The novel-epos "War of the World" covers a large historical period, and presents many real historical characters. Leo Tolstoy managed to describe all the social strata of that time: the nobility, the aristocracy, the high society, the merchants, the peasantry, the army. The main idea of the novel is to show the feat of the Russian people who rebelled against the conqueror Napoleon. One of the most interesting storylines was the friendship between Pierre Bezukhov and Prince Andrei Bolkonsky.
The images of the heroes are very contradictory: they have different ages, different characters and social status, but they have a lot in common. The prince sees in Pierre a bright soul who can be taught life. Bolkonsky, for Pierre, becomes a mentor and role model. Both are united by the search for the values of life, the search for ideals, self-development, and a great desire to comprehend the world around them.
Bolkonsky's contemptuous and arrogant attitude towards people is the prince's initial position, even his disrespect for his own wife speaks of this. But, having passed the path of losses and disappointments, he understands both the meaninglessness of his former worldview and the value of the joys of life.
Pierre is an incredibly trusting person. He cannot resist someone else's will, and therefore obeys it. Having gone through the humiliation in captivity, he understands that the highest value lies in the person himself, the ability of the individual to satisfy the needs of his restless soul. He is constantly tormented by philosophical questions: who am I, what is good and evil, what is death? In order to comprehend happiness and wisdom, he is forced to go through hatred and disgust for himself and everything around him. It was these bouts of impotence and despair that helped the hero in the development of spiritual life.
Tolstoy argued that a person will always go hand in hand with discoveries and discoveries, as well as with losses and disappointments. Each event that happened to the heroes of the novel makes us think not only about the causes and consequences of their actions, but also about the motives that prompted them to do so. And the main motive for the friendship of Pierre and Prince Andrei is, undoubtedly, all those amazing qualities that each of them so lacks, but which they find in each other.
Introduction
After reading the famous novel by Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy "War and Peace", I experienced many life events, experienced different feelings along with his characters. Someone surprised me, someone disappointed me, someone became a good moral example, and someone was not even worthy of attention. Of course, a beloved hero appeared, whom I respect, love, understand. In the novel "War and Peace" I have several of them, because Tolstoy showed several human destinies at once, deserving special attention. But after all, the author himself has sympathy. It seems to me that Tolstoy's favorite character in the novel "War and Peace" is Pierre Bezukhov. The lines in which the writer describes Pierre (his external characteristics, mental breakdown, moral search for the right path, happiness, love) are filled with a certain feeling of kindness and respect for his hero.
Pierre Bezukhov and his path
The first time we meet Pierre is in the drawing room of Anna Pavlovna Scherer. Tolstoy describes his appearance in sufficient detail: “Pierre was clumsy. Fat, taller than usual, wide, with huge red hands ... he was absent-minded.
He does not make any impression on those around him, only Anna Pavlovna is worried that Pierre would not “do shame” for her salon. The only person who was truly delighted with Bezukhov was Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. At the very beginning of the novel, Pierre was convinced that Napoleon was right, but after a while he pursued the idea of killing Bonaparte in order to free all of Russia.
Passion for Helen Kuragina brought him only disappointment. Pierre realized that external beauty can coexist with internal ugliness. Wild life, idle evenings with the Kuragins and secular intrigues do not bring satisfaction to Pierre, and he leaves this "dissolute" path.
Freemasonry did not open the right path for him. Hopes for "eternal ideals" did not materialize, and Pierre is disappointed in the "brotherhood". Helping one's neighbor and generosity of soul were the true qualities of Pierre, and Freemasonry was already running counter to his ideals.
The collapse of his ideals changed Pierre beyond recognition. From a weak, soft "fat man" he turned into a strong man who found his true happiness and dissolved in it. Having moved fear (the episode of saving the girl), having endured captivity (knowledge of the simple human joys of life), destroying his former desires (to kill Napoleon, save Europe), Pierre went through the difficult path of moral quest for the human meaning of life.
Acquaintance with Platon Karataev revealed to Pierre a certain philosophy of life. He learns the world in other colors, understands that not everything is important and necessary. We see that Tolstoy is not indifferent to this hero, otherwise he would have “abandoned” him in the middle of the road long ago. Pierre is the favorite character in the novel. After all, the writer believes that his Pierre Bezukhov will find what he is looking for, that is bright, pure, devoted, eternal and kind. The same as he was in his essence.
Pierre's friendship with Andrei Bolkonsky
Pierre considered Bolkonsky "a model of all perfections precisely because Prince Andrei combined to the highest degree all those qualities that Pierre did not have and which can be most closely expressed by the concept of willpower." The friendship between Bolkonsky and Bezukhov passed the test. Pierre was in love with Natasha Rostova at first sight. And Bolkonsky too. When Andrei proposed to Rostova, Pierre did not betray his feelings. He was sincerely pleased with the happiness of his friend. How could Leo Tolstoy allow his beloved hero to be dishonest? Pierre showed nobility in relations with Andrei Bolkonsky. His awareness of the relationship between Rostova and Kuragin did not allow him to betray his friend. He did not laugh at Natasha, let alone Andrei. Although he could easily ruin their happiness. However, devotion to friendship, honesty in the heart did not allow Pierre to become a scoundrel.
Love for Natasha Rostova
The love of Pierre Bezukhov is also not accidental. Natasha Rostova is one of Tolstoy's favorite heroines. After a long search, moral tests, the writer rewarded his hero with real happiness. Having met Natasha at the ball, Pierre timidly invited her to dance. Natasha then did not even suspect that a new feeling was emerging in the heart of this "big fat man", which he himself had not yet recognized. Pierre Bezukhov has been waiting in the wings for a long time. But to come to him, he actually went through a difficult path.
In his heart lived love for Natasha Rostova. Maybe it was she who led him to the right decision, showed the truth, determined his future life. Natasha loved Pierre Bezukhov very much, she gave herself entirely to her family - children and husband: "the whole house was guided only by the imaginary commands of her husband, that is, the desires of Pierre, which Natasha tried to guess." Pierre deserved this happiness. L.N. Tolstoy tells us in the epilogue that, having lived in marriage with Rostova for seven years, Pierre was a self-sufficient person. He understood the meaning of life, knew that he was needed and had "a firm consciousness that he was not a bad person ... he saw himself reflected in his wife."
Conclusion
My essay on the topic "Tolstoy's favorite hero in the novel" War and Peace "is written about Pierre Bezukhov. His life is real, without embellishment. Tolstoy showed us his life for several years, opened the pages of his fate. Pierre is the writer's favorite character, this is clearly seen from the descriptions. But there are other characters in the novel who undoubtedly deserve their attention. Maybe they will be the subject of my next writings.
Artwork test
Can people who know each other always become friends? This is always a free choice, it does not concern parents and children, who, as we all know, are not chosen. Therefore, only one who can always and in everything be completely trusted, respected and reckoned with his opinion can be a friend. But friends don't always think the same way. After all, it is not in vain that the proverb says that an enemy will agree, and a true friend will argue. At the heart of the friendship between Prince Andrei and Pierre Bezukhov, who are completely different in character and have different personalities, is disinterestedness and sincerity. They are ready to support each other, to help in difficult situations. They have many disagreements, but they have one thing in common - this is the desire for useful activities. Their common goal is a fulfilling and meaningful life. As two opposites attract, so these two people in the whole crowd found each other. They will meet at one of the high-society evenings, held among many guests, glitter of jewelry and expensive outfits, where false courtesy reigns, artificial smiles, and "ceremonial" conversations are conducted.Two dissimilar people, among all the rest, will find each other, they will not part until the end of days one of them.
The friendship of these two men, the refined aristocrat - Bolkonsky and the illegitimate born son of a noble nobleman - Pierre, seems strange. Bolkonsky is his own in this society, he is accepted by everyone in this society, with his impeccable manners. Educated and flexible mind. And Pierre, having first appeared in this living room, without observing the rules of etiquette, begins a dispute about Napoleon. Everything here is new to him and therefore interesting: both the conversations and the people who lead them. They sincerely rejoiced at the meeting. Having known each other since childhood, they did not meet each other for several years. They have something to talk about, even despite these years and the difference in their age. What can unite them now, why are they interesting for each other? Both young people are at a crossroads, their thoughts are not a career, but the meaning of life, and useful, worthy of a person, activity. They both know what they want, what to strive for. Neither the naive Pierre nor Prince Andrei knows this. Bolkonsky's life, which he leads, he himself does not like, he considers it a failure and is constantly looking for a way out of this situation. He tries to influence Pierre, to convince him that he can be useful in various fields, warns him about the bad influence of the company Kuragin and Dolokhov.
These two friends talk not only about their personal problems, the name of Napoleon, which causes not only indignation, but also fear, was then on the lips of the entire court society. The friends perceive him differently. Thus, Pierre, ardently defending, justifies his cruelty as necessary to preserve the gains of the French Revolution. Prince Andrei is attracted to Bonaparte by his eccentricity, as a great commander who, thanks to his talent, rose to the very pinnacle of glory.In many matters, friends do not agree with each other, but they retain the right to their own judgment and choice. Prince Bolkonsky, being more experienced, fears for his friend, for the negative and corrupting influence that the environment in which Pierre finds himself can have. For Bezukhov, his friend is a model of all perfections, but he does not listen to his advice, so he learns from his own mistakes. Fate will test friends more than once, but they never forgot about each other, no matter how difficult the situation they were in. Everyone has a struggle with himself, sometimes they win it, sometimes they fail, but still they stubbornly continue it, they never give up. In the novel, we see two different people who supported each other all the time, became better, somewhere fairer and purer in soul. One can only dream of such friendship and mutual assistance these days.
Why do people become friends? If parents, children, relatives are not chosen, then everyone is free to choose friends. Therefore, a friend is a person whom we fully trust, whom we respect, whose opinion we take into account. But this does not mean that friends should think the same way. A folk proverb says: "The enemy agrees, but the friend argues." Sincerity and disinterestedness, mutual understanding and readiness to support, help - this is the basis of true friendship, such as the friendship of Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov, different in character, with different personalities, but with a common desire for a meaningful, fulfilling life, for useful activity.
"The soul must work" - these words, spoken a century after the creation of "War and Peace", could become the motto of their life, their friendship. The reader's attention to Prince Andrei and Pierre is riveted from the first pages of the novel. Imagine a high society evening in the salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherer. Eminent guests, the brilliance of dresses and jewelry, false courtesies, artificial smiles, "decency" conversations. Two people, so unlike everyone else, found each other in the crowd of guests so as not to be separated until the end of the life of one of them.
How different they are: the refined aristocrat Prince Bolkonsky, and the illegitimate son of the noble Catherine's nobleman Count Bezukhov Pierre. Prince Andrei is here. He is accepted in the world, smart, educated, his manners are impeccable. And the appearance of Pierre frightens Anna Pavlovna. Tolstoy explains that her fear "could only relate to that intelligent and at the same time timid, observant and natural look that distinguished him from everyone else in this living room." Andrei Bolkonsky is frankly bored this evening, he is tired of everything and everyone, but Pierre is not bored: he is interested in people, their conversations. Not observing etiquette, he "breaks" into disputes about Napoleon, disrupting the course of a "decent conversational machine." They were happy to meet. Familiar from childhood, young people have not seen each other for a long time. They have something to tell each other, despite the difference in age.
What unites them now, why are they interested in each other? Both are at a crossroads. Both think not about a career, but about the meaning of life, about a useful, worthy activity for a person. They still do not know what they want, what they should strive for, not only the naive Pierre does not understand this, but also Prince Andrei, but Bolkonsky knows for sure that the life he leads is not according to him. He believes that life has failed, he rushes about, looking for a way out. However, this does not prevent him from trying to influence Pierre, to convince him that he “will be good” in any field, he just needs to stay away from the company of Dolokhov and Anatole Kuragin. They are not only concerned with personal problems. The name of Napoleon is on everyone's lips. It causes fear and indignation in court society. Pierre and Prince Andrei perceive him differently. Pierre passionately defends Napoleon, justifying his cruelty by the need to preserve the gains of the revolution; Prince Andrei is attracted to Bonaparte by the eccentricity of the commander, elevated to the pinnacle of glory with his talent.
In many respects disagreeing with each other, they recognize the right of everyone to their own judgments, to their own choice. But at the same time, the more experienced Bolkonsky is afraid (and, unfortunately, he is right!) Of the corrupting influence on Pierre of the environment in which he found himself. And Pierre, considering Prince Andrei a model of all perfections, all the same does not heed his advice and is forced to learn from his own mistakes.
They still have a lot to do. Both cannot help but think, both fight with themselves, often fail in this struggle, but do not give up, but continue to "fight, get confused, make mistakes, start and quit ..." (L. N. Tolstoy). And this, according to Tolstoy, is the main thing - not to be pleased with yourself, to judge and punish yourself, to overcome yourself again and again. No matter how fate tests Prince Andrei and Pierre, they do not forget about each other.
Here, having experienced a lot, matured Pierre calls in on the widowed Prince Andrei in Bogucharovo after a trip to his estates. He is active, full of life, hopes, aspirations. Having become a Freemason, he became interested in the idea of internal purification, believed in the possibility of the brotherhood of people, did, as it seemed to him, a lot to alleviate the situation of the peasants. And Prince Andrei, who survived his "Austerlitz", lost faith in life, is depressed and gloomy. Bezukhov was struck by a change in him: "... the words were affectionate, the smile was on the lips and face of Prince Andrei, but his gaze was extinct, dead."
I think it is not by chance that the writer collides his heroes at this very moment, when one of them, trying to live for others, “understood all the happiness of life”, and the other, having lost his wife, parted with the dream of fame, decided to live only for himself and his loved ones. , "avoiding only two evils - remorse and disease". If they are connected by true friendship, this meeting is necessary for both. Pierre is inspired, he shares his new thoughts with Prince Andrei, but Bolkonsky listens to him incredulously and gloomily, does not want to talk about himself, does not even hide that he is not interested in everything that Pierre is talking about, but does not refuse to argue. Bezukhov proclaims that it is necessary to do good to people, and Prince Andrei believes that it is enough not to harm anyone. It seems that Pierre is right in this dispute, but in fact everything is more complicated. Prince Andrei, who had that “practical tenacity" that Pierre did not have, manages to do much of what his friend dreams of and cannot achieve: he is older, more experienced, knows life and people better.
The dispute, at first glance, did not change anything. However, the meeting with Pierre made a strong impression on Prince Andrei, she "woke up something that had long fallen asleep, something better that was in him." Apparently, Bezukhov's "heart of gold" did not let him down when he was not afraid to hurt a friend, offend the prince's grief, convincing him that life goes on, that much is yet to come. He helped Prince Andrei take the first step towards inner rebirth, towards a new life, towards love.
It seems to me that, had it not been for the Bogucharov meeting, Bolkonsky would not have noticed either the poetic moonlit night in Otradnoye, or the lovely girl who would soon enter his life and change it, and the old oak tree would not have helped him to draw such an important conclusion: “No, life is not over at thirty-one… It is necessary that everyone knows me, so that my life goes on not for me alone… So that it is reflected on everyone and that they all live with me.” In two months he will leave for St. Petersburg in order to be useful to people, and Pierre, under the influence of a conversation with Bolkonsky, looking more closely at the Masonic brothers, realized that their correct words about the brotherhood of people hide their own goal - “the uniforms and crosses that they sought in life". This, in fact, began his break with Freemasonry.
Both friends still have many hopes, sorrows, falls, ups and downs ahead. But one thing, the main thing that unites them, both of them will retain - a constant desire to seek truth, goodness and justice. And how happy Pierre is when he learns that Prince Andrei fell in love with Natasha Rostov, how beautiful and generous he is when he hides his feelings for her, moreover, he persuades his friend to forgive the girl for her passion for Anatoly Kuragin. Having failed to achieve this, Pierre painfully experiences their breakup, it hurts for both of them, he fights for their love, not thinking about himself. Before the events of 1812, Tolstoy again leads his friends to a deep crisis: Prince Andrei became disillusioned with state activity, his hope for personal happiness collapsed, his faith in people was trampled; Pierre broke with Freemasonry, loves Natasha unrequitedly. How difficult it is for both, and how they need each other! The events of 1812 are a severe test for both, and both stand it with honor, having found their place in the fight against the invaders. Before the Battle of Borodino, Pierre had to see Prince Andrei, because only he alone could explain to him everything that was happening. And so they meet. Pierre's expectations come true: Bolkonsky explains to him the situation in the army. Now Bezukhov understood that "hidden warmth ... of patriotism" that flared up before his eyes. And for Prince Andrei, a conversation with Pierre is very important: expressing his thoughts to a friend, he felt that he might not return from this field, and, probably, he felt sorry for his life, loved ones, his friendship with this huge, ridiculous, beautiful Pierre, but Andrei Bolkonsky - the true son of his father - restrains himself, does not betray the excitement that gripped him.
They don't have to talk anymore. A wonderful friendship was cut short by an enemy grenade. No, it didn't break though. The deceased friend will forever remain next to Pierre as the most precious memory, as the most sacred thing that he had in his life. He still mentally consults with Prince Andrei and, making the main decision in his life - to actively fight evil, I am sure that Prince Andrei would be on his side. Pierre proudly speaks about this to Nikolenka Bolkonsky, the fifteen-year-old son of Prince Andrei, because he wants to see in the boy the heir of the thoughts and feelings of a person who has not died for him and will never die. What united two wonderful people: the constant work of the soul, the tireless search for truth, the desire to always be clean before one's conscience, to benefit people - is immortal. There is something in human feelings that is always modern. The pages of "War and Peace", dedicated to the friendship of such different and equally wonderful people as Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov, are unforgettable. After all, before our eyes, these people, supporting each other, are becoming better, cleaner, fairer. Everyone dreams of such friends and such friendship.
