Contemporary heroes

Author: (Russian) Lermontov
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-23
Features: The noble officer Piquchin is exceptionally intelligent, energetic, and possesses a strong will with keen insight. He observes that those who succeed in reality are often unlettered, and their key to success lies in cunning manipulation, which leaves him disappointed. He wants to love the whole world, but no one understands him, so he learns to hate. He tells the truth, but others do not believe him, so he begins to deceive. He believes he has a noble mission but does not know how to fulfill his ambitions, leaving him in confusion. He is filled with boundless energy but does not know where to channel it, so he becomes cynical, seeking excitement everywhere, getting into 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, Grushnitsky, who is also pursuing her, killing him in a duel. He has a relationship with Vera but refuses to marry her, only to chase 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 behavior of the noblewoman," and his callousness 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 these things only highlight his contradictory and complex psychology. His selfishness and cruelty bring great misfortune to others, yet he does not find true joy, only deepening his pain and despair.