Pechorin's Manipulation

The novel A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov, translated by Dmitri and Vladimir Nabokov, follows the journey of Pechorin through five different points of his life. Pechorin meets many people, new and old. As he meets these people, there are a few who are manipulative and get manipulated by him including himself. All the people who are manipulative do so by changing their appearance, or by having their appearance not representative of the true person behind them. Furthermore, those who are manipulative, are so for different reasons such as self-benefit, concealing of motives and even to manipulate others. Lermontov’s characters of the Blind Boy, the Mermaid and Pechorin are used to prove that people manipulate their appearance for their
Lermontov’s Blind Boy is used to demonstrate how the manipulation of one’s self can be used for their own benefit. After seeing the boy, Pechorin thinks “I confess I have a strong prejudice against those who are blind, on-eyed…” (Lermontov 70). Lermontov places this in the first person with Pechorin in control. The effect of this choice is that it creates a lack of understanding of his surroundings for Pechorin. Furthermore, Lermontov’s word choice of “prejudice” has a strong negative connotation that demonstrates a certain superiority over the boy (Lermontov 70). This can further be seen in as “I[Pechorin] kept looking at him with involuntary pity” (Lermontov 70). Additionally, Lermontov stereotypes the boy as worthless and insolent with all the things that Pechorin has a prejudice against, such as “deaf, mute, legless…” (Lermontov 70). Lermontov’s choices show Pechorin’s ignorance of his surroundings and his downgrading stereotype of the boy. As Pechorin realizes that his
Whether that benefit is gained directly, by concealing motive or through the manipulation of others, there is always something to be gained. By conveying that the characters manipulate themselves, Lermontov tries to tell us that in life, there are people who manipulate themselves in a similar manner for their own gain. Due to their existence, we must take precaution when it comes to trusting or confiding in someone, since if they are manipulating themselves, we do not know their motive, or what they must gain. In conclusion, Lermontov tells us that we must be cautious about who we surround ourselves with and who we