The Role Of Psychopathy In A Hero Of Our Time

There are many brilliant writers that can capture and enhance the personality of a character. Some of those characters share an intense amount of mental traits that can be shared amongst us as readers. Some of those mental traits could lead to psychopathy. Psychopathy is a mental illness in which an individual does not feel love, guilt or empathy for their actions. Love, though an emotion can also become a physiological and psychological illness. The novella "Princess Mary” is the longest novella within A Hero of Our Time written by Mikhail Lermontov. It focuses on the character of Pechorin and the social chaos he witnesses in his first person-based perspective. From his actions to his thoughts, Pechorin could be characterized as a psychopath
who is incapable of feeling love. But uses love as a contributing factor for him to toy with the feelings Princess Mary making her ill of love.
According to the definition of a psychopath it states the individual cannot feel love, but love is such a broad topic. "I'm no longer capable of losing my head in love" wrote Pechorin in the journal entry of June 3rd (P. 127). In the novella Pechorin admits to not feeling love. At the end of the entry of June 12th Pechorin clearly tells Princess Mary "ill not defend myself or explains my actions. I do not love you." (P. 148) This statement could not be clearer to Princess Mary or the reader that Pechorin does not love her. With love out of the question for Pechorin, this does not mean that that Princess Mary does not feel love. Though, knowing Princess Mary will fall for him, Pechorin plays with her heart. Playing with some ones heart is never something you should do for it is not only cruel but if can affect the other person in negative ways. Pechorin plays with Princess Mary by leading her on, sending her mixed signals and dishonoring her even though he knows he does not want to marry her nor does he love her. From what is written one can conclude that it all began with the jealousy of Princess Mary picking up Grushnisky’s glass. From then on he plans revenge against them. In his entire plan completed the work to make her feel worthless all because she didn't give him attention. Even thought his plan is working out, Princess Mary see its from a different point of view.
Princess Mary has grown feelings for Pechorin overtime. At first Princess Mary wants nothing to do with Pechorin after he gets the rug that she wanted for himself and ignores her from her singing to talking to her. Pechorin does state, "I’ll go two more days without speaking to her" (P. 126) But after Pechorin plays the hero at the ball for her, saving her from embarrassment of the drunken man, her eyes and heart starts to open for him. When Pechorin got a moment alone with Princess Mary, he told her of his upsetting, flash back story. Pechorin revealed to her that “I was modest, and was accused of being deceitful … I was ready to love the world but no one understood me so I learned to hate…I became moral crippled. One half of my soul had ceased to exist. (P. 130) From what he says, Pechorin want to be good and feel love however, from the way people treated him overtime he became the negative, hateful person. The reader cannot be sure of if Pechorin is telling the truth or is lying to Princess Mary because of his deceitful way of thinking: "Sympathy, that feeling which preys so easily on women, had sink its claws into her heart." (P. 130) Pechorins’ statement shows how he can get another to feel sympathy towards him but does not feel it back. When Princess Mary heard his story she felt sorrow for Pechorin, thus made her more interested in him.
Pechorin left her with a final blow after he touches her and kisses her cheek.
This was the end for Mary, as she grew madly in love with him. Princess Mary then went crazy but still forces him to confess love to her but he did not budge. "Either you despise me, or you love me very much,’ she said at last in a voice that shook with tears. ‘Perhaps you wish to mock me, to play on my feelings. . . Perhaps you wish me to be the first to say that I love you?’”(P.142) To this statement Pechorin then replied “Why should I?” Pechorin knows what he was doing as this was his plan all along. As for Princess Mary when Pechorin told her that he does not love her she became ill with a nervous breakdown. She was filled with sorrow and hatred from the love she thought she had but
lost.
From these two characters both have become ill with love. Pechorin become ill psychological or mentally. Form this he developed a psychopathic disorder for doing things. Psychopaths are still people they could have the same case as Pechorin or severer. In Pechorin case he is the way he is because he rather hurt people and to lower his pride. He rather breaks the hearts of a million girls than telling them he loves them just so he doesn't lower himself to their level. Possible treatment for someone with such mindset is said to be medications upon medications. They could also seek therapy or seek someone to talk out their problems. In Pechorin case, he fleeted as quickly as he could. The novella ends with “He looks longingly at the pale strip between the ocean blue and grey clouds…and runs in steadily towards the empty harbor.” (P. 174) Some may say he ran away from his problems and went to another town to do the same thing over again not seeking help. In Princess Mary’s case she suffers physiological part which effected her body. She has allowed herself to get lost in Pechorin and instead of moving over him since he didn’t want her. From this she went ill and suffered a nervous breakdown from being love sickness.
As a reader one could see that Pechorin has some serious problems in his life that deals with emotions that separates him from everyone else.
All Pechorin did, throughout the novella of “Princess Mary”, is take his envy from Princess Mary picking up Grushnitsky’s glass and comes up with a devious plan to mess up the other characters lives. Someone with such qualities like Pechorin needs to be attended to. However Pechorin ran away from his problems instead of facing them head on leaving Princess Mary lovesick. Pechorin writes “I love enemies, though not in the Christian way. Being always on the alert, catching their every move, the hidden meaning of every word, guessing their next step, confounding their plans, pretending to be taken in ... - that's what I call living." Even thought they say to “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer”, Pechorin may have gotten a little too
close.