Pechorin is the story’s main character, and he’s the dictionary definition of an antihero. He acts on his desires and manipulates others in order to achieve what he wants, often with little to no regard of the impact he has on others. Take the abduction of Bela, for example. Pechorin had Azamat steal his own sister to give to Pechorin in exchange for the chance to steal someone’s horse. This negatively impacted several lives, including Bela’s, who became depressed after being abducted, Azamat, who had to go into hiding and likely got himself killed in a guerrilla army, and Kazbich, who had his prized possession stolen. All of these negative actions were a result of Pechorin’s selfish desires to have Bela as a lover. Bela’s initial misery may be overlooked by her eventual love towards Pechorin, but he then started to ignore her, again fitting the antihero mold by abandoning someone after he had seemingly grown bored of her, according to his friend Max.

Despite his often-negative impact on others and his inability to recognize those impacts, I believe that Pechorin can truly love someone, just in his own way. After Kazbich returned to the castle they were staying at and abducted Bela, Pechorin chased after him to get her back. When she was stabbed, Pechorin was visibly anguished over his lover’s mortal injuries. His attempts at reviving her through kisses at the moment she was stabbed illustrate a distraught man desperately trying to save someone he cares about. If he didn’t truly love her, I believe that he would not have been so distraught over her stabbing. In the same vein, he refused to leave her bedside, even when she told him to rest, only leaving to get her water. I believe these are the actions of a man deeply invested in someone he loves, even though he couldn’t show it before. Other instances of what I believe is real love include after her abduction, when Pechorin is doing his best to console her, as someone who is indifferent towards a woman wouldn’t have put in that kind of effort.

This points to the notion of a complex, nuanced character who embodies more than just the spirit of a selfish man, but also someone capable of feeling powerful connections and true pain.