Narcissism is a trait that everyone should be familiar with, as you never know when you may end up a victim when encountering individuals with narcissistic tendencies and personalities. Understanding what narcissism is, and the various symptoms of it can save many people from going into unhealthy relationships. In many cases, individuals with a narcissistic personality end up ruining relationships with other individuals for the sake of protecting and inflating their own egos. These individuals crave attention, like to have a sense of dominance or power over other people, and are so self-absorbed in their own image that they lack empathy for others. Pechorin, a young man within Mikhail Lermontov’s “A Hero of Our Time-Princess Mary”, fits the very description of an individual with narcissistic tendencies. In the story, we see Pechorin develop and ruin relationships he has with several people, manipulating both men and women to satisfy his ego, and even taking advantage of 19th-century Russian society’s cultural expectations. While he may be a narcissist, he proves to be one yet so effortlessly, utilizing his intelligence to prey upon those who can sate his ego and those that intrigue him because they seem different from the rest of society. Pechorin is a narcissist who feeds his curiosity and ego through the suffering and manipulation of others within his vicinity, which inevitably ruins many of his relationships with individuals in the Caucasus. Showing how narcissism is destructive towards those affected by it, and those who embrace the practice of it.

Pechorin is a man of complicated tastes, he does not simply love a woman, he isn’t attracted to individuals he feels romantic love for, but rather individuals that he believes may prove to be a challenge when trying to conquer them mentally and emotionally. Almost everything he does somehow correlates with feeding into his insatiable ego and sense of pride in his own image. In the text, it states, “have studied, for a long time, the mountain peoples’ style of riding: there is no better way of flattering my vanity than to acknowledge my skill in riding a horse in the Caucasian fashion.”(103). This goes to show how even Pechorin himself is aware that he fancies doing anything that could make him seem more prideful and improve his social image. When it comes to romantic love, Pechorin has an acquired taste for women who he believes may prove to be a challenge trying to conquer. In essence, he seeks to conquer women mentally and emotionally, the harder the challenge the more fulfilling it is for him in the end. In this story, he sets his eyes on Princess Mary, a female who upon reaching the Caucasus, had developed a crowd of attention and attraction from men flocking to her in groups like birds seeking bread bits in the parks. Within the text, it states, “so pleasingly constricted at the ankle her spare little foot, that even one uninitiated into the mysteries of beauty would have certainly uttered an exclamation, if only of surprise. Her light yet noble gait had something virginal about it that escaped definition, but was comprehensible to the gaze.” (86). We can observe here that Princess Mary has indeed ramped up Pechorin’s curiosity, and so began Pechorin’s journey to conquer her. Pechorin fits the Casanova womanizer description, and we see him do so as he pursues Mary. He studies her, experiments on how she reacts to different actions and tests how easily he could manipulate her. According to the text, it states, “The young princess kept begging her mamma not to be stingy; that rug would be such an adornment for her dressing room! I offered forty roubles more and outbid her; for this, I was rewarded by a glance in which glittered the most exquisite rage.” (97). Here, we see Pechorin executing his plan to conquer Princess Mary, by first gaining her attention and curiosity. Even though he gets her attention by infuriating her, he still obtains it, which is exactly what he wants. Further on, during the ball, Pechorin manipulates Nobleman’s etiquette and mannerisms to gain Princess Mary’s favor. According to the text it states, “I went up to the drunk, took him rather firmly by the arm and looking steadily into his eyes, asked him to go away, because, I added, the princess had long ago promised to dance the mazurka with me.” (109). Here, we see that Pechorin almost swoops in like a white knight who is here to save the day, which in Mary’s eyes made him look like a hero. This is all a part of Pechorin’s plan to conquer Mary emotionally. Displaying again, how perfectly Pechorin fits into the category of a Casanova womanizer type.

Although, some may say that this was not part of Pechorin’s plan based on narcissistic motives. Perhaps he really was in love, or at least had feelings for Princess Mary, which is what led to him rescuing her from that situation. It is possible that while he may not have been completely in love with Mary, he felt slight empathy for her, and understood that she had to follow etiquette by accepting the drunken man’s request to a dance at the Mazurka.

However, going back to how Pechorin had narcissistic motives in play, Pechorin further sates his ego by trying to get into relationships and being the dominant partner through a power struggle. He is more intrigued by women that are not so easily swayed and submissive, but rather women that he finds difficult to tame. There is a myriad of events in the story that display a sense of power struggle between Mary and Pechorin. One of the key examples of power struggle being displayed is when Mary and Pechorin are walking, and Mary has an outburst, asking Pechorin if he really loves her or not. In the text, it states, “She felt better; she wanted to free herself from my arm, but I wound it still tighter around her tender, soft body; my cheek almost touched her cheek; flame emanated from it.” (133). This is the physical power struggle that foreshadows the mental power struggle which occurs immediately after. It depicts how Mary felt vulnerable in this moment and wanted to get away from Pechorin for a moment to cool down, but he refuses to let her go during this moment of vulnerability. It then states within the text, “Either you despise me, or love me very much!’ she said at last, in a voice in which there were tears. ‘Perhaps you want to laugh at me, to trouble my soul, and then leave me . . . It would be so base, so mean, that the mere supposition … Oh no! Isn’t it true,’ she added in a tone of tender trust, ‘isn’t it true that there is nothing in me that would preclude respect? Your insolent action . . . I must, I must forgive it you because I allowed it…” (133). A series of things occur here, the first being that Pechorin had emotionally conquered Mary, since she is now desperate and dependent on him for a response, as to whether he loves her or simply taunts her. She then begins to put the pieces together and assumes that Pechorin may just be trying to toy with her, mess with her emotions, and then abandon her, and so she leaves him. To a sense this is true, as Pechorin only stays with women until he can satisfy his ego’s cravings with them, then he moves on to the next to conquer. We see that this momentary scene does in fact feed his ego as it states in the text, “In the last words, there was such feminine impatience that I could not help smiling. Fortunately, it was beginning to get dark … I did not answer anything.” (133). The smile indicates that Pechorin felt some sort of satisfaction or pleasure, from the emotional desperation that he caused Mary to develop by manipulating her. He realized at this moment that he has pretty much won the power struggle and that he does not have much use for Mary anymore.

Pechorin utilizes various methods of manipulation to make people suffer and thus sate his ego’s cravings. One of the prime examples of this is his relationship with Grushnitsky. Near the beginning of the story, they begin as friends, and later have a fall out due to Pechorin’s manipulations. Pechorin convinces Grushnitsky, with the idea that he has a chance to make Mary fall in love with him. Just to mock Grushnitsky, by manipulating Mary into losing interest in him and falling for Pechorin instead. Within the text, it states, “’Including even my friend Grushnitsky?’ ‘Why, is he your friend?’ she said, revealing some doubt. ‘Yes.’ ‘He does not enter, of course, into the category of dull people.’ ‘Rather the category of unfortunate ones,’ I said laughing. ‘Of course! You find it funny? I wish you were in his place.’ ‘Well, I used to be a cadet myself, and indeed it was the very best time of my life!’ ‘But is he a cadet? … ‘she said quickly, and then added: ‘I thought that … ‘ ‘What is it you thought?’ ‘Nothing! … Who is that lady?’” (110). This entire scene during the Mazurka depicts how methodically Pechorin makes Mary lose any potential interest she may have had in Grushnitksy. He knew that Mary was unaware of Grushnitsky being a cadet, while also talking down on him by referring to him as an unfortunate individual. Further on, we can see Pechorin observing how Mary reacts to Grushnitsky’s presence, after what he said about him. In the text, it states, “She did not hear me out, moved away, sat down next to Grushnitsky, and there started between them some kind of sentimental conversation. The young princess, it seemed, replied rather absently and irrelevantly to his wise pronouncements, though she tried to show that she listened to him with attention, for now, and then he would glance at her with surprise, trying to guess the reason for the inward agitation that expressed itself…” (114). This shows how observative Pechorin is when he manipulates someone, as he needs to assess how they react to his manipulations. He gains pleasure and satisfaction from seeing Grushnitsky agitated by the Princess’s disinterest in him.

As you can see, Pechorin is a prime example of a narcissist who also identifies as a Casanova type womanizer. He shows how narcissism can ruin relationships people have with others, for the sake of their own ego and pride, along with how narcissism leads to a lack of empathy for friends and lovers, which can only lead to a destructive path.

Works Cited:

*“Princess Mary.” A Hero of Our Time, by Lermontov Mikhail., Penguin Books, 2009.