Pechorin, by his act, undermined the confidence of the young princess in people ...

The largest novel in size, included in the novel, published in 1840, which was written by Lermontov - "Princess Mary". The writer uses the form of a journal, a diary, in order to reveal to the reader the character of the protagonist, all its contradictions and complexity. The main participant who is in the thick of things tells about what is happening. He does not justify himself and does not blame anyone, he simply reveals his soul.

"Princess Mary", a summary of the magazine (for 11, 13, 16, 21 May)

Pyatigorsk

In Pyatigorsk, at the source, Pechorin meets a peculiar composition of the capital's nobility during the treatment on the waters. Here he unexpectedly meets a familiar cadet, a former colleague, wounded in the leg. Grushnitsky did not like Pechorin because of empty posturing, he tried to impress the young ladies, importantly speaking nonsense in French.

About the ladies passing by, Grushnitsky said that they were the Ligovskys, the princess and her daughter Mary. As soon as the princess came closer, Grushnitsky uttered one of his empty phrases with pathos. Turning around, the girl fixed her serious long look on him. Later, the hero witnessed how the princess secretly gave Grushnitsky a glass, which he tried to lift from the ground, leaning on a crutch. Juncker was delighted. Pechorin envied the young man, but admitted this only to himself, as he loved to annoy the enthusiasts. All his life Pechorin passionately contradicted not only others, but even his own heart or reason.

Dr. Werner, an old friend, shared the secular news, saying that he had seen a relative who had just arrived at the Ligovskys' - a pretty young, sickly-looking blonde, this lady was familiar with Pechorin.

Pechorin provoked Grushnitsky out of boredom and angered the princess. In a grotto by the well, he accidentally met the blonde Vera mentioned by the doctor, with whom he had once had a passionate affair. She reproached him for having never received anything from a relationship with him, except for suffering and asked him to start courting Princess Ligovskaya in order to divert the attention of her second old and jealous husband from their renewed romance. Pechorin writes in the magazine that he never became a slave to his beloved woman, but on the contrary subordinated her to his will.

Grushnitsky brags about what happens to the Ligovskys and says that the princess hates Pechorin, to which he replies that if he wants, he will win her favor tomorrow.

"Princess Mary" summary of the magazine (for22, May 23, 29)

Pyatigorsk

At a ball in a restaurant, Pechorin witnessed how one of the ladies, who envied the princess's beauty and grace, asked her beau, a dragoon officer, to teach a lesson to "this bearable girl." Pechorin invited the princess to a waltz tour and during the dance he apologized for his behavior. After the waltz, at the instigation of the dragoon captain, the not quite sober gentleman in a rude and humiliating tone intended to invite her to the mazurka. Pechorin defended the young lady, pushed back the offender, saying that she had already been invited.

Princess Ligovskaya thanked the young man and invited him to visit their house. Pechorin began to visit the Ligovskys - on the one hand, for the sake of relations with Vera, and on the other, out of sports interest, to test his irresistibility on a young, inexperienced girl. Vera is passionately jealous of Pechorin for Princess Mary and asks to swear that he will never marry her, and even invites her to a long-awaited date at night.

"Princess Mary" summary of the magazine (for 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 June)

Kislovodsk

Grushnitsky is also jealous of a former friend of the princess, the newly-made officer joined the party of Pechorin's ill-wishers, led by the dragoon captain, who planned to teach him a lesson by challenging him to a duel and not loading his pistols.

Coming down from Vera's balcony, he was seized by Grushnitsky and the captain, had to fight back and fled. Later Grushnitsky was summoned by him to a duel for gossip about the princess, since the rejected gentleman thought that Pechorin was with Mary.

Kislovodsk

The duel ended in favor of Pechorin. Grushnitsky died, and Vera was taken away by a jealous husband. After reading the note of his beloved woman, Pechorin, in an attempt to catch up with her, drives the horse and remains alone, fruitlessly tormented by love. Princess Ligovskaya makes an attempt to help her only daughter, to save her from the suffering of unrequited love. She tells Pechorin that she is ready to give her daughter in marriage to him, because she cares not about wealth, but the happiness of her only child. In a conversation with the princess, Pechorin explained that he could not marry her and would submit to any of her worst opinions about him. After the princess said that she hated him, he thanked him and left. Soon he left Kislovodsk forever.

It is very difficult, after reading the summary ("Princess Mary"), to understand why Lermontov's contemporaries called this novel strange. Each generation of new readers tries to solve its riddles, but for this you need to read the whole novel.

11th May

Arriving in Pyatigorsk, Pechorin rented an apartment on the edge of the city. “This morning at five o'clock in the morning, when I opened the window, my room was filled with the smell of flowers growing in a modest front garden. I have a wonderful view from three sides. To the west, the five-headed Beshtu turns blue like "the last cloud of a scattered storm"; to the north rises Mashuk, like a shaggy Persian hat ... Below in front of me a clean, brand new town is dazzling ... further, the mountains are piling up like an amphitheater, all blue and foggy, and on the edge of the horizon a silver chain of snow peaks stretches, starting with Kazbek and ending with the two-headed Elborus. .. It's fun to live in such a land! Some kind of gratifying feeling is spread in all my veins. The air is clean and fresh, like the kiss of a child; the sun is bright, the sky is blue - what would seem to be more? - why are there passions, desires, regrets? .. "

Mary and Grushnitsky. Illustration by M.A. Vrubel. Black watercolor. 1890-91

Pechorin decides to go to the Elizabethan spring: in the morning the whole "water society" gathers there. Suddenly, he meets the cadet Grushnitsky at the well, once they fought together. Grushkitsky "for a special kind of smartness" wears a thick soldier's greatcoat. Has a military award - St. George's cross. He is well built, dark and dark-haired. He looks twenty-five years old, although in reality he is hardly twenty-one. According to Pechorin, Grushnitsky is one of those who "have ready-made pompous phrases for all occasions." It's just that the beauty does not touch such people, and they "draped importantly into extraordinary feelings, lofty passions and exceptional suffering." Pechorin and Grushnitsky dislike each other, although from the outside it seems that they are friends.

Having met old friends, they start a conversation about the local way of life, about the local society. Two ladies walk past them, an elderly and a young, dressed "according to the strict rules of the best taste." Grushnitsky says that this is Princess of Lithuania with her daughter Mary. After waiting for Mary to come closer, he utters one of his magnificent phrases in French: "I hate people so as not to despise them, otherwise life would be too boring."... The girl turns around and looks at Grushnitsky with a long, curious look.

Pechorin decides to continue his walk. After some time, he saw a scene at the source that interested him. Grushnitsky, dropping the glass, tries to raise it, but in vain - his sore leg is in the way. Mary gives him a glass, but after a minute, walking by with her mother, she pretends not to notice the junker's passionate gaze.

Completing the description of the events of the day, Pechorin speaks of himself as follows: “I have an innate passion to contradict; my whole life was only a chain of sad and unsuccessful contradictions to my heart or reason. The presence of an enthusiast casts a baptismal chill on me, and, I think, frequent intercourse with a sluggish phlegmatic would make me a passionate dreamer, endowed with a fair amount of skepticism, sarcastic about the manifestations of enthusiasm in others, enjoying the opportunity to piss people off. ".

13th May

In the morning, Pechorin is paid a visit by his friend, Dr. Werner. They could be friends, but Pechorin claims that he is incapable of friendship. The doctor tells Pechorin that Princess Ligovskaya became interested in him, and her daughter Mary - the sufferer Grushnitsky. The girl assumes that the young man wearing a soldier's overcoat was demoted to the rank and file for a duel. Pechorin says that the outset of the comedy is already there: fate took care that he was not bored. "I have a presentiment," said the doctor, "that poor Grushnitsky will be your victim ..."... Then Werner begins to describe the princess and her daughter. He says that the princess loves the company of young people, is not used to commanding, she has respect for the mind and knowledge of her daughter, who reads English and knows algebra. Mary, on the other hand, looks at young people with contempt and loves to talk about feelings, passions and other things. Then Werner talks about a very pretty lady with a mole on her cheek, "one of the newcomers." In his opinion, the lady is very ill. Pechorin understands that we are talking about a woman he knows, and admits to the doctor that he once loved her very much.

After dinner, walking along the boulevard, Pechorin meets the princess and her daughter there. They are surrounded by many young people who are nice to them. Pechorin stops two familiar officers and begins to tell them various funny stories. He does it very well, the officers constantly laugh. Little by little, the fans surrounding the princess join Pechorin's listeners. The princess and Mary remain in the company of the lame old man. Mary is angry. Pechorin pleases, he intends to continue in the same spirit.

16th May

Pechorin constantly provokes the princess, trying to disturb her peace of mind. In an effort to distract fans from her, he invites them every day to his house for lunches and dinners. At the same time, Pechorin, using Grushnitsky's narrow-mindedness and vanity, convinces him that Mary is in love with him.

One morning, walking among the vineyards, Pechorin remembers a young woman with a mole on her cheek, about whom the doctor spoke. Suddenly he sees her on the bench and involuntarily cries out: "Faith!" They have loved each other for a long time, but this passion did not bring Vera happiness. She is now married for the second time. Her husband is that lame old man whom Pechorin saw in the company of the princess. According to Vera, the old man is rich, and she married him for the sake of her son. Vera visits the Ligovskys, her husband's relatives. “I gave her my word to get to know the Ligovskys and to follow the princess in order to divert attention from her. Thus, my plans were not in the least upset, and I will have fun ... ".

After the meeting, unable to contain his emotions, Pechorin gallops into the steppe. Deciding to water the horse, he descends into one of the ravines. Noise is heard from the road. Ahead of the brilliant cavalcade, he sees Grushnitsky and Princess Mary. This meeting caused Pechorin a feeling of annoyance.

In the evening, Pechorin summons Grushnitsky to a dispute about what if he only wants to, tomorrow evening, being with the princess, he will be able to win over the princess.

May 21st

About a week passed, but no opportunity was presented to meet the princess and her daughter. Grushnitsky does not part with Mary. Vera tells Pechorin that she can only see him at the Ligovskys'.

22nd May

The restaurant gives a ball by subscription. Pechorin waltzes with Mary, taking advantage of the fact that local customs allow to invite unfamiliar ladies to dance. During the dance, he asks the princess for forgiveness for his impudent behavior. Mary answers him with irony. A drunken gentleman approaches them and tries to invite the princess to a mazurka. The girl is frightened and outraged by such impudence. Pechorin makes the drunk go away. The Princess of Lithuania thanks him for this act and invites him to visit them at home. Pechorin tells Mary that Grushnitsky is actually a cadet, and not at all an officer demoted for a duel. The princess is disappointed.

May 23rd

Grushnitsky, having met Pechorin on the boulevard, thanks the princess for yesterday's salvation and confesses that he loves her to madness. It was decided to go together to the Lithuanians. Vera also appears there. Pechorin constantly jokes, trying to please the princess, and he succeeds. Mary sits down at the piano and begins to sing. At this time, Pechorin is trying to talk to Vera. Mary is annoyed that Pechorin is indifferent to her singing, and therefore the whole evening he talks only with Grushnitsky.

May 29

Pechorin tries to captivate Mary. He tells her stories from his life, and the girl begins to see him as an extraordinary person. At the same time, Pechorin tries to leave Mary and Grushnitsky alone as often as possible. Pechorin assures the princess that he sacrifices the pleasure of communicating with her for the sake of his friend's happiness. Soon Grushnitsky finally annoys Mary.

3rd June

Pechorin makes an entry in the journal: “I often ask myself why I so persistently seek the love of a young girl whom I do not want to seduce and whom I will never marry? But there is immense pleasure in the possession of a young, barely blossoming soul! She is like a flower whose best fragrance evaporates towards the first ray of the sun; it must be ripped off at this moment and, having breathed its fill, throw it on the road: maybe someone will pick it up! "... His reflections are interrupted by the appearance of a happy Grushnitsky, who has been promoted to officer.

On a country walk, Pechorin, talking with the princess, endlessly makes evil jokes about his acquaintances. Mary is scared, she says that she would rather get under the knife of the killer than on the tongue of Pechorin. To this, he, assuming a frustrated look, replies: “Yes, this has been my fate since childhood. Everyone read on my face the signs of bad feelings that were not there; but they were supposed - and they were born. I was modest - I was accused of cunning: I became secretive. I deeply felt good and evil; no one caressed me, everyone insulted me: I became vindictive; I was ready to love the whole world - no one understood me: and I learned to hate. My colorless youth passed in the struggle with myself and the light; I buried my best feelings, fearing ridicule, in the depths of my heart: they died there ... I became a moral cripple: one half of my soul did not exist, it dried up, evaporated, died, I cut it off and left it, while the other moved and lived at the service of everyone "... The princess has tears in her eyes, she feels sorry for Pechorin. When he asked if she had ever loved, the princess shakes her head in response and falls into thoughtfulness. Pechorin is pleased - he knows that tomorrow Mary will reproach herself for being cold and wish to reward him.

4th June

Princess Mary confides her heartfelt secrets to Vera, and she torments Pechorin with jealousy. She asks why Pechorin pursues the princess, worries, excites her imagination? Vera moves to Kislovodsk. Pechorin promises to follow her.

5th June

Half an hour before the ball, Grushnitsky visits Pechorin "in the full radiance of an army infantry uniform." He smiles in front of the mirror and hints that he will dance the mazurka with Mary. "Be careful not to get ahead of you", - Pechorin answers. At the ball Grushnitsky reproaches the princess for having changed in relation to him, continuously pursues her with entreaties and reproaches. Then he learns that Mary promised the mazurka Pechorin. Pechorin, following the decision made at the ball, puts Mary in the carriage and quickly kisses her hand, after which, satisfied, he returns to the hall. Everyone falls silent when he appears. Pechorin concludes that a "hostile gang" is being formed against him under the command of Grushnitsky.

6th June

Morning is coming. Vera and her husband leave for Kislovodsk. Pechorin, wanting to see Mary, comes to the Lithuanians and learns that the princess is ill. At home, he realizes that he is missing something: “I haven't seen her! She is ill! Have I really fallen in love? .. What nonsense! ".

June 7

In the morning Pechorin walks past the Lithuanian house. Seeing Mary, he enters the living room and apologizes to the offended princess for kissing her hand: “Forgive me, princess! I acted like a madman ... this will not happen another time ... Why do you need to know what has happened so far in my soul? "... Leaving, Pechorin hears the princess crying.

In the evening, Werner visits him, who has heard a rumor that Pechorin is going to marry the Princess of Lithuania. Considering that this is Grushnitsky's tricks, Pechorin is going to take revenge on him.

10th June

Pechorin has been in Kislovodsk for the third day. Every day he and Vera meet, as if by accident, in the garden. Grushnitsky rages with friends in the tavern and hardly greets Pechorin.

11th June

The Lithuanians are finally arriving in Kislovodsk. At dinner, the princess does not take her tender gaze from Pechorin, which makes Vera jealous. “What a woman won't do to upset her rival! I remember one fell in love with me because I loved the other. There is nothing more paradoxical than the female mind; it is difficult to convince women of anything, it is necessary to bring them to the point that they convince themselves ... Women should wish that all men knew them as well as I did, because I love them a hundred times more since those since I am not afraid of them and have comprehended their minor weaknesses ... "

12th June

"This evening was full of incidents."... Not far from Kislovodsk, in the gorge, there is a rock called the Ring. This is a gate formed by nature, and through them the sun before sunset "casts its last fiery glance at the world." Many went to see this spectacle. During the crossing of the mountain river, the princess felt ill, and she swayed in the saddle. Pechorin hugs the girl around the waist, not letting her fall. Mary is getting better. Pechorin, not letting go of the princess, kisses her. He wants to see her get out of her predicament and doesn't say a word. “Either you despise me, or you love me very much! - says the princess at last in a voice in which there were tears. - Maybe you want to laugh at me, disturb my soul and then leave ... ". "You are silent? ... maybe you want me to be the first to tell you that I love you? .. "... Pechorin does not answer. "Do you want this?"- there was something terrible in the decisiveness of the eyes and voice of the princess ... "Why?" he replies with a shrug.

Hearing this, the princess lets the horse gallop along the mountain road and soon catches up with the rest of society. All the way home, she talks and laughs incessantly. Pechorin realizes that she has a nervous seizure. He goes to the mountains to unwind. Returning through the settlement, Pechorin notices that a light is burning brightly in one of the houses, talk and screams are heard. He concludes that there is some kind of military feast going on there, dismounts from his horse and sneaks up close to the window. Gathered in the house, Grushnitsky, the dragoon captain and other officers say that it is necessary to teach Pechorin a lesson, since he is too arrogant. The dragoon captain offers Grushnitsky to challenge Pechorin to a duel, finding fault with some trifle. They will be placed six steps apart, without putting bullets in the pistols. The captain is sure that Pechorin will get cold feet. Grushnitsky, after some silence, agrees with this plan.

Pechorin feels how anger fills his soul; “Beware, Mr. Grushnitsky! .. You can pay dearly for the approval of your stupid comrades. I'm not your toy! .. "

In the morning he meets Princess Mary at the well. The girl says that she cannot explain to herself the behavior of Pechorin and assumes that he wants to marry her, but is afraid of any obstacle. Pechorin replies that the truth lies elsewhere - he does not love Mary.

June 14th

“I sometimes despise myself ... isn't that why I despise others too? .. I have become incapable of noble impulses; I am afraid to seem ridiculous to myself ... the word marry over me has some kind of magical power: no matter how passionately I love a woman, if she only lets me feel that I must marry her, forgive love! my heart turns to stone and nothing will warm it up again. I am ready for all sacrifices except this one; twenty times my life, I will even put my honor on the line ... but I will not sell my freedom. Why do I value her so much? What do I have in it? .. where am I preparing myself? what do I expect from the future? .. Indeed, absolutely nothing. This is some kind of innate fear. "

June 15th

On this day, a performance of a visiting magician is expected, and there is no such person who would refuse the upcoming spectacle. Pechorin learns from a note given to him by Vera that her husband is leaving for Pyatigorsk and will stay there until morning. Taking advantage of his absence and the fact that the servant will go to the show, it will be possible to spend the night with Vera. In the middle of the night, going down from the upper balcony to the lower one, Pechorin looks through the window to Mary. At the same moment, he notices movement behind the bush. Pechorin, who has jumped to the ground, is grabbed by the shoulder. They were Grushnitsky and the dragoon captain. Pechorin managed to escape, he fled. Grushnitsky and the captain raised a noise, but they failed to catch him. The night alarm was explained by the alleged attack of the Circassians.

16th June

In the morning at the well, everyone only remembers the night incident. Pechorin is having breakfast at a restaurant. There he meets Vera's husband, who has returned in the morning, who is very excited about what happened. They are sitting not far from the door where Grushnitsky and his friends are located. Pechorin gets a chance to witness a conversation in which his fate is being decided. Grushnitsky says that he has a witness to how someone broke into the Litovskys' house at ten o'clock yesterday evening. The princess was not at home, and Mary, without going to the show, was left alone. Pechorin is confused: will it occur to Vera's husband that the matter is not in the princess? But the old man doesn't notice anything.

Grushnitsky assures everyone that the alarm was not raised because of the Circassians: in fact, he managed to lie in wait for the princess's night visitor, who managed to escape. Everyone asks; who it was, and Grushnitsky calls Pechorin. Here he meets Pechorin's gaze. He demands from Grutshnitsky that he renounce his words: hardly a woman's indifference to his supposedly brilliant merits deserves such revenge. Grushnitsky is overcome by doubts, his conscience struggles with pride. But it doesn't last long. The intervening captain offers his services as a second. Pechorin leaves, promising to send his second today. Having made Dr. Werner his attorney, Pechorin receives his consent. Having discussed the necessary conditions, Werner informs him of the place of the proposed duel. This will happen in a remote gorge, they will shoot from six steps. Werner suspects that the dragoon captain will load only Grushnitsky's pistol with a bullet.

On a sleepless night, Pechorin talks about his lived life: “Why did I live? for what purpose was I born? .. And, surely, it existed, and, probably, it was a high assignment for me, because I feel immense strength in my souls ... But I did not guess this assignment, I was carried away by the lures of empty and ungrateful passions; I came out of their furnace hard and cold like iron, but I have lost forever the ardor of noble aspirations - the best light of life ... My love did not bring happiness to anyone, because I did not sacrifice anything for those whom I loved: I loved for myself, for your own pleasure ... "... He thinks that tomorrow, perhaps, there will not be a single being who would understand him.

In the morning Pechorin and Werner gallop into the mountains to the place of the duel. Since it was decided to shoot to death, Pechorin sets a condition: to do everything in secret so that the seconds do not have to be carried.

Duel Pechorin with Grushnitsky. Illustration by M.A. Vrubel. Black watercolor, whitewash. 1890-91

They decided to shoot at the top of a steep cliff, on a narrow platform. Below was an abyss dotted with sharp stones. If you stand against each other at the edges of the site, then even a slight wound will be fatal. The wounded will certainly be smashed to death, flying down. And if the doctor removes the bullet, then the death of the person can be explained by an accidental fall.

Grushnitsky, forced to accept these conditions, is in doubt. Under the circumstances, he could no longer just wound Pechorin, but certainly had to become a killer or shoot into the air.

The doctor offers Pechorin to reveal the conspiracy, saying that now is the time, but Pechorin does not agree. The duelists face each other. Grushnitsky targets his opponent in the forehead, but then lower the pistol and, as it were, accidentally hits Pechorin in the knee. The captain, being sure that no one knows about the conspiracy, pretends to say goodbye to Grushnitsky. Pechorin announces that there are no bullets in his pistol and asks Werner to reload the weapon. He also invites Grushnitsky to abandon slander and make peace. Flushing, he replies that he hates Pechorin and despises himself. The two of them no longer have a place on earth. Then Pechorin shoots and kills Grushnitsky.

Returning home, Pechorin finds two notes. One of them is from Werner: “Everything is arranged as best as possible: the body was brought in disfigured, the bullet removed from the chest. Everyone is sure that the cause of his death was an accident ... There is no evidence against you, and you can sleep peacefully ... if you can ... Farewell ... "... Second note from Vera: “This letter will be parting and confession together ... You loved me as property, as a source of joys, anxieties and sorrows, mutually replacing, without which life is boring and monotonous ... We are parting forever; however, you can be sure that I will never love another: my soul has drained all its treasures, its tears and hopes on you "... Vera also writes that she confessed to her husband her love for Pechorin, and now he is taking her away.

Pechorin gallops to Pyatigorsk, hoping to find Vera there, but on the way his driven horse falls and dies. “And for a long time I lay motionless and wept bitterly, not trying to hold back tears and sobs; I thought my chest would burst; all my firmness, all my composure - disappeared like smoke. When the night dew and the mountain breeze refreshed my hot head and my thoughts returned to their usual order, then I realized that chasing lost happiness is useless and reckless ... One bitter farewell kiss will not enrich my memories, and after it it will only be more difficult for us to part. .. "- Pechorin later makes an entry in his journal.

Werner arrives. He reports that Princess Mary is ill - she has a nervous breakdown. Her mother knows about the duel. She thinks that Pechorin shot himself because of her daughter.

The next day, by order of the authorities, who guessed about the true cause of Grushnitsky's death, Pechorin was assigned to the fortress N. Before leaving, he comes to the Lithuanians to say goodbye. The princess says that her daughter is very sick, and the reason for this is Pechorin. She invites him to marry Mary, because she wishes her happiness. Having received permission from the princess to talk to her daughter in private, Pechorin explains to Mary. “Princess ... do you know that I laughed at you? .. You must despise me ... Consequently, you cannot love me ... You see, I am low in front of you. Isn't it true, even if you loved me, you despise me from this minute? .. ". "I hate you," she said.

Princess Mary is a lover of romantic stories

The characterization of Mary in the novel "A Hero of Our Time" by Lermontov is inseparable from her relationship with the main character of the work, Pechorin. It was he who involved her in a story that might not have happened if Princess Mary had other character traits and outlooks on life. Or it would have happened (Pechorin always fulfills his plans), but with much less sad consequences for her.
Mary turned out to be a lover of romantic stories. A subtle psychologist, Pechorin immediately noted her interest in Grushnitsky as the owner of a "gray soldier's overcoat". She thought that he was demoted for a duel - and this aroused romantic feelings in her. He himself, as a person, was indifferent to her. After Mary found out that Grushnitsky was just a cadet and not a romantic hero, she began to avoid him. Exactly on the same basis, her interest in Pechorin arose. This follows from the story of Dr. Werner: “The princess began to talk about your adventures ... My daughter listened with curiosity. In her imagination, you became the hero of a novel in a new flavor ... "

Mary's characteristic

Appearance

Princess Mary, of course, had no reason to doubt her feminine attractiveness. “This Princess Mary is very pretty,” Pechorin noted when he saw her for the first time. “She has such velvety eyes ...” But then he saw the inner emptiness of this society lady: “However, it seems that there is only good in her face… And what, her teeth are white? It is very important! It is a pity that she didn’t smile ... ”. “You speak of a pretty woman as an English horse,” Grushnitsky said indignantly. Pechorin, in fact, did not find a soul in her - one outer shell. And beauty alone is not enough to arouse deep feelings for yourself.

Interests

Mary is smart and educated: "she reads Byron in English and knows algebra." Even her own mother has respect for her intelligence and knowledge. But reading and studying sciences, obviously, is not her natural need, but a tribute to fashion: “in Moscow, apparently, the young ladies set off into learning,” notes Dr. Werner.

The princess also plays the piano and sings, like all girls from high society of that time. "Her voice is not bad, but she sings badly ..." - Pechorin writes in his journal. Why bother when it's enough for fans? A "murmur of praise" is already provided for her.

Traits

Pechorin alone is in no hurry with flattering reviews - and this clearly hurts the princess's pride. This feature is inherent in the image of Mary in "A Hero of Our Time" to the greatest extent. Having easily identified her weak point, Pechorin strikes exactly at this point. He is in no hurry to get to know Mary when all the other young people are hovering around her.

Lures almost all of her admirers to her company. Scares her with a daring trick on a walk. Examines the lorgnette. And he is glad that the princess already hates him. Now he should pay attention to her - and she will perceive it as a victory, as a triumph over him. And then she will blame herself for being cold. Pechorin “knows all this by heart” and subtly plays on the strings of her character.

The princess's sentimentality, her love of reasoning "about feelings, passions" will also let her down very much. The insidious tempter Pechorin will not fail to take advantage of this, pitying her with a story about his difficult fate. “At that moment I met her eyes: tears ran in them; her hand, resting on mine, trembled; the cheeks were on fire; she felt sorry for me! Compassion, a feeling that all women submit so easily, has let its claws into her inexperienced heart. " The goal is almost achieved - Mary is already almost in love.

In A Hero of Our Time, Princess Mary is one of the women who fell victim to Pechorin. She is not stupid and vaguely guesses that his intentions are not entirely honest: "Or you despise me, or you love me very much! .. Maybe you want to laugh at me, disturb my soul and then leave?" - says Mary. But she is still too young and naive to believe that such a thing is possible: “It would be so mean, so low that one guess… oh no! isn't it ... there is nothing in me that would exclude respect? " Princess Pechorin also uses the naivety of Princess Pechorin to subdue her to his will: “But there is immense pleasure in the possession of a young, barely blossoming soul! She is like a flower whose best fragrance evaporates towards the first ray of the sun; it must be ripped off at this moment and, having breathed its fill, toss it on the road: maybe someone will pick it up! "

Lesson learned from Pechorin

The heroine of the novel "A Hero of Our Time" Mary finds herself in a very humiliating position. Until recently, she allowed herself to look at other people with contempt, and now she herself has become the object of ridicule. Her lover does not even think of marrying. This is such a painful blow for her that she suffers a mental breakdown, she becomes seriously ill. What lesson will the princess learn from this situation? I would like to think that her heart will not harden, but rather soften and learn to choose those who are really worthy of love.

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