Notes

Before starting to talk about the book I’d like first to say that at first I thought it would be a fantasy, judging from your own style and from Master and Margarita. But I was, once more, wrong.
The all structure of the book was somehow special. Didn’t expect it to be that way; maybe I was waiting for the usual storyline. For instance the way of the narration at the beginning which had realism in it, and seemed like the narrator is talking normally to us –the readers. Also how Petchorin was introduced through the different and distinct stories. And this gave me space to imagine the new adventure of his in Persia and what other destructions he may have caused. Another point that made it special is that it was held in Caucasia showing then a good part of that region culture and life.
I’d like to point that I didn’t read about the novel, in what time it was written and what were the circumstances. I believe this in itself a big mistake I did, because taking a look at the book’s history helps to understand the events and the characters.
Actually, when I aimed to begin my review writing I realized I didn’t have a clear picture for the hero, or the antihero just like he was called, a term I personally agree with.
I wouldn’t say I hated Petchorin, it was more like despise. One may think this is a natural point of view of a female reader regarding his relationships with women. It however is not the case. I did have that low opinion because of his cold and unsympathetic attitude towards Maxim while this one was pleasant seeing him. And his cruel duel with Groushnitsky. I have even qualified that scene as evil. The whole duel thing reminded me of Anton Chekhov’s novella “the Duel”. Nevertheless in this latter, none of the two adversaries died.
Honestly I didn’t expect Petchorin would kill him, but he did. This end was shocking. Groushnitsky’s death filled my heart with sadness and anger.
I have also taken a look at some other readers’ reviews and analyses, where Petchorin had been considered to be nihilist. I’m not sure about this nihilism thing. I didn’t see it, nor feel it. Did I miss anything? Or maybe because, as I stated earlier, I couldn’t understand the character well. However I surely had my personal view and have qualified him as a cold courageous bored indifferent selfish curious vain man.
Would these boredom, coldness and indifference be part of his nihilism? Maybe.
As for his relationship with women, it didn’t really interest me. I don’t know why, despite it showed an interesting side of his complicated and complex personality.
Talking now about the events and as I said before, my favorite part was “The fatalist”. Why? Because it talked about a concept that does have a big impact on me since it is such important in the culture of the society I’m living in. Also I’ve had lot of debates with my family and my friends about it all over years. It’s as you know “the predestination”. We call here in our colloquialism “mektub”; I believe you already know that word, don’t you? It literally means the “the written”, something like our whole life is written in some Divine Book from the first day in the womb till death. So, that interested me to see how this theme, which was not expected, would be broached in this book. It actually was ….How to say it? Awkward? Delicate?
And at the end, was “predestination” actually confirmed or not? That was complicated and ambiguous to me. I was seriously thinking about it, and got very confused.
Vulich did presume, if he wouldn’t die that day, predestination exists. How would this actually prove the mektub? On the other hand, what if he actually died? This also could have been predestination. Besides, his winning was declared even though the day still didn’t end at that time. YES, Vulich actually died –which was predictable- and Petchorin was right. So, does that make him the winner of that bet? NO!
The question I ask now is how did Petchorin feel Vulich’s end? Was it intuition? Could he somehow see in this “Devine Book”, he who didn’t believe in the concept of predestination? Or maybe…. Or maybe I shall just give up? Yes, I shall and I now have to talk BRIEFLY of something else, or I’ll keep the whole day giving my analyses about the Fatalist.
The something else I want to talk BRIEFLY about, is “Taman”. It was like the black spot in a white area. It changed the atmosphere of the plot even though it was in the beginning of the book. I remember myself reading it at night, and gave me some heart beats. I wouldn’t say it was scary; it however had its own creepiness and made me remember the old horror stories that marked my childhood.
I was as curious as Petchorin to see what was actually happening and what is going to happen. I can safely say I liked Petchorin in this whole part. The curiosity of him could gain my admiration.
I shall stop here now. It really got longer than I expected.
Thank you once more for suggesting this masterpiece. Too bad I couldn’t read it in its language, I’m sure it would have been better.