The comparison between "The House of Spirits" by Isabel Allende and "The Hero of our Time" by Mikhail Lermontov

Esteban Trueba, from "The House of the Spirits" by Isabel Allende, and Pechorin, from "A Hero of Our Time" by Mikhail Lermontov, both appear to be Byronic Heroes in each novel. However, Esteban is found not to be the Byronic Hero when closely examined. Pechorin is what he first appears to be. He has a demonic nature, possesses dark qualities, and is destructive of others throughout the entire novel. While Esteban appears to also have …

…to be completely different from what is expected when closely examined. Esteban alone may be portrayed as a Byronic Hero, however, through thorough analysis, he is not what he seems to be. He makes mistakes but with good intentions. In contrast to Pechorin, he is destructive, emotionless, and demonic in nature. By Both authors characterizing these two people with such differences, Allende and Lermontov warns readers not to simply judge a book by its cover.