Princess Mary in brief. Hero of our time

We learn about what happened to Pechorin after leaving Taman from the story “Princess Mary” (the second fragment of “Pechorin’s Journal”). On a punitive expedition against the Black Sea mountaineers, he casually meets the cadet Grushnitsky, a provincial youth who entered military service for romantic reasons: he spends the winter in S. (Stavropol), where he briefly meets Dr. Werner, a smart guy and a skeptic. And in May, Pechorin, Werner, and Grushnitsky, wounded in the leg and awarded the St. George Cross for bravery, were already in Pyatigorsk.

Pyatigorsk, like neighboring Kislovodsk, is famous for its healing waters; May is the beginning of the season, and the entire “water society” is assembled. The society is mainly male, officer-based - after all, and there is war all around, ladies (and especially not old and pretty ones) - no matter what. The most interesting of the “resort girls,” according to the general verdict, is Princess Mary, the only daughter of a rich Moscow lady. Princess Ligovskaya is an Anglomaniac, so her Mary knows English and reads Byron in the original.

Despite her learning, Mary is spontaneous and democratic in Moscow style. Instantly noticing that the wound prevents Grushnitsky from bending over, she picks up the glass of sour medicinal water that the cadet dropped. Pechorin catches himself thinking that he envies Grushnitsky. And not because he liked the Moscow young lady so much - although, as a connoisseur, he fully appreciated her unusual appearance and stylish manner of dressing. But because he believes: all the best in this world should belong to him. In short, out of nothing to do, he begins a campaign, the goal of which is to win Mary’s heart and thereby hurt the pride of the arrogant and narcissistic gentleman of St. George.

Both of these things work out quite well. The scene at the “sour” spring is dated May 11, and eleven days later in the Kislovodsk “restaurant” at a public ball he is already dancing the waltz that is becoming fashionable with Ligovskaya Jr. Taking advantage of the freedom of resort morals, the dragoon captain, tipsy and vulgar, tries to invite the princess to a mazurka. Mary is shocked, Pechorin deftly repels the lout and receives it from his grateful mother - of course! saved my daughter from fainting at the ball! - an invitation to visit her house is easy.

Meanwhile, circumstances are becoming more complicated. A distant relative of the princess comes to the waters, in whom Pechorin recognizes “his Vera,” the woman whom he once truly loved. Vera still loves her unfaithful lover, but she is married, and her husband, a rich old man, is as persistent as a shadow: the princess’s living room is the only place where they can see each other without arousing suspicion. For lack of friends, Mary shares her heart’s secrets with her cousin (who had the foresight to rent a neighboring house with a common dense garden); Vera passes them on to Pechorin - “she’s in love with you, poor thing,” - he pretends that this doesn’t bother him at all. But women's experience tells Vera: her dear friend is not entirely indifferent to the charm of the lovely Muscovite. Jealous, she takes Grigory Alexandrovich's word that he will not marry Mary. And as a reward for the sacrifice, he promises a faithful (night, alone, in his boudoir) date.

The chapter “Princess Mary” is part of the novel “A Hero of Our Time”. It is a diary in which Pechorin describes his acquaintance with Princess Ligovskaya and her daughter Mary. Pechorin falls in love with an inexperienced girl. He also kills Grushnitsky in a duel, and Mary is disappointed in love.

The main idea of ​​the chapter “Princess Mary” is that Lermontov shows the originality and originality of Pechorin’s personality. He is an independent and interesting person. In different situations he is at his best, but this does not bring him moral satisfaction.

Very briefly

Pechorin is a handsome, thoroughbred young man, but already with a lot of experience. He is no longer a young guy, but a fairly old man.

Pechorin goes to Pyatigorsk, as this place is famous for its hospitals and very healing waters. In general, he is a person who plays his whole life on his own and other feelings. In Pyatigorsk he meets his friend Grushnitsky. This guy is famous for his narcissism and selfishness. Pechorin constantly mocks him. Now he decides, partly out of boredom, partly to annoy Grushnitsky, to make a girl, Princess Mary, fall in love with him. Princess Ligovskaya and her daughter, Princess Mary, are relaxing on the waters.

Mary is a proud, smart girl, but very young. That is why she easily falls for Pechorin, who is happy to try. He comes up with various cunning plans because he knows the nature of people. At first she is emphatically unapproachable, but then gradually gives in. She falls more and more in love with Pechorin, and immediately forgets her boyfriend, Grushnitsky. But Grushnitsky is also no slouch; he challenges Pechorin to a duel, which only pleases the cold nature of his opponent. Everything ends badly. Grushnitsky was killed, and Pechorin in the end did not want to marry Mary.

And at this time, Vera, Pechorin’s secret lover, endures everything, and then suddenly leaves, as her husband finds out about everything. Pechorin is in despair, although this is strange, because he has never loved anyone.

Summary of the chapter Princess Mary from the story Hero of Our Time by Lermontov in detail

Princess Mary is the daughter of Ligovskaya, with whom Pechorin met by chance. She is educated and smart. Pride and generosity lurk in her soul. The failed love with Pechorin for her is a deep tragedy.
Pechorin is bored and is looking for company for entertainment. Grushnitsky becomes such a person for him. Somehow, in his presence, Pechorin compares Mary to a horse. And Grushnitsky loves Mary, so Pechorin’s barbs are unpleasant to him.

Time goes by main character looks for new acquaintances and in the end Pechorin meets Dr. Werner, and the latter, by virtue of his insight, saw what could happen in the future between Pechorin and Grushnitsky. That is, how a fatalist predicted the death of one of his friends.

Further events take unexpected turn: Mary’s sister Vera comes to Kislovodsk. The reader learns about the long-standing love between her and Pechorin. They say that old love never rusts. Feelings flare up again, but... Vera is married and cannot be a former lover, she cannot cheat on her husband. Therefore, Pechorin gets on his horse and gallops wherever his eyes look... Then he accidentally scares Mary, because the girl accidentally gets in his way.

The following describes the ball at the Ligovskys. Pechorin gallantly looks after Mary. Further events occur in such a way that Pechorin began to often visit the Ligovskys. He is interested in Mary, but Vera is also important to him. And, probably, he visits the Ligovskikhs to see Vera. In the end, Vera says that she is sick with an incurable disease and asks that her reputation be treated sparingly. She is a married lady after all!

Then Pechorin takes care of Mary and makes the naive fool fall in love with him. Vera sees that the matter will not lead to anything good and promises Pechorin a night date in exchange for him not hurting Mary. Meanwhile, Pechorin becomes bored in Mary’s company, he is burdened by her presence. He is burdened by her company.

Grushnitsky is jealous. He's furious. Mary confesses her feelings to Pechorin. But he runs into a cold wall of indifference. (This is all for show; no one should know that Pechorin is capable of emotions.) Grushnitsky is furious and challenges Pechorin to a duel. But... the ending is tragic. Juncker killed. At first, his death is not advertised and the culprit is not named.

After the duel, Pechorin felt very bad and sad. He reflects on himself.

Vera, knowing Pechorin, understands that Grushnitsky died at the hands of her former lover. And then she decides to confess everything to her husband. Her husband listens to her and takes her away from the epicenter of events.

Pechorin learns about Vera's departure, grabs his horse and tries to catch up with his ex-love. But the attempts remained in vain; Grigory Alexandrovich only drove the horse. And when he realized this, he fell headlong into the dust on the road and wept bitterly about the past.

Then Pechorin returns to Kislovodsk, where everyone is already talking about the recent duel. Since Pechorin is an officer, his action is assessed as unworthy and he is transferred to another duty station.

At the end he comes to the Ligovskys to say goodbye. In this scene, Mary’s mother invites Grigory Alexandrovich to marry her daughter, but... Pechorin proudly rejects this proposal.

To prevent Mary from tormenting herself with suffering, he humiliates her in a private conversation with her. At the same time, he feels like a scoundrel, but he cannot do otherwise.

Picture or drawing of Princess Mary

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The story is written in the form of a diary. Pechorin arrives in Pyatigorsk. There follows a description of bored people (fathers of families, young ladies, etc.) who came to the waters.

Pechorin goes to the source and meets Grushnitsky, whom he met in the active detachment. Grushnitsky is a dandy, “speaks quickly and pretentiously,” tries at every opportunity to “make an effect,” does not listen to his interlocutor, is busy only with himself. “Grushnitsky is reputed to be an excellent brave man... He waves his saber, shouts and rushes forward, closing his eyes,” wears a simple soldier’s overcoat. Grushnitsky tells Pechorin about the “water society,” adding that the only interesting people here is Princess Ligovskaya with her daughter Mary, but he does not know them.

At this moment the Ligovskys pass by. Mary is unusually pretty and tastefully dressed.

She has “velvet eyes” and long eyelashes. Pechorin witnesses a curious scene: Grushnitsky drops the glass from which he drank mineral water on the sand, and cannot bend down to pick it up: his wounded leg is in the way. Mary raises the glass and gives it to Grushnitsky “with a body movement filled with inexpressible charm.”

Grushnitsky interprets this act as a sign of special favor, but Pechorin skeptically discourages him, although deep down he is a little jealous of Grushnitsky. A Russian doctor named Werner, “a skeptic and a materialist,” but a poet at heart, comes to Pechorin. He is ugly (one leg is shorter than the other, short, big head).

Werner and Pechorin understand each other perfectly. Werner says that the princess remembers Pechorin from St. Petersburg, and the princess is interested in Grushnitsky, confident that he was demoted to a soldier for a duel. A relative came to the Litovskys for treatment, whose description matches the appearance of Vera, the woman whom Pechorin once loved.

After lunch, Pechorin goes to the boulevard. A crowd of young people surrounds the Ligovskikhs.

Pechorin sees familiar officers, begins to tell them jokes and little by little lures the entire audience into his circle. The princess is left without the company of admirers and is angry with Pechorin.

In the following days, Pechorin continues to behave in the same spirit, even repurchasing the Persian carpet that Mary was going to buy. Grushnitsky tries in every way to get to know the princess and to please her, but Pechorin does not strive for this at all and assures Grushnitsky that Mary cannot have serious plans for Grushnitsky: she will fool him for a long time, and will marry a rich freak, assuring Grushnitsky, that she still loves only him. Grushnitsky is madly in love and loses any remaining caution. Pechorin allows Grushnitsky to bother the princess, knowing that sooner or later he will bore her with his behavior. Grushnitsky even bought a ring and engraved Mary's name on it.

At the well (source) Pechorin meets Vera. She is married for the second time to a rich, lame old man, a distant relative of the Ligovskys.

Vera “respects him like a father, and will deceive him like a husband.” Pechorin decides to divert attention by “dragging after Mary” in order to be able to meet Vera in the Ligovskys’ house. Having parted with Vera, Pechorin gallops into the mountains; on the way he comes across a noisy cavalcade of horsemen, ahead of which are Grushnitsky and Mary. Grushnitsky gives the princess the impression of a romantic hero, speaking tragically about his future. Pechorin decides to meet Mary and make her fall in love with him when she becomes completely bored with Grushnitsky. At a ball in a restaurant, Pechorin waltzes with Mary and asks her for forgiveness for his past behavior. Saves her from the advances of a drunken “gentleman in a tailcoat.”

Mary's initial hostility towards Pechorin gives way to favor. As if by chance, Pechorin informs the princess that Grushnitsky is not at all “ romantic hero", but a simple cadet. Pechorin is invited to visit the Ligovskys.

Throughout the evening he speaks mainly to Vera, pays little attention to Mary, and does not listen to her singing. She tries to prick his pride by being nice to Grushnitsky, but Pechorin already understands that his plan has begun to come true: very soon the princess will fall in love with him, and all he has to do is accurately calculate the details. Grushnitsky is sure that Mary is crazy about him, and behaves very stupidly. In fact, the princess is already mortally tired of him. Pechorin is fully aware that he does not need Mary, that he conquers her only in order to feel his power over her, that he is not capable of sincere feelings, that, having picked the “beautiful flower of a young, barely blossoming soul,” he will breathe its aroma and throws it away. Grushnitsky was promoted to officer.

He is happy and hopes to impress Mary with his new epaulettes, although Dr. Werner assures him that by changing his soldier’s overcoat to an officer’s uniform, he will cease to be an exception and will get lost in the crowd of the princess’s admirers. In the evening, on a walk in Proval, Pechorin jokes a lot at the expense of his acquaintances. Mary is frightened by his sarcasm and asks him not to slander her, it’s better to kill her right away. Pechorin says that since childhood he was credited with inclinations that he did not have. “I was modest - I was accused of guile: I became secretive. I felt good and evil deeply; no one caressed me, everyone insulted me: I became vindictive; I was gloomy, - other children were cheerful and talkative; I felt superior to them - they put me lower. I became envious.

I was ready to love the whole world, but no one understood me: and I learned to hate.” The princess admits that she has never loved before; after confession, Pechorina accuses herself of being cold towards him. Pechorin is bored: he has long known all the stages of female love by heart. Mary confides her heartfelt secrets to Vera, who is tormented by jealousy. Pechorin calms her down and promises to follow Vera and her husband to Kislovodsk. Grushnitsky puts on a new uniform. Incredibly dressed up, smelling of lipstick and perfume, he goes to Mary.

The princess rejects him. A hostile “gang” is formed against Pechorin, led by Grushnitsky, who spreads rumors around the city that Pechorin will marry Mary. Pechorin leaves for Kislovodsk and often sees Vera. Should romantic description the outskirts of Kislovodsk and Pechorin’s reasoning about women’s logic (i.e., the absence of logic).

Pechorin himself is not afraid of women, since he “understood their minor weaknesses.” The Ligovskys also come to Kislovodsk. On a horseback ride, while fording a mountain river, the princess becomes ill. Supporting her, Pechorin hugs and kisses her. Mary: “You either despise me or love me very much.” Confesses her love to him. Pechorin reacts coldly to this.

Pechorin annoys the men because he behaves arrogantly, and they decide to teach him a lesson - Grushnitsky will challenge Pechorin to a duel, and the dragoon captain, who will be a second, undertakes to arrange everything so that the pistols will not be loaded. Pechorin accidentally overhears their conversation and decides to take revenge on Grushnitsky. In the morning, Princess Mary again confesses her love to him and assures him that she will convince her family not to interfere with them. Pechorin replies that he does not love her. He knows that he is capable of much for the sake of a woman, except marriage (as a child, a fortune teller predicted his death from an evil wife). A magician comes to Kislovodsk, the entire “water society” goes to the show.

Pechorin spends the evening and night with Vera, who lives in the same house as the Ligovskys, on the floor above. Leaving, Pechorin looks out of Mary's window, he is grabbed by Grushnitsky and the dragoon captain, who were waiting in ambush at the fence.

Pechorin breaks free and runs home. The next morning, first there is a rumor about a night attack by the Circassians on the Ligovskys’ house, and then Grushnitsky publicly accuses Pechorin of being at Mary’s that night. Pechorin challenges Grushnitsky to a duel. Werner, Pechorin's second, with good reason suspects that only Grushnitsky's pistol will be loaded.

Pechorin decides to play to the end. The night before the duel, he thinks about death - he doesn’t feel sorry for dying, he’s bored with living. “Why did I live? For what purpose was I born?.. And, it’s true, it existed, and, it’s true, there was a high purpose for me, because I feel immense strength in my soul...

My love has not brought happiness to anyone... and maybe I will die tomorrow!.. And there will not be a single creature left on earth who would understand me completely...

Some will say: he was a kind fellow, others - a scoundrel. Both will be false.”

On the morning before the duel, he assures the doctor that he is ready for death: “Thinking about imminent and possible death, I think about only myself... From the storm of life I brought only a few ideas - and not a single feeling. I have long lived not with my heart, but with my head, there are two people in me: one lives in in every sense of this word, another thinks and judges it.” Pechorin invites Grushnitsky to shoot on a high cliff: the one who is wounded will fall down, the doctor will take out the bullet, and everyone will decide that the man simply fell and was killed. Grushnitsky, Pechorin and seconds rise to the top of the mountain. There follows a description of the magnificent landscape, the wild Caucasian nature, whose grandeur is contrasted with the vanity and abomination of the human world.

Arriving in Pyatigorsk, Pechorin rents an apartment on the edge of the city. “Today 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”; Mashuk rises to the north like a shaggy Persian hat... Below in front of me a clean, brand new town is motley... further, mountains are piled up like an amphitheater, increasingly blue and foggy, and on the edge of the horizon stretches a silver chain of snowy peaks, starting with Kazbek and ending with the double-headed Elborus. .. It's fun to live in such a land! Some kind of gratifying feeling flowed through all my veins. The air is clean and fresh, like a child's kiss; the sun is bright, the sky is blue - what else seems 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 Elizavetinsky spring: in the morning the entire “water society” gathers there. Unexpectedly, he meets cadet Grushnitsky at the well; they once fought together. Grushkitsky, “out of a special kind of dandy,” wears a thick soldier’s overcoat. He has a military award - a St. George's cross. He is well built, dark and black-haired. He appears to be 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 beautiful does not touch such people, and they “importantly drape themselves into extraordinary feelings, sublime passions and exceptional suffering.” Pechorin and Grushnitsky do not like each other, although from the outside it seems that they are friends.

Having met old friends, they start talking about the local way of life, about local society. Two ladies, old and young, walk past them, dressed “according to the strict rules of the best taste.” Grushnitsky says that this is Princess Lithuania with her daughter Mary. Having waited for Mary to come closer, he utters one of his pompous 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, having dropped the glass, tries to pick it up, but in vain - his sore leg is preventing him. Mary hands him a glass, but a minute later, passing by with her mother, she pretends not to notice the cadet’s passionate gaze.

Concluding the description of the events of the day, Pechorin speaks of himself as follows: “I have an innate passion for contradiction; my whole life was just a chain of sad and unsuccessful contradictions to my heart or reason. The presence of an enthusiast gives me a baptismal chill, and I think frequent intercourse with a sluggish phlegmatic would make me a passionate dreamer, endowed with a fair amount of skepticism, sarcastically relating to manifestations of enthusiasm in others, enjoying the opportunity to piss people off.”.

In the morning, Pechorin is visited by his friend, Doctor 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 became interested in the sufferer Grushnitsky. The girl assumes that the young man wearing a soldier's overcoat was demoted to private for a duel. Pechorin says that the beginning of the comedy is already there: fate made sure that he would not be bored. “I have a presentiment,” said the doctor, “that poor Grushnitsky will be your victim...”. Next, Werner begins to describe the princess and her daughter. He says that the princess loves the company of young people, is not used to giving orders, and has respect for the intelligence and knowledge of her daughter, who reads English and knows algebra. Mary looks at young people with contempt and loves to talk about feelings, passions, and so on. 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 sick. Pechorin understands that we are talking about a woman he knows, and admits to the doctor that he once loved her very much.

After lunch, walking along the boulevard, Pechorin meets the princess and her daughter there. They are surrounded by many young people who are kind to them. Pechorin stops two familiar officers and begins to tell them various funny stories. He does it very well, the officers laugh constantly. 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 is pleased with this, he intends to continue in the same spirit.

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

One morning, while walking among the vineyards, Pechorin remembers a young woman with a mole on her cheek, which the doctor spoke about. Suddenly he sees her on the bench and involuntarily screams: “Faith!” They have loved each other for a long time, but this passion did not bring Vera happiness. Now she is married for the second time. Her husband is the 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 acquainted with the Ligovskys and to pursue the princess in order to divert attention from her. Thus, my plans have not been upset at all, and I will have fun...”.

After the meeting, unable to contain his emotions, Pechorin gallops into the steppe. Having decided to water his horse, he descends into one of the ravines. There is noise 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 challenges Grushnitsky to an argument that if he just wants to, tomorrow evening, being with the princess, he will be able to win the princess over.

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

The restaurant gives a ball by subscription. Pechorin waltzes with Mary, taking advantage of the fact that local customs allow him 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 scared and outraged by such unceremoniousness. Pechorin forces the drunk to leave. Princess 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 an officer demoted for a duel. The princess is disappointed.

Grushnitsky, having met Pechorin on the boulevard, thanks for saving the princess yesterday and admits that he loves her madly. It was decided to go together to the Lithuanians. Vera appears there. Pechorin jokes constantly, 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 spends the entire evening talking only with Grushnitsky.

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

Pechorin writes in his journal: “I often ask myself why I am so persistent in seeking 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 possessing a young, barely blossoming soul! She is like a flower whose best fragrance evaporates towards the first ray of the sun; it must be plucked at this moment and, having inhaled it to the full, throw it on the road: maybe someone will pick it up!”, “I look at the suffering and joys of others only in relation to myself, as food that supports my spiritual strength.”. His thoughts are interrupted by the appearance of the happy Grushnitsky, who has been promoted to officer.

On a country walk, Pechorin, talking with the princess, endlessly makes cruel jokes about his acquaintances. Mary is frightened by this, she says that she would rather fall under the killer’s knife than Pechorin’s tongue. To this he, looking upset, replies: “Yes, this has been my lot since childhood. Everyone read on my face signs of bad feelings that were not there; but they were anticipated - and they were born. I was modest - I was accused of guile: I became secretive. I felt good and evil deeply; no one caressed me, everyone insulted me: I became vindictive; I was ready to love the whole world, but no one understood me: and I learned to hate. My colorless youth passed in a struggle with myself and the world; Fearing ridicule, I buried my best feelings 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 threw it away - while the other moved and lived at the service of everyone". Tears well up in the princess’s eyes and she feels sorry for Pechorin. When he asks if she has 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 her coldness and will want to reward him.

Princess Mary confides her heartfelt secrets to Vera, and she torments Pechorin with jealousy. She asks why Pechorin is pursuing the princess, disturbing her, exciting her imagination? Vera moves to Kislovodsk. Pechorin promises to follow her.

Half an hour before the ball, Grushnitsky comes to Pechorin “in the full radiance of an army infantry uniform.” He preens himself 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 changing her attitude towards him, constantly pursuing her with pleas and reproaches. Then he finds out that Mary promised the mazurka to 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.

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

In the morning, Pechorin walks past the Litovsky 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 won’t happen another time... Why do you need to know what has been happening so far in my soul?”. As Pechorin leaves, he hears the princess crying.

In the evening, he is visited by Werner, who has heard a rumor that Pechorin is going to marry the Princess of Lithuania. Believing that these are the tricks of Grushnitsky, Pechorin is going to take revenge on him.

Pechorin has been in Kislovodsk for the third day. Every day he and Vera meet, as if by accident, in the garden. Grushnitsky is raging with friends in the tavern and hardly says hello to Pechorin.

The Lithuanians are finally coming to Kislovodsk. At dinner, the princess does not take her tender gaze off 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, they must be brought to the point where they convince themselves... Women should wish that all men knew them as well as I do, because I love them a hundred times more since then Since I’m not afraid of them and have understood their minor weaknesses...”

“Tonight 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 it the sun before sunset “casts its last fiery gaze on the world.” Many people went to see this spectacle. While crossing a mountain river, the princess felt ill and swayed in the saddle. Pechorin hugs the girl by the waist, preventing her from falling. Mary is getting better. Pechorin, without releasing the princess from his embrace, kisses her. He wants to see how she gets out of her predicament, and does not say a word. “Either you despise me, or you love me very much! - the princess finally says in a voice in which there were tears. “Maybe you want to laugh at me, outrage my soul and then leave me...”. “Are you silent? ... perhaps 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 determination of the princess’s gaze and voice... "For what?"- he answers, shrugging his shoulders.

Hearing this, the princess sets off her horse to gallop along the mountain road and soon catches up with the rest of the company. All the way home she talks and laughs continuously. Pechorin understands that she is having a nervous attack. He goes to the mountains to unwind. Returning through the settlement, Pechorin notices that in one of the houses the light is burning brightly, talking and shouting can be heard. He concludes that what is happening there is some kind of military feast, gets off his horse and creeps closer to the window. Grushnitsky, the dragoon captain and other officers gathered in the house say that Pechorin needs to be taught a lesson, because he is too arrogant. The dragoon captain invites Grushnitsky to challenge Pechorin to a duel, finding fault with some trifle. They will be placed six steps apart from each other, without putting bullets in their pistols. The captain is sure that Pechorin will chicken out. After some silence, Grushnitsky agrees with this plan.

Pechorin feels anger filling 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 Pechorin’s behavior and assumes that he wants to marry her, but is afraid of any obstacle. Pechorin replies that the truth is different - he does not love Mary.

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

On this day, a performance by a visiting magician is expected, and there is no 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 the morning. Taking advantage of his absence and the fact that the servants will go to the performance, it will be possible to spend the night with Vera. Late at night, going down from the upper balcony to the lower one, Pechorin looks out the window to Mary. At that same moment he notices movement behind the bush. Pechorin, who has jumped to the ground, is grabbed by the shoulder. It was Grushnitsky and the dragoon captain. Pechorin managed to escape and ran away. Grushnitsky and the captain made a fuss, but they failed to catch him. The night alarm was explained by an alleged attack by the Circassians.

In the morning at the well, everyone only remembers the night incident. Pechorin is having breakfast in a restaurant. There he meets Vera’s husband, who returned in the morning, and is very excited about what happened. They are sitting not far from the door where Grushnitsky and his friends are located. Pechorin has the chance to witness a conversation in which his fate is decided. Grushnitsky says that he has a witness of how someone broke into the Litovskys’ house at ten o’clock yesterday evening. The princess was not at home, and Mary, not going to the performance, was left alone. Pechorin is confused: will it occur to Vera’s husband that this is not about the princess? But the old man does not notice anything.

Grushnitsky assures everyone that the alarm was not raised because of the Circassians: in fact, he managed to waylay the princess’s night visitor, who managed to escape. Everyone asks; who it was, and Grushnitsky names Pechorin. Here he meets the gaze of Pechorin himself. He demands from Grutshnitsky that he retract his words: it is unlikely that 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 captain intervenes and offers his services as a second. Pechorin comes out, promising to send his second today. Having made Dr. Werner his confidant, 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 life: “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 powers in my souls... But I didn’t guess this purpose, I was carried away by the lures of empty and ungrateful passions; from their crucible I came out hard and cold as iron, but I 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 I loved: I loved for myself, for my own pleasure...". He thinks that tomorrow, perhaps, there will not be a single creature left 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 inconsiderate.

Duel between Pechorin and 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 there was an abyss strewn with sharp stones. If you position yourself opposite each other at the edges of the site, then even a slight wound will be fatal. The wounded person will certainly fall to his 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 simply wound Pechorin, but certainly had to become a killer or shoot in the air.

The doctor invites Pechorin to reveal the conspiracy, saying that now is the time, but Pechorin does not agree. The duelists face each other. Grushnitsky aims at his opponent's forehead, but then lowers the pistol and, as if by accident, hits Pechorin in the knee. The captain, being sure that no one knows about the conspiracy, feigned 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 the slander and make peace. Flushing, he replies that he hates Pechorin and despises himself. There is no longer room for the two of them on earth. Then Pechorin shoots and kills Grushnitsky.

Returning home, Pechorin finds two notes. One of them is from Werner: “Everything was arranged as best as possible: the body was brought in disfigured, the bullet was taken out of 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... Goodbye...”. Second note from Vera: “This letter will be both a farewell and a confession... You loved me as property, as a source of joys, anxieties and sorrows, replacing each other, 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 exhausted 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 still find Vera there, but on the way his driven horse falls and dies. “And for a long time I lay motionless and cried bitterly, not trying to hold back my tears and sobs; I thought my chest would burst; all my firmness, all my composure disappeared like smoke. When the night dew and mountain wind refreshed my hot head and my thoughts returned to normal order, I realized that chasing after lost happiness was 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 sick - 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 real reason After the death of Grushnitsky, Pechorin was assigned to 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 with her daughter alone, Pechorin explains to Mary. “Princess... do you know that I laughed at you?.. You should 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, from now on you despise me?..”. "I hate you," she said.

(20 )

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 the entire local community gathered. On the site near the well, a house was built with a red roof over a bathtub, and further away there was a gallery where people walked during the rain. Several officers were sitting on the bench, and ladies were walking around the gallery. Pechorin stopped to rest, and then he was called out by an old acquaintance, Grushnitsky, who had been wounded in the leg and had arrived at the waters a week earlier.

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

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

Grushnitsky began to tell Pechorin about the people who came to the waters, in particular, about the Moscow princess Ligovskaya and her daughter Mary, with whom he was unfamiliar, which was due to 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. Pechorin really liked the young woman for her grace. Grushnitsky said that these were the Ligovskys, and then began to talk deliberately loudly so that the princess would pay attention to him, and he achieved his goal: she looked at him with a long, curious look. Pechorin noticed that the girl had very beautiful eyes. Then he and Grushnitsky broke up.

Grigory Alexandrovich walked a little along the grape alleys, but it became hot, and he went home. passing by a sulfuric acid source, the officer saw that Grushnitsky had deliberately dropped his glass and was unsuccessfully trying to pick it up, showing with all his unhappy appearance how his wounded leg was hindering him. Princess Mary ran up to the cadet and handed him a glass, blushing terribly. When Grushnitsky wanted to thank her, the girl was already far away. Walking past the wounded man with her mother for some time, she assumed a decorous and important appearance.

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

Two days later, Doctor Werner came to see Grigory Alexandrovich. He was a man whose appearance is unpleasantly striking at first glance, but then you completely forget about it thanks to his intelligence. He and Pechorin were friends, understood each other perfectly and always found something to talk about. Pechorin asked Werner to tell him the local news and heard that the princess thought that Grushnitsky had been demoted to soldier because of the duel, and the princess was surprised why Grigory Alexandrovich did not come to visit them, and told everyone about his adventures in St. Petersburg, while Mary listened this society gossip with great attention. The doctor also mentioned that a young lady, a relative of the princess by marriage, had come to town, very pretty and very sick. She has a mole on her cheek. This news interested Pechorin very much: from the description, he recognized his old lover, with whom he broke up several years ago.

After lunch, Grigory Alexandrovich went to the boulevard. A small circle of young people gathered near 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 surrounding the princess left her and went over to Grigory Alexandrovich, which annoyed Mary, although she tried her best to appear indifferent. Grushnitsky watched the princess with a predatory gaze, and Pechorin was sure that tomorrow he would ask someone to introduce him to Ligovsky.

Grigory Alexandrovich tried in every possible way to tease 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. He blushed and pouted, although it was clear that he was pleased with this observation.

One day Grigory Alexandrovich got up late and came to the source when no one was there anymore. 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 still loved each other. Vera said that she had married a second time, that her husband was old, rich and suffered from rheumatism, and that she respected him as a father. It turned out that the husband is a distant relative of the princess and Vera often visits them, so Pechorin promised to get acquainted with the Ligovskys and dangle after Mary in order to divert attention from his connection with Vera. Returning home, Pechorin mounted his horse and rode off into the steppe to unwind: his old lover really looked very sick. It was already six o'clock when he remembered that it was time for lunch. Returning, Grigory Alexandrovich saw a cavalcade of horsemen, led by Grushnitsky and Princess Mary. Late in the evening, having met a cadet returning from the Ligovskys, Pechorin declared that, if he wanted, 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 passed, and Grigory Alexandrovich still had not met the Ligovskys. Once at the spring he met Vera, who reproached him for not being in the princess’s house, and the next evening Pechorin decided to go to a ball in a restaurant. At the ball, he invited Mary to a waltz and received real pleasure: she danced excellently. After the dance, they began to talk, and the girl made it clear that the doors of her house were closed to Pechorin. Then a very drunk gentleman, accompanied by a dragoon officer, approached the princess and invited the girl to a mazurka. Mary was confused: her mother was far away, there were no familiar gentlemen nearby, and there was no one to stand up for the girl. But Grigory Alexandrovich firmly took the drunken gentleman by the hand and said gravely that the princess had decided to dance the mazurka with him.

The gentleman left, and Mary, thanking Pechorin, told everything to her mother. 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 casually mentioned that his friend was a cadet. The girl was somewhat disappointed by the lack of a romantic story about being demoted for a duel. The next evening, walking along the boulevard, Grigory Alexandrovich met Grushnitsky. who thanked him for helping the princess at the ball and admitted that he loved her. They went together to the princess.

A little later, Vera entered the living room. Ligovskaya introduced Pechorin to her, and he was very kind all evening and entertained the guests. While the princess was singing, Vera warned her lover that she did not want him to meet her husband. When Mary asked if the officer liked her singing, he boldly replied that he liked music only after dinner, because it made him sleep well, and he spent the rest of the evening with Vera, talking to her a lot 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 seriously interested in him.

One day Grushnitsky came to a friend with good news: he had been promoted to officer. The former cadet decided not to see the princess until the new uniform, on which he had high hopes, was ready. In the evening, Pechorin again talked for a long time with Mary, flaunting his disappointment in life, and ensured that the girl clearly began to reproach herself for being cold towards 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 were going the day after tomorrow. They will live in the same house with the princess, but she will arrive later, and nearby there is an empty apartment belonging to the same owner. Pechorin promised and immediately rented this apartment.

The next day there was to be a ball, and Grushnitsky, who came to Grigory Alexandrovich, joyfully announced that the uniform was ready and he was going to invite the princess to the mazurka. In the evening, Pechorin met with Mary and 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 incredible epaulets. 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 infuriated Grushnitsky extremely, and at dinner he whispered for a long time about something with the dragoon officer.

In the morning Vera left for Kislovodsk. Grigory Alexandrovich came to see the princess, but Mary did not come out, saying she was ill, 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 force 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 met with her every day at the source. Soon 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.

One day, returning from a horseback 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 reciprocal confession, but heard in response an indifferent “why?” The princess lashed the horse with a whip and galloped away. Grigory Alexandrovich went to the mountains, spent time there until nightfall, and on his way back, he noticed a light in one of the houses and looked out the window. There was a war party going on there. He saw Grushnitsky with the dragoon captain, who were talking about him. The dragoon outlined his plan: Grushnitsky challenges Pechorin to a duel with the condition that he 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 ignoblely towards the girl, but the very thought of marriage disgusted him: above all he valued freedom.

A couple of days later a magician arrived in Kislovodsk, and the whole community gathered for a concert. Vera sent a note to Pechorin that her husband had left, and she was buying tickets for all the servants and would be waiting for her lover in the evening at home. 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 servants were there, and went to Vera. On the way, it seemed to him that someone was watching him. At about two o'clock in the morning he left Vera through the window and could not resist looking in
the princess's window, in which the light was burning. Mary sat on her bed and was very sad.

He jumped from the balcony and was overtaken by the dragoon captain and Grushnitsky. 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 sleeping.

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

After this, 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 realized that the plot had changed: Grushnitsky’s pistol would be loaded. Werner tried to dissuade Grigory Alexandrovich from the duel, but he was adamant.

At two o'clock in the morning Pechorin was still awake, he was thinking about the life he had lived and was ready for any outcome of the fight. Early in the morning he took a Narzan bath, and upon returning from the bath, he already found a doctor at his place. They went 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 this was completely unnecessary. the opponents were already waiting for them. The doctor suggested that the duelists explain themselves and dispense with the duel.

Pechorin declared that he was ready, Grushnitsky also agreed, but upon learning that Grigory Alexandrovich was demanding a public apology and renunciation of slander, he decided to shoot himself. Pechorin proposed holding a duel on a narrow platform over an abyss, so that the killed or wounded opponent would fall into the abyss, and after that the doctor would remove the bullet from the body, and the death could be explained by an accident. They cast lots. Grushnitsky was the first to shoot. He faced a difficult choice, since he understood that he was aiming at an unarmed man, and the conditions of the duel were deadly. He began to take 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 Pechorin's leg. Afterwards, Grushnitsky and the captain hugged, and the first took a place on the edge of the square.

Here Grigory Alexandrovich put an end to the farce, 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 this was against the rules, then Pechorin invited him to fight tomorrow on the same conditions. Grushnitsky stood embarrassed and gloomy. The doctor loaded the gun. Grigory Aleksandrovich once again invited his former friend to renounce the slander and apologize, but he refused. Pechorin fired. When the smoke cleared, Grushnitsky was not on the site.

Grigory Alexandrovich went home, and there was a stone in his heart. Before reaching the settlement, he turned his horse and, wandering in the mountains all day, returned to the apartment when the sun was already setting. At home, the footman handed him two notes. The first one 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 at full speed along the road to Pyatigorsk. He mercilessly drove the horse until it fell dead. Pechorin's legs did not obey him. He fell on the grass and cried bitterly for a long time. Having returned to Kislovodsk on foot early in the morning, Grigory Alexandrovich went to bed and fell asleep. He slept until the evening, when Werner appeared with the news that they had learned about the duel.

4.3 / 5. 20