Nihilism plays a dominant role in both Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time and The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea. Both novels target a particular character to become an example, but the circumstances of this endeavor are markedly different. In A Hero of Our Time, Pechorin "[experiences] everything that life has to offer and [finds] nothing that gives him more than passing satisfaction" (Lermontov xviii). Life has failed to provide him with any purpose worthy of his powers and as a result he turns against life and society. In The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, Noburo and his group try to go beyond established social boundaries; they don't think the rules apply to them because they are above law and order just like Pechorin is. Unlike the boys in Mishima's novel, Pechorin does not purposely try to destroy anyone's life. His escapades are merely an attempt to create “a temporary escape from boredom” (Lermontov xviii). But the boys kill the kitten and then the sailor because they believe that only with “acts like this [they] could fill the greatest voids in the world” (57). In both novels, the main characters act without regard for morality, and their contempt for worldly trivialities drives them to hurt others. Pechorin targets and ultimately kills Grushinitsky for lack of something better to occupy his talents with, while Number One and his followers use the killings to test their theoretical worldview and attempt to fill the void in the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Both novels were written in times when people were repressed and suffering. A Hero of Our Time is set in 1830s Russia, when Tsar Nicholas I suppressed anyone who wanted to express his opinion; the author uses this context to explain the tragic side of human existence. Here, a man like the protagonist – “proud, energetic, strong-willed, self-confident” – may find “that life does not live up to his expectations [and] become bitter, cynical, and bored” (xvii). The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea is set in the conservative culture of post-World War II Japan. In Lermontov's novel, Pechorin, the true nihilist, is bored and tired of life as he always knows what it has in store for him. He purposely goes against the rules of society to make life more interesting and to have fun. The only thing he is convinced of is that “one bad evening [he] had the misfortune of being born” (79). He considers his victims grist for his amusement, saying, “the world would be [a boring place] if there were no fools” (79). Similarly, in Mishima's novel, Noburo and his group believe that they are above law and order and can do whatever they want. The leader, abandoned by his parents and allowed to do whatever he wants, leads the group to kill the kitten and then the sailor. Their actions are driven by hatred towards authority figures, who only want to take away our freedom: “They hover around our heads waiting for an opportunity, and when they see something rotten, they buzz us and root us. And there is nothing they will not do to defile our freedom and our abilities” (138). Only by killing the kitten and the sailor could the group “gain true power over existence” (57). The act of killing gave the boys a sort of “snow-white certificate of merit” (61) that meant they could now do anything, “no matter how terrible” (61). Although Pechorin violates social rules, he does so purely for the sake of..