Onegin and Pechorin.

This is probably very rare in the history of literature when two literary genius are born almost simultaneously and in almost the same place. Pushkin and Lermontov. It was the time of the birth of the Great Russian Literature and at the same time the time of the beginning of the great crisis of Russian society.
The crisis of society is best manifested in its ideals. Both Pushkin and Lermontov understood this perfectly, therefore, in their main works - the novels "Eugene Onegin" and "A Hero of Our Time", they sought to manifest these ideals in their main characters - Onegin and Pechorin.
Lermontov reflected his understanding of the image of Pechorin both in the title of the novel and in the preface. For Lermontov, "A Hero of Our Time" is "a portrait made up of the vices of our time, in their full development." However, for the title, the author chose the term “hero”, and not some other term - “anti-hero”, “villain”, etc. What's this? Mocking, irony or author's whim? It seems to me - neither one, nor the other, nor the third ... In fact, Lermontov portrays precisely the hero of the society that gave birth to him, shows those of his qualities that are most respected in this society, most of all appreciated.
This is precisely where the deep continuity of the image of Pechorin with his literary predecessor, Eugene Onegin, lies.
On the one hand, they have a lot in common. Fate led them along similar paths: both of them were the “cream” of secular society, both were dead tired of it, both despised this society.
Their lives coincided for some time not by chance: obviously, such was the fate of any rich and handsome young rake:

“What more: the light decided
That he is smart and very nice."

But this life, which in "Eugene Onegin" was the content of the novel, for Pechorin remained only in memories. It can be said that Pechorin was once Onegin, but in the novel he is already different, and this difference is the most interesting point a comparative analysis of these images, since it allows us to assess the trends in the movement of society, the gradual shift of its ideals.
In Onegin we still find, if not compassion and repentance, then at least a cold, mental realization that they should be. Onegin is still capable, if not of love, then at least of passion, albeit extremely selfish, but ardent.
Pechorin is not even capable of such manifestations. human feelings. He tries to awaken them in himself and cannot:
“As I did not look for even a spark of love for dear Mary in my chest, but my efforts were in vain”
In his soul, even love for life (and therefore for himself) is absent. If Onegin still lived, "languishing in the inactivity of leisure", then Pechorin lives simply "out of curiosity: you are expecting something new ..."
However, Pechorin, unlike Onegin, is able to think in spiritual categories, his indifference is close to despair (it is no coincidence that he is looking for death). He suffers from his indifference, he sees it!
Onegin, in this sense, is completely blind, and at the same time he does not notice his own blindness. There is no despair in his indifference. His passion for Tatyana is saturated with selfishness, but he does not notice this and takes her for love.
According to Belinsky, "Lermontov's Pechorin is the Onegin of our time." But not in the sense that they are similar, but in the sense that one is a logical continuation of the second.
Secular society is rapidly losing its last ideals: neither love, nor compassion, nor honor is valued anymore. There is only one curiosity left: what if there is something “sharp”, “tickling” nerves that can amuse and distract at least for a while ...

Comparing the images of Onegin and Pechorin, we see what a terrible end such innocent hobbies as idleness, selfishness, the pursuit of fashion, and how they can be reborn into such a terrible state of mind, which is commonly called spiritual death.

All this is not alien, unfortunately, to our society. And it’s scary if we are not able, like Onegin, to see our inferiority, and look down on Onegin: we are not like that - we go to theaters, discos, surf the Internet, in general, we live a full cultural life. And we do not notice how this complacency inevitably leads to the same devastated indifference to everything except himself, to which Onegin came, and to the same impenitent hardness of the heart, to which Pechorin came.

Truly, the images of Pechorin and Onegin are the images of the heroes of our time.

In life, things don't always work out the way you want them to. This is what we see in the real world, this is what the great books teach us. I liked the proposed topic, because I really love A.S. Pushkin, and by reading the novel "Eugene Onegin", you can study not only the poem, but also the history of the noble society of the XIX century.

The main characters of both works are young people. What was the dream of the younger generation of that time? Eugene Onegin, being a charming, handsome nobleman, received a "French" upbringing, however, the author emphasizes not strong abilities for mathematical sciences, foreign languages, but more to the "science of tender passion", lived an ordinary wild life of the younger generation: he followed fashion, shone at balls, spent time in theaters in the company of rake. But, in the end, all this “tinsel” of life bothers him, he is disappointed both in lives and in people. In his soul - emptiness, coldness, indifference. He is sick. And the name of this disease is "spleen".
Onegin begins to shun society, despises everyone, is arrogant with everyone. This would have continued if not for the death of his uncle and his subsequent acquaintance with Lensky and the Larin family.

Larins are wonderful, open, kind and simple people. Lensky is an educated man who studied in Germany, a romantic poet with lofty ideals and a romantic soul, and capable of great love. The Larin family met Eugene Onegin with parental care, as a native person. Little by little, his soul began to thaw, but on the whole he remained the same. But after all, the tragedy of the work is when Tatyana Larina fell in love with Onegin, but was rejected and ridiculed by him.

Tatyana dreamed of finding a spouse in Onegin, she expects sublime love from him, being well-read French novels, she immediately sees her dream in him. romantic hero, but she made a mistake and, in the end, she was forced to marry an "old man", a rich man with a high rank. Lensky dreamed of a wedding with his beloved Olga, but dies in a stupid and senseless duel from a friend's bullet.

Larina's old people dream of a calm old age, peace, happiness for their daughters, but reality contradicts dreams. Eugene Onegin is forced to wander around different countries after a duel with Lensky, but life again presents a surprise: at the ball he meets a luxurious, secular lady, a trendsetter who, among other things, is in the center of attention of all high society and shines with her beauty, manners, with his mind and recognizes Tatyana in her: “Is it really the same Tatyana?” He was amazed, his heart was pierced by love, he was sick with love!

Onegin dreamed of Tatyana, suffered, realized what a big mistake he had made, not appreciating her true virtues in her: kindness, purity of soul, inner beauty. But Tatyana Larina is noble and honest, she cannot betray her husband, although she still loves Eugene Onegin. This work has been reviewed by thousands of critics. different countries Yes, it remains relevant today. Not only as a study of the high society of that time and the customs of Moscow, St. Petersburg, provincial Russia of those times, but also as the relationship between a man and a woman.

Thus, Onegin's side appears here, as an "extra person" that no one needs.

The same motif of the "extra person" is also described in Lermontov's work "The Hero of Our Time", where inner world the hero Pechorin, who lives in another generation, is similar to Onegin's world in that he is also disappointed in life, gloomy, cynical, strange.

Pechorin, just like Onegin, personifies a whole generation of his time, but includes such aspects of character as anger, envy, at the same time as generosity and kindness. The whole tragedy of Pechorin is that he cannot love, find application for his strengths and talents, he would like to serve the Motherland, but Russia was in a state of reaction, any free thoughts were punished, and he rushed about in search of application of himself. This unites him with Onegin, since he, too, could participate in the development of Russia, and not rush about in the bustle of life.

This is a potential hero who could bring a lot of benefit to society, but there was no need for this, and he wasted his energy on stupid, thoughtless, and discrediting actions: a duel with Grushnitsky, attitude towards Princess Mary and Bela. The tragedy of Pechorin, like the tragedy of Onegin, is the tragedy of many of their contemporaries, similar to them in their way of thinking, in their position in society. This is the tragedy of all progressive-minded nobles who entered into life after the defeat of the Decembrists.

Sadly, I look at our generation!
His future is either empty or dark,
Meanwhile, under the burden of knowledge and doubt,
It will grow old in inaction.
M.Yu.Lermontov

In the novels of A.S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin" and M.Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time" is shown dramatic destiny typical representatives noble intelligentsia in the first half of the 19th century. The main characters of these works, Eugene Onegin and Grigory Pechorin, belong to the type " extra people» Russia, who, not finding an application for their abilities, were disappointed in life and in the society around them. The heroes of A.S. Pushkin and M.Yu. Lermontov are separated by only ten years, but they belong to different eras in the history of Russia. Between them stands the famous date - the fourteenth of December, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-five years, the uprising of the Decembrists.
Onegin lives in the twenties of the XIX century, during the heyday of the social movement and freedom-loving ideas. Pechorin is a man of another era. The action of the novel "A Hero of Our Time" takes place in the thirties of the XIX century. This period was marked by a violent political reaction that followed the speech of the Decembrists on Senate Square. Onegin could still go to the Decembrists, thus gaining a purpose in life and giving meaning to his existence. Pechorin is already deprived of such an opportunity. His position is much more tragic than that of Pushkin's hero.
What is the similarity between Onegin and Pechorin?
Both of them are representatives of the metropolitan aristocracy, received a good upbringing and education, their intellectual level is higher than the average level of the society around them.
Both heroes are critical of life and people. They are dissatisfied with themselves, they understand that their life is monotonous and empty, that slander, envy, malice reign in the world. Therefore, Onegin and Pechorin begin to suffer from boredom and melancholy.
To satisfy his spiritual needs, to dispel boredom, Onegin tries to write, but "he was sick of hard work," reading books also does not take him long.
And Pechorin quickly gets tired of any business he starts, it becomes boring for him. Once in the Caucasus, he hopes that "boredom does not live under Chechen bullets." But he gets used to the whistle of bullets very quickly. Love adventures also bored Lermontov's hero. This manifested itself in his attitude towards Bela and Mary. Having achieved their love, he loses interest in them.
characteristic feature Onegin and Pechorin is their selfishness. Heroes do not take into account the opinions and feelings of other people.
Onegin rejects Tatyana's love, not wanting to lose his freedom. A petty desire to annoy Lensky leads to the murder of a friend.
Pechorin, on the other hand, brings misfortune to almost everyone he meets: he kills Grushnitsky, destroys the lives of Bela, Mary, Vera, upsets Maxim Maksimych to the core. He seeks the love of women solely out of a desire to entertain himself, dispel boredom, and then cool off towards them. Pechorin is cruel even to the seriously ill Mary, saying that he never loved her, but only laughed at the poor girl.
Both Onegin and Pechorin are self-critical about themselves. Onegin, tormented by remorse, cannot remain where the crime has been committed. He is forced to leave a quiet village life and wander around the world. Pechorin admits that in his life he caused people a lot of grief, that he plays "the role of an ax in the hands of fate." At the same time, Pechorin is not going to change his behavior. His self-criticism brings no relief to him or anyone else. Such behavior makes Pechorin, as he described himself, "a moral cripple."
Onegin and Pechorin are observant, well versed in people. They are subtle psychologists. Onegin, at the first meeting, singled out Tatyana among other women, and out of everything local nobility met only with Vladimir Lensky. Pechorin also correctly judges the people he meets on his way. The characteristics given to them are accurate and marks. He perfectly knows the psychology of women, can easily predict their actions and uses this to win their love.
But both characters are capable of deep feelings. Onegin, realizing that he is in love with Tatyana, is ready for anything to at least see her. And Pechorin, having learned about Vera's departure, immediately rushes after her, but, not catching up, falls in the middle of the road and cries like a child.
Secular society has a negative attitude towards the heroes of A.S. Pushkin and M.Yu. Lermontov. Their behavior is incomprehensible to others, their point of view on life does not coincide with the generally accepted one, they are alone in the society around them, which feels the superiority of these "superfluous people".
Despite the similarity of characters and position in society, the heroes of A.S. Pushkin and M.Yu. Lermontov have many differences.
Onegin is not devoid of nobility. He is honest towards Tatyana, does not want to take advantage of her inexperience. Pechorin, on the other hand, appears before us as an immoral person, for whom people are just toys. Perfectly aware of the consequences of his actions, Pechorin does not even try to change his behavior, cruelly destroying the fate of other people.
The heroes also have a different attitude to the duel.
The day before, Onegin is fast asleep, not taking the upcoming duel seriously. And after the murder of Lensky, he is seized with horror, remorse begins to torment him.
Pechorin, on the other hand, takes the issue of the duel seriously, carefully choosing the place of the duel. Before the duel, the hero of Lermontov does not sleep and reflects on questions that any person sooner or later thinks about: “Why did I live? For what purpose was I born? Very soon, Pechorin will kill Grushnitsky in cold blood and, bowing politely, will leave the dueling area.
Onegin and Pechorin are deeply disappointed in life, tired of the emptiness of secular society, rejecting its ideals and values. At the same time, Onegin, suffering from his uselessness, is not able to resist the society that he condemns. Pechorin, unlike him, does not go with the flow, but is looking for his own path in life, his vocation and destiny. He thinks about the goal in life, feeling in his soul "immense forces." Unfortunately, all his energy only brings misfortune to the people he encounters. This is the tragedy of Pechorin's life.
Depicting the fate of their heroes, typical of their generation, Pushkin and Lermontov protest against a society that deprives people of a goal in life, forces them to waste their strength for nothing, and does not allow them to find application for their mind and abilities. This society gives rise to "superfluous people" who are not able to find love, friendship, or happiness. The historical significance of the novels "Eugene Onegin" and "A Hero of Our Time" lies in the exposure of this society.

In Russian literature XIX centuries, the images of Eugene Onegin and Pechorin became symbols of the era. They combined the typical features of representatives of the nobility with outstanding personal qualities, deep intellect and strength of character, which, alas, could not be used in the conditions of a deep moral crisis that became the main sign of the times in the 30s and 40s. Misunderstood in their circle, superfluous, they wasted their strength in vain, never being able to overcome the moral deafness of their contemporaries and the pettiness of public opinion, which was considered the main measure of human values ​​in high society. Despite their similarities, Onegin and Pechorin are endowed with bright individual traits, thanks to which modern readers also show interest in these literary heroes.

Definition

Pechorin – main character novel by M. Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time", a Russian nobleman, officer, who, on duty, ended up in the war zone in the Caucasus. The originality of the personality of this literary hero caused a sharp controversy among critics and the keen interest of contemporaneous readers.

Onegin- the main thing actor novel in verse "Eugene Onegin", written by A. S. Pushkin. Onegin belongs to the noble aristocracy. His biography, according to V. G. Belinsky, became an encyclopedia of Russian life in the first half of the 19th century.

Comparison

The first chapters of "Eugene Onegin" were published by A. S. Pushkin in 1825. Readers met Pechorin in 1840. A slight difference in the creation time of these literary images nevertheless, it was of fundamental importance for revealing their personal qualities, which contemporaries perceived as a reflection of deep social processes.

At the beginning of the novel, Onegin is a secular dandy. He is rich, educated and constantly under the scrutiny of high society. Tired of idleness, Eugene makes an attempt to tackle a serious matter: the reform of the economy that he inherited. The novelty of village life turned into boredom for him: the lack of the habit of working gave rise to spleen, and all the undertakings of the learned economist came to naught.

Onegin's drama is in the futility of his own forces and the meaninglessness of the lifestyle that was imposed on public opinion and accepted by the hero as a standard, beyond which he did not dare to step. The duel with Lensky, the difficult relationship with Tatyana Larina are the result of a deep moral dependence on the opinions of the world, which played a paramount role in Onegin's fate.

Pechorin, unlike Onegin, is not so rich and noble. He serves in the Caucasus, in a place of dangerous military operations, showing miracles of courage, demonstrating endurance and strength of character. But its main feature, repeatedly emphasized in the novel, is the dual inconsistency of spiritual nobility and selfishness, bordering on cruelty.

The reader learns about Onegin's personality from the narrator's remarks and Tatiana Larina's observations. The narrator and Maxim Maksimych express judgments about Pechorin. But his inner world is fully revealed in the diary - the bitter confession of a man who could not find his place in life.

Pechorin's diary entries are a philosophy Byronic hero. His duel with Grushnitsky is a kind of revenge on secular society for heartlessness and passion for intrigue.

In the confrontation with the light, Pechorin, like Onegin, is defeated. Forces without application, life without a goal, inability to love and friendship, secular tinsel instead of serving a high goal - these motives in "Eugene Onegin" and "A Hero of Our Time" have a common sound.

Findings site

1. Pechorin became a hero of his time: the second half of the 30s of the XIX century, marked by a deep social crisis after the events associated with the Decembrist movement in Russia.
2. Onegin - literary hero who could devote his life to democratic transformations in society, but due to his personal qualities became a hostage of high society.
3. Pechorin understands the worthlessness of his own existence and tries to change it: at the end of the novel, he leaves Russia.
4. Onegin does not seek to change anything in his fate: all his actions are a consequence of the circumstances.
5. Pechorin is able to objectively evaluate himself and honestly admits his passions and vices.
6. Onegin understands his own imperfection, but he is not able to analyze his own actions and their consequences.

In order to fully understand the character of the “extra person” type, a comparative description of Onegin and Pechorin is necessary. These heroes have common features that belonged to the representatives of the "superfluous people", but there are differences in these images.

Similarities

The hero of Pushkin's novel in verse "Eugene Onegin" and the hero of M. Yu. Lermontov's novel "A Hero of Our Time" when compared have many similar traits of character and lifestyle.

Both characters are about the same age, both were born in St. Petersburg and brought up in luxury. Onegin and Pechorin own money that allows them to have fun. However, they quickly get bored with them. Pushkin's and Lermontov's heroes feel boredom in society, which is what distinguishes them from other nobles.

The similarity of Pechorin and Onegin also lies in the fact that both of them could seduce women. But the women heroes quickly got bored, although both paid them a lot of attention. For Gregory and Eugene, freedom was important, so they did not want to connect their lives with women. The character of Pechorin and Onegin showed similarities even in some actions: the scene of Pechorin's refusal of Princess Mary's feelings resembles Onegin's explanation with Tatyana Larina. And Pechorin's meeting with Vera in the Caucasus, which revived the hero's feelings, is similar to Onegin's meeting with Tatyana in St. Petersburg.

Neither Pechorin nor Onegin had real friends, because they did not know how to appreciate other people. Eugene Onegin has a friend, Vladimir Lensky, whom he kills in a duel. Pechorin kills Grushnitsky, whom he did not love from the very beginning, but with whom he spoke as a friend. Pechorin was indifferent to the meeting with his old friend Maxim Maksimych.

By nature, the characters in the novels of A. S. Pushkin and M. Yu. Lermontov were selfish, which leads them to an unhappy life. They cannot find themselves in life. Pechorin and Onegin are not understood by their environment, they are “superfluous” people. These two characters were alone in the crowd.

Pechorin and Onegin really look alike, which is why V. G. Belinsky calls central character novel "Hero of Our Time" "Onegin of Our Time".

Differences

Despite the fact that there are many similarities between Pechorin and Onegin, they have the main difference: their attitude to own life. Eugene Onegin misses, but does not look for himself in life, he does not see true reasons of his behaviour. Grigory Pechorin, on the other hand, constantly emphasizes that he is a selfish nature who lives only for himself. He understands why he cannot find happiness with women, why he cannot find his place in life. However, he, unlike Eugene Onegin, is trying to find new hobbies that could turn a simple existence into a real life.

M. Yu. Lermontov uses the technique of psychologism in his novel "The Hero of Our Time", the reader sees the thoughts and experiences of the protagonist. The basis of Pechorin's outpourings is his diary. There are no diary entries in Eugene Onegin, but there are books with Onegin's remarks that Tatiana finds, but the reader cannot see the true thoughts of the hero from these pencil sketches.

table

In order to most clearly show the common and different features of Pechorin and Onegin, we present a table.

Similarities
	members of the secular society
	Bored society
	Bored women
	rejection of marriage
	Love for freedom
	Similarity of actions
	Lack of real friends
	Loneliness in the crowd
	"extra people"
	Understands own "I"	Doesn't think about his own life
	Looking for new emotions from life
	Trying to find himself in life	Doesn't try to find his place in life
	Psychologism	Lack of psychologism

This article will help you write an essay " Comparative characteristics Onegin and Pechorin”, will consider the main similarities and differences between the heroes of the novel in verse “Eugene Onegin” by A. S. Pushkin and the novel “A Hero of Our Time” by M. Yu. Lermontov and formulate a conclusion in the form of a comparative table.

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