(298 words) Staff Captain Maxim Maximovich is the kindest and most naive character in Lermontov’s entire novel “Hero of Our Time”. He appears in two chapters - “Bela” and “Maxim Maksimych” - in the first of them he himself talks about Pechorin’s misadventures and the first to reveal his character to us. The first chapter gives a portrait of Maxim Maksimych from the words of the narrator:
He seemed fifty years old; his dark complexion showed that he had long been familiar with the Transcaucasian sun, and his prematurely gray mustache did not match his firm gait and vigorous appearance.
He knows well the habits of Caucasians, their traditions and rites, their tricks for traveling officers. Maxim Maksimych did not have a wife or children; he lived his single life as a military man. Therefore, when Pechorin pulled him into an adventure with the theft of Bela, the staff captain did not remain indifferent to the fate of the Caucasian beauty: he loved her like a daughter, and was comforted when Grigory Alexandrovich realized that wild love was boring. From this we conclude that the main characteristic of the hero is kindness. Despite the uncountable amount of trouble that Pechorin had prepared for him during the year of his stay under his command, the staff captain recalls him with warmth and love. Between them, a peculiar relationship developed: Gregory chose him as a witness to his emotional experiences, and the old man tried to brighten up the everyday life of the bizarre bored ensign.
The character in the second chapter looks different. “Good Maxim Maksimych became a stubborn, grumpy headquarters captain!” - the narrator writes, having involuntarily forced a drama between old friends. The hero, seeing Pechorin after a long separation, was ready to throw himself on his neck, and he only coldly offered his hand. This incident is not enough, so the staff captain may have left the service “for his own need” for the first time, and in response received a deliberate arrogance and hasty departure. Thus, the old man’s kind heart became another entertainment of Pechorin, which quickly lost its novelty and appeal to Gregory. Therefore, the unfortunate Maxim Maksimych, perhaps for a long time became disappointed in people and became isolated. However, his bright and cheerful image leaves us with hope for a speedy healing of the soul.
