In Russian poetry, the image of the devil as a symbol of doubt and negation first appeared in Pushkin's lyric poem The Devil (1827). After Pushkin, lermontov used this image and combined with Caucasian folklore to write the narrative poem Devil. Lermontov's demon image is a powerful rebel in heaven. He despises and denies the supreme power of heaven, "puts on lightning and clouds" and flies freely between heaven and earth. This theme has poured into the poet's fighting passion against the autocratic rule of the Russian czar, which has great social significance. At the same time, the arrogant devil despises everything, flies in the mountains of the Caucasus, and doubts and denies the picturesque nature and simple mountain village customs. As a result, for selfish love, she killed the heroine Tamara, took her soul and prepared to compromise with heaven. Here, the poet criticizes simple doubts and denials, and profoundly points out the harmfulness of individualism rebellion that lacks lofty ideals and is divorced from real life.
After the poet's long-term artistic refinement, long poems are dazzling, profound in ideological content and amazing in artistic expression. They are the pinnacle of lermontov's poetry and the treasure of Russian poetry.