The novel A Hero of Our Time is a Russian novel about the life of a soldier named Pechorin serving in the Caucasus, written by Mikhail Lermontov and translated into one of his most famous versions of Vladimir and Dmitri Nabokov. Throughout the novel, Lermontov's different points of view, the non-chronological flow of chapters, and the exclusion of details demonstrate that appearances can obscure one's true nature. Lermontov's multiple narrators; the nameless traveler, Maksim Maksimych, and finally Pechorin himself, all present Pechorin differently, making it unclear whether any of these represent Pechorin's true nature. The order of the chapters of Lermontov's novel, rather than the chronologically accurate order of the stories, develops Pechorin's character at different moments of his life, thus making the reasons for his changes in nature ambiguous. Finally, Lermontov's exclusion of details in crucial parts of the novel unknowingly obscures Pechorin's true nature. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Lermontov's multiple narrators throughout the novel are continually distanced from Pechorin, and thus their descriptions of Pechorin mask his true nature. Maksimych describes Pechorin to the unnamed traveler as “…a bit strange…he must have been a rich guy too…” (Lermontov 23). Maksimych, a character who appears to be a close friend of Pechorin, is described by Lermontov as unaware of many of Pechorin's strange characteristics and background, despite Maksimych's frequent and prolonged interactions with Pechorin in the Caucasus, seen through the apparent wealth of Pechorin, whom Lermontov shows Maksim as completely unaware of, before recounting his events with Pechorin. Therefore, Lermontov uses this limited understanding to emphasize the fact that Maksim did not know Pechorin well enough from their frequent interactions, thus providing an inaccurate view of Pechorin's nature. Furthermore, when Pechorin began to act coldly towards Bela, Maksim simply thought “…no doubt they must have had an argument…” despite the considerable problems Pechorin was having at the time (Lermontov 44). Lermontov describes Maksim as so ignorant of Pechorin that when Pechorin began to undergo major changes in his attitude towards those he previously loved, such as Bela, Maksim took it as a simple "tiff", usually connoting an issue or a rather insignificant problem. However, Lermontov rather shows Pechorin's problem with Bela to be much deeper than it seemed, as Pechorin believes that he is "...a cause of unhappiness to others..." and that he "[has] an insatiable heart" ( Lermontov 47). Lermontov actually demonstrates that Pechorin's problem was not a simple matter, yet Maksim took it as such due to his limited knowledge and insight into Pechorin. Therefore, Lermontov's choice of words and Maksim's inaccurate point of view help to show the other characters' ignorance in assessing Pechorin's true nature, thus hiding his true nature. Finally, in the chapter of "Maksim Maksimych", when Maksim feels sad about Pechorin's cold treatment towards him, the narrator thinks: "...just because Pechorin... offered him his hand while Maksim Maksimych wanted to throw himself on the Pechorin neck" (Lermontov 66). . Thus Lermontov illustrates the nameless traveler as entirely unaware of Pechorin's real problems, despite Maksim's Pechorin stories. Lermontov exploits this ignorance of the narrators to demonstrate that Pechorin's true nature was unknown to the characters in the apparitionsof Pechorin. Lermontov also used the non-chronological order of chapters in the book to emphasize the idea that appearances obscure one's true nature. In the story of "Bela", when Maksimych began to see Pechorin moving away from Bela, Maksimych felt that this was because "...they must have had a quarrel" (Lermontov 44). Lermontov, places the story of "Bela" in first place, although it is chronologically penultimate, simply to create an uncertainty about what happened to Pechorin chronologically before the events in "Bela". By making this change in the chronological order of events, it shows that the inaccurate perceptions that Maksim has about Pechorin's nature are simply due to the lack of context that is later gained with events such as Pechorin's love affairs with Princess Mary and Vera in the story of "Princess Mary." These events that are revealed later in Lermontov's novel, occurring chronologically before this chapter, would help explain Pechorin's true nature, but without this context, Pechorin's appearances alone do nothing but mislead from Pechorin's true nature. Therefore, Lermontov uses the non-chronological order of stories in the novel to demonstrate that appearances can obscure Pechorin's true nature. Another example of the novel's non-chronological structure obscuring Pechorin's true nature is in the story of "Maksim Maksimych", when Pechorin began to behave coldly towards Maksim Maksimych, telling him that "...he must say goodbye...[ it's] in a hurry…” (Lermontov 63). Although Lermontov's characterization of Pechorin can be interpreted as the result of Pechorin's interactions with Bela in the previous story, these reactions of Pechorin were primarily the result of his interactions with the Princess Mary and Vera in the story of "Princess Mary", which are chronologically before the story of “Maksim Maksimych”. This lack of context makes it appear that Pechorin's true nature is revealed by Lermontov, but after being revealed, Lermontov stands alone. demonstrating that Pechorin's appearances before had only led to misinterpretations of his true nature. Therefore Lermontov uses the non-chronological order of the stories to demonstrate that appearances are deceiving and cannot be used to accurately determine one's true nature. Finally, Lermontov uses the narrator's exclusion of details to show that appearances can obscure a person's true nature. When Maksim and Pechorin were with Bela as she was slowly dying, Maksim did not "...notice a single tear on [Pechorin's] eyelashes: whether he really could not cry, or whether he was controlling himself, I do not know" (Lermontov 52). Lermontov exploits the narrator's limited vision to make certain details unknown, such as Maksim's ignorance of Pechorin at times. This lack of attention to detail and overall ignorance simply demonstrate the fact that Maksim's view of Pechorin's nature is inaccurate. Therefore, Lermontov's lack of detail in Pechorin's appearances obscures Pechorin's true nature. Furthermore, later, when Bela was close to death, Maksimych "...closed [his] eyes with [his] hands and began to say a prayer" (Lermontov 53). Lermontov shows through these moments of temporary ignorance that the narrator, Maksimych, sometimes does not know what is happening around him, like in this moment when he closed his eyes for a while. Furthermore, when Kazbich visits Maksim and Bela at their home, Maksim asks Bela to “take a look… [he had] young eyes” (Lermontov 46). Lermontov portrays Maksim as unaware of details at times, such as his poor vision, which could lead to imperfect appearances. Lermontov uses this subtle ignorance of details.