A Hero Of Our Time

The unnamed narrator, a member of the Russian army, is traveling through the Caucasus mountains from Tbilisi (referred to as Tiflis), Georgia, to a nearby military station. He is having difficulty traversing the mountains, although his cart is being pulled by six oxen and several local Ossetians (Ossetes in the text). He meets an experienced officer, a staff captain in the Russian military, who has been stationed in the Caucasus and is transporting “Government things” (8).

The narrator is impressed that only four oxen are easily pulling the officer’s cart while the team of six is struggling with his relatively empty one. The officer tells the narrator, who is also a military man, that the Ossetians extort money from inexperienced travelers by making them hire more oxen than necessary and demanding tips.

At the mountain’s summit, they reach the Post Station and camp for the night just as it begins to snow. They are offered a room in a hut that doubles as a barn and is filled with animals. The officer berates the people of the Caucasus region, calling them “absolutely ignorant and incapable of the slightest civilisation” (10). The narrator puts on a pot of tea and asks the officer to tell him about his adventures in the Caucasus; the officer agrees.

The officer, who is named Maksim Maksimych, tells the narrator about a young officer he met five years ago when he was stationed in the Caucasus. The young officer’s name was Grigori Aleksandrovich Pechorin, and he had been newly transferred from Russia. Maksim Maksimych liked Pechorin and decided to befriend him, but he notes that Pechorin had an eccentric personality: “[O]ne time he would stay out hunting the whole day, in the rain and cold […] but he wouldn’t mind either the cold or fatigue. Then, another time, he would be sitting in his own room, and, if there was a breath of wind, he would declare that he had caught cold” (12).

Pechorin would be silent for hours on end, but other times he would tell hilarious stories. Maksim Maksimych supposed Pechorin was wealthy because he had “a lot of expensive trinkets” (12). Pechorin stayed in the Caucasus about a year, and during that time he had many strange experiences.

Maksim Maksimych recounts the story of a wedding he and Pechorin attended for the daughter of a local Tatar prince. The prince had a son, 15-year-old Azamat, who was known for his bravery and quick temper. At the wedding, Pechorin met Bela, the beautiful 16-year-old daughter of the prince, and fell instantly in love. A local trader named Kazbich also admired Bela; Kazbich was known for his excellent horse named Karagyoz.

Maksim Maksimych tells the narrator about a time when he overheard Azamat begging Kazbich to sell him his horse. Kazbich laughed him off, but Azamat said he would trade his sister, Bela, for the horse. Kazbich refused; Azamat returned to the hut and brought a party to chase Kazbich. Kazbich mounted his horse and defended himself with his sword. Pechorin wanted to stay and see how the fight ended, but Maksim Maksimych was sure it would end badly, so they rode back to the fortress.

The narrator is anxious to hear the rest of the story. The story continues thus: Kazbich gets away, and Maksim Maksimych tells Pechorin about the conversation he overheard between Kazbich and Azamat. Hearing this, Pechorin decides to play a trick on Azamat. Over the next few weeks, when Azamat visits the fortress, Pechorin sings the praises of Karagyoz, stoking Azamat’s desire for the horse. Finally, Pechorin offers Azamat the deal that Azamat offered Kazbich; Pechorin will arrange for Azamat to steal the horse if Azamat gives Pechorin his sister Bela as a gift.

Pechorin waits until Kazbich is scheduled to come to the fortress to sell them some rams and tells Azamat to bring his sister the night before. Azamat does so, and while Kazbich is having tea with Maksim Maksimych, Azamat untethers Karagyoz from his post and rides away. Kazbich is devastated, and Azamat and the horse are never seen again.

In the days that follow, Pechorin keeps Bela locked in a room with a local woman to care for her. Maksim Maksimych protests Pechorin’s behavior, but Pechorin says that by law she now belongs to him. He gives her presents, learns some of the Tatar language, and eventually entreats her to be with him.

She refuses when he forces her to kiss him, though she acknowledges that she is his slave and he could compel her if he wanted to. Pechorin is not pleased because he wants her to love him of her own accord. He sends a messenger to buy fine Persian silks and other gifts for Bela, betting Maksim Maksimych that she will succumb to him in a week.

The gifts do not have their intended effect, as Bela does not give herself to Pechorin. Finally, Pechorin pretends that he is leaving in despair because Bela refuses to love him: “Farewell! Remain absolute mistress of all I possess. Return to your father if you like—you are free” (24). Before he can leave, Bela “burst out sobbing, and threw herself on his neck” (24). Maksim Maksimych witnesses this scene and is moved to tears by the display.

The narrator is disappointed to hear that Pechorin and Bela lived happily ever after; he hoped the story would end in tragedy. Maksim Maksimych tells him that Kazbich did get revenge for Azamat stealing his horse, by murdering Azamat’s father, the prince, and riding away with his horse. Maksim Maksimych says that Kazbich was within his rights to do so because that is the law of their people, and the narrator notes that Russians have the amazing faculty of accepting the beliefs of those around them.

The next morning, they continue on their journey over the mountain. The narrator describes the magnificent scenery: “The dancing choirs of the stars were interwoven in wondrous patterns on the distant horizon […] as the wan resplendence of the east suffused the dark, lilac vault of heaven, gradually illumining the steep mountain slopes, covered with the virgin snows” (25).

The narrator tells the reader that although he may want to hear the rest of Bela’s story, “this is not a novel” (27), and he must wait until Maksim Maksimych takes up the narrative again. He urges the reader not to skip ahead because the description of them traveling over the mountain is a worthwhile read. A snowstorm develops and the mountain becomes impassable. The group takes refuge in a nearby hut run by local Ossetians that serves as a rest stop for travelers.

When they are settled, Maksim Maksimych resumes Bela’s story: The narrator guessed correctly that the story does not have a happy ending.

Pechorin and Bela live together happily for about four months, but soon Pechorin becomes restless. He goes out hunting more often, eventually staying away overnight. Maksim Maksimych visits Bela, who is upset. To cheer her up, he takes her for a walk around the ramparts of the fortress. There, they see Kazbich on his horse in the distance. Maksim Maksimych has a sentry shoot at Kazbich, but he gets away.

Soon, Pechorin returns, and Bela is happy to see him. However, he has cooled toward her. Maksim Maksimych tells Pechorin that they need to watch out for Kazbich, who likely knows that Pechorin helped Azamat steal his horse. Kazbich also had wanted to marry Bela, and now he knows she is with Pechorin. Pechorin instructs Bela not to go outside the fortress anymore and, over time, he starts to ignore her. Maksim Maksimych becomes concerned and decides to talk to Pechorin.

Pechorin explains that he easily grows bored with whatever pleasure he encounters, be it women, fashion, study, or even war. He has grown bored with Bela and has decided that he wants to travel the world. Maksim Maksimych finds this world-weary attitude strange, since Pechorin is only 25.

The narrator tells him that there are indeed many such young men in Russian society; it is a fad introduced by the English. This puzzles Maksim Maksimych, and he puts it down to the English being drunkards.

Pechorin takes Maksim Maksimych boar hunting. They stay out all day but do not catch anything. On their way back, they hear a shot in the distance and see Kazbich riding off with something strapped to his horse. Pechorin and Maksim Maksimych chase him, and Pechorin shoots the horse in the leg.

When the horse falls, they see that Kazbich is carrying Bela. He raises his dagger to stab her, but Maksim Maksimych shoots him in the shoulder. When the smoke clears, Kazbich has gotten away, but they realize he has stabbed Bela in the back, and she is unconscious. Maksim Maksimych lifts her onto Pechorin’s horse, and they ride back to the fortress.

At the fortress, the doctor examines Bela and says she has one day to live. She lives two days more but is in agony. During this time, Pechorin does not cry, which bothers Maksim Maksimych. Maksim Maksimych, for his part, is sad that Bela dies without speaking his name because he loved her like a father.

After Bela dies, Maksim Maksimych walks with Pechorin to comfort him, but while they are out, Pechorin suddenly bursts out laughing. This disturbs Maksim Maksimych. After they bury Bela, Pechorin falls ill. Three months later, he is assigned to a regiment in Georgia, and Maksim Maksimych never sees him again. Maksim Maksimych does not know what happened to Kazbich, though someone with the same name has been seen riding slowly amidst Russian gunfire.

The narrator and Maksim Maksimych part ways at the station Kobi. Maksim Maksimych stays while the narrator continues on his journey. The narrator does not expect to meet Maksim Maksimych again, but eventually they do meet, and the narrator promises to tell the story.