Contemporary Heroes (Translation: Famous Works Library) 044

Author: (Russian) Lermontov, translated by Feng Chun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The noble officer Piquchin is exceptionally intelligent, energetic, and possesses a resolute will and keen insight. He observes that those who succeed in reality are often ignorant, and their key to success lies in cunning manipulation, which leaves him disappointed. He wants to love the world but finds no one understands him, so he learns to hate. He tells the truth but is not believed, so he begins to deceive. He believes he has a noble mission but doesn’t know how to fulfill his ambitions, leaving him confused. He is filled with boundless energy but doesn’t know where to channel it, so he becomes cynical, seeking excitement everywhere, stirring up trouble, and wasting his extraordinary talent and vigor on base desires. He insatiably indulges in others’ warmth, love, joy, and sorrow, using them as sustenance to maintain his self-esteem. In the coastal town of Taman, he disrupts the tranquility of smugglers and nearly drowns himself. At the spa, he provokes the Countess Melin, playing with her feelings, and clashes with another officer, Grusnitsky, who is also pursuing her, killing him in a duel. He has an ambiguous relationship with Vera but refuses to marry her, chasing after her when she leaves. In the Caucasus, he goes to great lengths to win the beautiful Circassian girl Bella, but "the rustic simplicity of the wild girl is just as tiresome as the coquettish manner of the noblewoman." His callousness also leads to Bella’s tragic death. He hopes that the Chechen bullets will drive away his boredom, but the sound of the bullets is no more attention-grabbing than the buzz of mosquitoes. All of this demonstrates his contradictory and complex psychology. His selfishness and cruelty bring great misfortune to others, yet he doesn’t find true joy for himself, only deepening his pain and despair.