(278 words) Roman M.Yu. Lermontov's “Hero of our time” is popular and relevant to this day. Millions of people around the world read to them and consider this work as their favorite. What did Lermontov himself want to say with this novel? What is the meaning of the work?
First of all, it is worth noting that “The Hero of Our Time” is the first socio-psychological novel in Russian literature. In it, the author wanted to show a portrait of an ordinary young man, a hero of that time, which consists of "the vices of our entire generation, in their full development." Lermontov Pechorin is a reflection of society in the 19th century. This is a collective image of the youth of that period.
The main character, Pechorin, lived at a time when, fearing rebellion and uprisings, Nicholas I forbade any manifestation of free thought. He severely suppressed the initiative of the Decembrists, showing all the nobles that they could not interfere in the political life of the country. And it was after this that a large number of young and ambitious people began to feel superfluous, “smart unnecessary”, as critic V.G. called them. Belinsky. These include Pechorin. He is trying to confront the whole society, being in search of his own source of happiness. The hero tries to realize himself in this world, but instead gets only disappointment. All this internal and external struggle made Pechorin an egoist, a mental cripple. But as noted earlier, the protagonist of the novel is a collective image. Therefore, the clash of man and society we observe not only on the pages of the novel, but also on the pages of Russian history.
So, as we see, the essence of the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov is based on the example of one hero to show the emotional, psychological drama of the young generation of the 19th century. In this work, the author points out that the absence of political freedoms, working social elevators and the resulting idleness make people unhappy. Therefore, our main task is to learn from the mistakes of the past and not to allow them in the present!
