Mikhail Lermontov’s protagonist, Grigory Pechorin, belongs to that group of literary characters known individually as the “superfluous man.” Generally an intelligent, educated individual, the superfluous man would appear to be one who has been either unjustly treated or outcast by society in general. The superfluous man attempts to find a place for himself in the world, but perhaps due to the combination of his talents, upbringing, personality and intelligence, continually finds himself on the outs with his peers. If the ab ....