Literaguru continues to acquaint you, our dear readers, with the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov “Hero of Our Time”. This time we decided to dwell in more detail on the chapter “Princess Mary”, important for the whole novel. There, Gregory meets his “friend” - a secular married lady, Vera, and quarrels with the junker Grushnitsky. If you need to familiarize yourself with the events of the entire novel, click here. If you need an analysis of the whole novel, then here it is.
The events of the chapter “Princess Mary”, as you already understood from the description, take place in Pyatigorsk, where the whole society of the rich rests and restores health. Gregory successfully merges into this society, the ladies look at him with interest, but epaulettes speak not in his favor. After a while, he meets an old acquaintance - the junker Grushnitsky, and, despite his friendly tone, they both dislike each other. Pechorin believes that the Grushnitsky poseur, false and artificial, and openly teases him, which makes the junker incredibly angry.
Then Gregory finds out, then Grushnitsky is not indifferent to Princess Mary. Junker is trying hard to get the girl’s attention, but he doesn’t succeed. Then Pechorin decides to start a little game out of boredom: he contrasts his opinion about Mary with Grushnitsky’s, not recognizing the girl’s merits that she had. He speaks of her as if she were a racehorse, and deliberately demonstrates his indifference and ignore. So he deliberately tries to attract Mary's attention and thereby win her love.
Pechorin also met with Dr. Werner, who, despite his fame, had a very notoriety in society. He is thin, gloomy, cynical, bile, perceptive and closed. And in this they are similar to Pechorin, which he notes in his diary. In Pyatigorsk they say about the doctor that he is a magician, almost Mephistopheles. And Werner flows to these rumors, he likes the way people tremble with fear of him. Werner dreamed of money, but actually did nothing to earn money: he loses patients who believe the rumors that the doctor draws caricatures of his patients.
Pechorin sees a soul mate in Werner, admires his mind. They become friends and the doctor begins to tell Pechorin about events from the life of the Mary family. It turns out that Pechorin’s plan works - in the family, speaking of him in a bad tone. And he achieved exactly this, because all men only do that they creep in front of her, seeking her attention, but to him, Gregory, you see, all the same! This should at least make Mary turn her attention to him. This was his game, in order to annoy Grushnitsky. From Werner, Pechorin also learns that the princess is very educated and intelligent, but extremely inexperienced in matters of a personal nature. The doctor also informs Gregory that another lady came with the princess's family - a thin woman with blond hair and a mole on her face. According to the description, Gregory recognizes this woman, this is his old friend Vera, with whom he had an affair in the distant past.
The game of Pechorin and Grushnitsky continues: Gregory specially invent various incidents and amusements so that men do not pay attention to the princess and she was bored. He accidentally finds out that the princess liked the carpet in the shop, and in spite she buys it out earlier. He ignores her in every possible way and tries to anger her. Grushnitsky, more and more in love, wants to introduce herself to her. Pechorin makes fun of his soldierly manner of holding on and speaking arrogantly. He proves to the young cadet that the princess is a frivolous girl and will flirt with everyone right and left, and he will marry anyway for the one chosen by her mother. He does not believe him and continues to prove the opposite and increasingly hate Gregory. The doctor, as an intelligent and observant person, recognized Pechorin’s game, and understood how this story would end when Grushnitsky learns that Pechorin also “cares” for Mary.
Meanwhile, Gregory accidentally meets the same woman - his old love Vera - now a married lady. Their feelings flare up again and here we see a completely different Pechorin - sensual, sincere, loving, open. Vera and Gregory get closer and in order to distract suspicion from themselves, Vera orders her lover to drag behind Princess Mary, to visit the Ligovsky, where they can meet without any suspicion. Gregory rejoices in this, because this does not impede his previous plans for Grushnitsky.
After talking with Vera, Pechorin again suffers from the inability to connect with her beloved. He understands that Vera is the only woman who fell in love with her and accepted with all the flaws. She is forced to be married to a rich and respected man for the sake of her reputation and for the sake of her son’s future from her first marriage, which needs a fortune and a title. But she is still ready to risk everything for a short meeting with Gregory.
After the departure of Vera from an overabundance of feelings, Pechorin long drives his horse through the forests and fields. Riding on an exhausted horse, he accidentally meets Princess Mary and seriously scares her with his appearance. Grushnitsky tells him that now they will never accept him from the Ligovsky, because he made the whole family nervous. But Pechorin objects to him, because he has his own separate plan.
Several days pass and Pechorin is announced for a dinner party. There he is eloquent, caring and kind. He manifests himself as a defender, having discouraged a tipsy officer from Mary, who decided to teach the arrogant princess with his trick. Mary is very grateful to Gregory for intercession, and Mary's mother invites him to visit her.
After that, Gregory becomes a regular guest with the Ligovsky, he begins to like Mary and he gets close to her. She, in turn, falls in love with him. Gregory, as before, continues to have deep feelings for Vera, and soon she informs him that she is mortally ill with consumption.
Mary speaks a lot with Pechorin and tells him that she is already dead tired of annoying gentlemen who tire her with their stiffness and sharing. Including Grushnitsky, who is overly emotional and intrusive. Seeing that Mary had cooled to him, Grushnitsky desperately asks Pechorin for advice. He rejoices, because this means that he managed to defeat the junker.
But the game continues. At dinner at Mary Pechorin again shows her his indifference, but he talks a lot with Vera and agrees with her about further dates. Pechorin continues to talk with Mary in fits and starts and only kindles her curiosity. He takes possession of all her thoughts. Grushnitsky becomes a funny young man in the eyes of Mary. Once on a walk Pechorin pours out Mary’s soul and says that this society made him so cold, Mary was subdued by his speech. Her conversations do not care much for him, she is predictable, and therefore not interesting for Gregory. His plan was fully realized - Mary was deeply in love with him, Grushnitsky was furious, Vera was jealous of him, although she herself could not be with him. She asks him not to marry Mary, and in return promises one meeting in private in secret from everyone. Gregory agrees, often visiting Ligovsky and entertaining the ladies.
Grushnitsky’s anger towards Pechorin is growing, because Mary does not pay attention to him at all. In a conversation with a friend, the junker hints at revenge on his part against Gregory for his cruel games. And soon rumors spread around the world that Pechorin and Princess Mary had a serious affair. Pechorin understands that this is Grushnitsky’s revenge, because a mother can make him marry Mary. Doctor Werner also warns Grigory about this, but he is indifferent to his words. Pechorin is sure that he will get away with it. After some time, Gregory leaves for Kislovodsk after Vera to be with her.
Grushnitsky is furious: he ceases to communicate with Pechorin and does not even look in his direction. Pechorin is only amusing, as is Mary's naive love. On a walk along the mountain rivers, Pechorin is left alone with Mary and he expects her to admit her feelings to him.
He kisses her on the cheek and she leaves in a fit of feelings, without ending the conversation.
Later in the evening, passing a tavern, Pechorin becomes an accidental witness to a conversation about himself. Grushnitsky and his friends are building a vile revenge plan for him. One captain suggests the cadet challenge Pechorin to a duel, and not put bullets in Grigory’s pistols. Pechorin is angry that if he had not accidentally found out about this plan, it could have worked.
The next day, Mary confesses her feelings to Gregory, and he, in turn, coldly rejects her, saying that he is indifferent to her. She chases him away. In his diary that day, he recalls that the fortuneteller once guessed him that for him freedom is the most important thing in life. Pechorin corrects the fortuneteller and says that he is simply not able to make someone happy, he always spoils everything. He is like an ax or an instrument of God, which destroys other people's lives.
That same night, Gregory goes on a secret meeting with Vera to the Ligovsky house. He does not know that Grushnitsky is imperceptibly following him. He decided that Gregory goes on a secret date with the princess. When Pechorin’s meeting with Vera ends, he jumps out of her window here and they try to catch Grushnitsky with his friend captain. In the darkness, Gregory manages to hide, and he, having reached the house, pretends to be sleeping. An alarm arose that was attributed to thieves.
After this incident, Grushnitsky in a tavern announces to everyone that he saw Pechorin at night at Mary. Vera's husband also hears him, but does not even realize that his wife is involved here. Pechorin enters the tavern and accuses Grushnitsky of lying. Junker challenges Gregory to a duel. The second from Pechorin’s side is Dr. Werner, from the side of the cadet - a certain dragoon captain.
Public opinion is on the side of Gregory, people believe that he stands up for the honor of the slandered, but beloved girl. Werner learns that Grushnitsky is going to crank up the fraud with bullets and asks Pechorin how he is going to act. Gregory replies that he has a plan.
The night before the duel, Gregory does not sleep. He is tormented by the memories of all offended people. With whom he acted badly, not for good and not for conscience. He recalls everyone to whom he hurt. In the morning he and Werner are going to a duel. Pechorin does not send anyone a letter before a duel, does not make a will. He has nothing to write and nothing to leave behind. At heart, he wants this duel to not take place. Before the start of the fight, he offers the junker to apologize and cancel everything, but Grushnitsky stubbornly stands his ground. Pechorin understands that this is just a whim of a young, naked man.
Gregory proposes a duel at the very top of the mountain. Even if the enemy is simply injured, there will be very few chances to escape, from all sides there is a chasm and steep cliffs. This method will save the opponent from the court and the investigation for a duel, because the bodies will not be found. Before the start of the duel, Grushnitsky is still afraid of the consequences of his deception and offers to retreat, but his second does not allow him to stop the duel. Pechorin insists on a draw: he wanted to give Grushnitsky a chance to change his mind and confess to deception. But he did not say a word. Grushnitsky shoots him, but gives a miss - the bullet only scratched Grigory’s knee. He stood on his feet, although he almost fell over anyway. Deaf malice for vile deceit wakes up in Gregory in relation to the cadet. He decides to teach a junker by all means, who wanted to trick him in cold blood into deceit. Pechorin announces that his gun is not loaded and requires a bullet. The second argues with him, but here Grushnitsky admits to deceit. Everything is revealed. Gregory gives the junker the last chance to apologize and cancel the duel, but in a fit of anger and resentment, the junker says that he will kill him in a duel anyway, if not this time, then the next. As a result, the duel continues. Pechorin shoots and kills Grushnitsky, he falls into the abyss. The seconds mask the fact of a duel under the murder by the Circassians.
At home, Pechorin receives two notes. One from Werner, who reports that there are no suspicions against Gregory, but he himself breaks all relations with him. The second note from Vera, which briefly stated that she was leaving with her husband forever. Upon learning of the duel, Vera understands everything and is afraid that suspicions of betrayal will fall on her. To avoid rumors, she herself confesses to her husband in everything, and he angrily insults her with a “bad word” and takes her away forever in a hurry. Gregory rushes after Vera’s carriage, but he cannot catch up, he just drives his horse to death. He weeps on the road, because he realizes that he will never see his love again.
Meanwhile, the rumor of a duel went through Pyatigorsk. To avoid accusations, the authorities appoint Pechorin a new duty station, he must leave. Gregory goes to Ligovsky to say goodbye, but goodbye comes out strange and crumpled. He again humiliates poor Mary, who essentially offers herself her hand and heart. Mama also speaks with Pechorin and offers him very favorable marriage conditions, but he still refuses. Ligovsky are angry because the honor and integrity of their daughter is in jeopardy.
Moreover, Pechorin speaks privately with Mary, and in a specially harsh and rude manner tells her everything that he planned, reveals all the cards of his vile and cold game. Specially speaks so that she despised him, and he succeeds.
After he leaves.
