Alexey Durnovo talks about the prototypes of the heroes of Leo Tolstoy's famous epic.
Prince Andrei Bolkonsky
Nikolai Tuchkov
One of those characters whose image is more fictional than borrowed from specific people. As an unattainable moral ideal, Prince Andrei, of course, could not have a definite prototype. Nevertheless, in the facts of the character's biography, one can find a lot in common, for example, with Nikolai Tuchkov.
Nikolai Rostov and Princess Marya - the writer's parents
He, just like Prince Andrei, was mortally wounded in the Battle of Borodino, from which he died in Yaroslavl three weeks later. The scene of the wounding of Prince Andrei at the Battle of Austerlitz is probably borrowed from the biography of Staff Captain Fyodor (Ferdinand) Tizenhausen. He died with a banner in his hands, when he led the Little Russian grenadier regiment to the enemy bayonets in that very battle. It is possible that Tolstoy gave the image of Prince Andrei the features of his brother, Sergei. At least this applies to the story of the failed marriage of Bolkonsky and Natasha Rostova. Sergei Tolstoy was engaged to Tatyana Bers, but the marriage, postponed for a year, never took place. Either because of the inappropriate behavior of the bride, or because the groom had a gypsy wife, whom he did not want to part with.
Natasha Rostova
Sofya Tolstaya - the writer's wife
Natasha has two prototypes at once, the already mentioned Tatyana Bers and her sister Sophia Bers. Here it should be noted that Sophia is none other than the wife of Leo Tolstoy. Tatyana Bers married Senator Alexander Kuzminsky in 1867. She spent most of her childhood in the family of a writer and managed to make friends with the author of War and Peace, even though she was almost 20 years younger than him. Moreover, under the influence of Tolstoy, Kuzminskaya herself took up literary work. It seems that every person who went to school knows about Sofya Andreevna Tolstaya. She really rewrote War and Peace, a novel whose main character had many similarities with the author's wife.
Rostov
Ilya Andreevich Tolstoy - the grandfather of the writer
The surname Rostov was formed by replacing the first and last letters in the surname Tolstoy. "P" instead of "t", "v" instead of "d", well, minus "l". So the family, which occupies an important place in the novel, acquired a new name. The Rostovs are the Tolstoys, or rather the writer's paternal relatives. There is even a coincidence in the names, as in the case of the old Count Rostov.
Even Tolstoy did not hide the fact that Vasily Denisov is Denis Davydov
This name hides the writer's grandfather Ilya Andreevich Tolstoy. This man, in fact, led a rather wasteful lifestyle and spent enormous sums on entertainment events. And yet, this is not the good-natured Ilya Andreevich Rostov from War and Peace. Count Tolstoy was the governor of Kazan and a bribe taker known throughout Russia. He was removed from his post after the auditors discovered the theft of almost 15 thousand rubles from the provincial treasury. Tolstoy explained the loss of money by a "lack of knowledge."
Nikolai Rostov is the father of the writer Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy. There are more than enough similarities between the prototype and the hero of War and Peace. Nikolai Tolstoy served in the hussars and went through all the Napoleonic wars, including the Patriotic War of 1812. It is believed that the descriptions of military scenes with the participation of Nikolai Rostov were taken by the writer from the memoirs of his father. Moreover, Tolstoy Sr. completed the financial collapse of the family with constant losses in cards and debts, and to remedy the situation, he married the ugly and withdrawn Princess Maria Volkonskaya, who was four years older than him.
Princess Mary
The mother of Leo Tolstoy, Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya, by the way, is also the full namesake of the book heroine. Unlike Princess Marya, she had no problems with the sciences, in particular with mathematics and geometry. She lived for 30 years with her father in Yasnaya Polyana (Bald Mountains from the novel), but never married, although she was a very enviable bride. The fact is that the old prince, in fact, had a monstrous character, and his daughter was a closed woman and personally rejected several suitors.
Dolokhov's prototype probably ate his own orangutan
Princess Volkonskaya even had a companion - Miss Hanessen, somewhat similar to Mademoiselle Bourienne from the novel. After the death of her father, the daughter began to literally give away property, after which her relatives intervened, arranging the marriage of Maria Nikolaevna with Nikolai Tolstoy. Judging by the memoirs of contemporaries, the arranged marriage turned out to be very happy, but short-lived. Maria Volkonskaya died eight years after the wedding, having managed to give birth to her husband four children.
Old Prince Bolkonsky
Nikolai Volkonsky, who left the royal service for the sake of raising his only daughter
Nikolai Sergeevich Volkonsky - an infantry general who distinguished himself in several battles and received the nickname "King of Prussia" from his colleagues. In character, he is very similar to the old prince: proud, self-willed, but not cruel. He left the service after the accession of Paul I, retired to Yasnaya Polyana and took up raising his daughter.
The prototype of Ilya Rostov is Tolstoy's grandfather, who ruined his career
For days on end he improved his household and taught his daughter languages and sciences. An important difference from the character from the book: Prince Nikolai perfectly survived the War of 1812, and died only nine years later, a little short of seventy.
Sonya
Tatyana Ergolskaya is the second cousin of Nikolai Tolstoy, who was brought up in his father's house. In their youth, they had an affair that never ended in marriage. Not only Nikolai's parents opposed the wedding, but Yergolskaya herself. The last time she rejected a marriage proposal from her cousin was in 1836. The widowed Tolstoy asked for the hand of Yergolskaya, so that she would become his wife and replace the mother of five children. Ergolskaya refused, but after the death of Nikolai Tolstoy, she really took up the education of his sons and daughter, devoting the rest of her life to them.
Dolokhov
Fedor Tolstoy-American
Dolokhov also has several prototypes. Among them, for example, lieutenant general and partisan Ivan Dorokhov, the hero of several major campaigns, including the war of 1812. However, if we talk about character, then Dolokhov has more similarities with Fedor Ivanovich Tolstoy-American, who was famous in his time as a breter, player and lover of women. It must be said that Tolstoy is not the only writer who has placed the American in his works. Fedor Ivanovich is also considered the prototype of Zaretsky, Lensky's second from Eugene Onegin. Tolstoy got his nickname after he made a trip to America, during which he was taken off the ship and ate his own monkey.
Kuragins
Alexey Borisovich Kurakin
In this case, it is difficult to talk about the family, because the images of Prince Vasily, Anatole and Helen are borrowed from several people who are not related by kinship. Kuragin Sr. is undoubtedly Alexei Borisovich Kurakin, a prominent courtier during the reigns of Paul I and Alexander I, who made a brilliant career at court and made a fortune.
Prototypes of Helen - the wife of Bagration and the mistress of a classmate of Pushkin
He had three children, exactly like Prince Vasily, of whom his daughter brought him the most trouble. Alexandra Alekseevna really had a scandalous reputation, especially her divorce from her husband made a lot of noise in the world. Prince Kurakin, in one of his letters, even called his daughter the main burden of his old age. Looks like a character from War and Peace, doesn't it? Although, Vasily Kuragin spoke a little differently.
Anatole Kuragin, apparently, has no prototype, except for Anatoly Lvovich Shostak, who at one time seduced Tatiana Bers.
Ekaterina Skavronskaya-Bagration
As for Helen, her image is taken from several women at once. In addition to some similarities with Alexandra Kurakina, she has much in common with Ekaterina Skvaronskaya (Bagration's wife), who was known for her careless behavior not only in Russia, but also in Europe. At home, she was called the "Wandering Princess", and in Austria she was known as the mistress of Clemens Metternich, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Empire. From him, Ekaterina Skavronskaya gave birth - of course, out of wedlock - a daughter, Clementine. Perhaps it was the "Wandering Princess" that contributed to the entry of Austria into the anti-Napoleonic coalition. Another woman from whom Tolstoy could borrow Helen's traits is Nadezhda Akinfova. She was born in 1840 and was very famous in St. Petersburg and Moscow as a woman of scandalous reputation and rampant disposition. She gained wide popularity thanks to an affair with Chancellor Alexander Gorchakov, a classmate of Pushkin. By the way, he was 40 years older than Akinfova, the husband who was the chancellor's great-nephew.
Vasily Denisov
Denis Davydov
Every schoolchild knows that Denis Davydov was the prototype of Vasily Denisov. Tolstoy himself acknowledged this.
Julie Karagina
There is an opinion that Julie Karagina is Varvara Alexandrovna Lanskaya. She is known exclusively for the fact that she had a long correspondence with her friend Maria Volkova. From these letters Tolstoy studied the history of the War of 1812. Moreover, they almost completely entered War and Peace under the guise of correspondence between Princess Marya and Julie Karagina.
Pierre Bezukhov
Petr Vyazemsky
Alas, Pierre does not have any obvious or even approximate prototype. This character has similarities both with Tolstoy himself and with many historical figures who lived during the time of the writer and during the Patriotic War. There is, for example, a curious story about how the historian and poet Pyotr Vyazemsky went to the site of the Battle of Borodino. Allegedly, this incident formed the basis of the story of how Pierre traveled to Borodino. But Vyazemsky was at that time a military man, and he arrived on the battlefield not by an internal call, but by official duties.
"War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy is not just a classic novel, but a real heroic epic, the literary value of which is incomparable with any other work. The writer himself considered it a poem, where the private life of a person is inseparable from the history of the whole country.
It took Leo Tolstoy seven years to perfect his novel. Back in 1863, the writer more than once discussed plans to create a large-scale literary canvas with his father-in-law A.E. Bers. In September of the same year, the father of Tolstoy's wife sent a letter from Moscow, where he mentioned the writer's idea. Historians consider this date the official start of work on the epic. A month later, Tolstoy writes to his relative that all his time and attention is occupied by a new novel, over which he thinks like never before.
History of creation
The initial idea of the writer was to create a work about the Decembrists, who spent 30 years in exile and returned home. The starting point described in the novel was to be 1856. But then Tolstoy changed his plans, deciding to display everything from the beginning of the Decembrist uprising of 1825. And this was not destined to come true: the third idea of the writer was the desire to describe the young years of the hero, which coincided with large-scale historical events: the war of 1812. The final version was the period from 1805. The circle of heroes was also expanded: the events in the novel cover the history of many personalities who went through all the hardships of different historical periods in the life of the country.
The title of the novel also had several variants. The “working” name was “Three Pores”: the youth of the Decembrists during the Patriotic War of 1812; The Decembrist uprising of 1825 and the 50s of the 19th century, when several important events in the history of Russia took place at once - the Crimean War, the death of Nicholas I, the return of the amnestied Decembrists from Siberia. In the final version, the writer decided to focus on the first period, since writing a novel even on such a scale required a lot of effort and time. So instead of an ordinary work, a whole epic was born, which has no analogues in world literature.
Tolstoy devoted the entire autumn and early winter of 1856 to writing the beginning of War and Peace. Already at that time, he repeatedly tried to quit his job, because, in his opinion, it was not possible to convey the whole idea on paper. Historians say that in the writer's archive there were fifteen options for the beginning of the epic. In the process of work, Lev Nikolayevich tried for himself to find answers to questions about the role of man in history. He had to study many chronicles, documents, materials describing the events of 1812. The confusion in the writer’s head was caused by the fact that all information sources assessed both Napoleon and Alexander I in different ways. Then Tolstoy decided for himself to move away from the subjective statements of strangers and display in the novel his own assessment of events based on true facts. From diverse sources, he borrowed documentary materials, records of contemporaries, newspaper and magazine articles, letters from generals, archival documents of the Rumyantsev Museum.
(Prince Rostov and Akhrosimova Marya Dmitrievna)
Considering it necessary to go directly to the scene, Tolstoy spent two days in Borodino. It was important for him to personally go around the place where large-scale and tragic events unfolded. He even personally made sketches of the sun on the field during different periods of the day.
The trip gave the writer an opportunity to feel the spirit of history in a new way; became a kind of inspiration for further work. For seven years, the work was on a spiritual upsurge and "burning". The manuscripts consisted of more than 5200 sheets. Therefore, "War and Peace" is easy to read even after a century and a half.
Analysis of the novel
Description
(Napoleon before the battle in thought)
The novel "War and Peace" touches upon a sixteen-year period in the history of Russia. The starting date is 1805, the final date is 1821. More than 500 characters are “employed” in the work. These are both real-life people, and fictional writers to add color to the description.
(Kutuzov before the Battle of Borodino is considering a plan)
The novel intertwines two main storylines: historical events in Russia and the personal lives of the characters. Real historical figures are mentioned in the description of Austerlitz, Shengraben, Borodino battles; the capture of Smolensk and the surrender of Moscow. More than 20 chapters are devoted specifically to the Battle of Borodino, as the main decisive event of 1812.
(In the illustration, an episode of the Ball by Natasha Rostova from the film "War and Peace" 1967.)
In opposition to "wartime", the writer describes the personal world of people and everything that surrounds them. Heroes fall in love, quarrel, reconcile, hate, suffer... In the confrontation between various characters, Tolstoy shows the difference in the moral principles of individuals. The writer is trying to tell that various events can change the worldview. One complete picture of the work consists of three hundred and thirty-three chapters of 4 volumes and another twenty-eight chapters placed in the epilogue.
First volume
The events of 1805 are described. In the "peaceful" part, life in Moscow and St. Petersburg is affected. The writer introduces the reader to the society of the main characters. The “military” part is the battles of Austerlitz and Shengraben. Tolstoy concludes the first volume with a description of how military defeats affected the peaceful life of the characters.
Second volume
(The first ball of Natasha Rostova)
This is a completely "peaceful" part of the novel, which touched upon the life of the characters in the period 1806-1811: the birth of Andrei Bolkonsky's love for Natasha Rostova; freemasonry of Pierre Bezukhov, the kidnapping of Natasha Rostova by Karagin, Bolkonsky's refusal to marry Natasha Rostova. The end of the volume is a description of a formidable omen: the appearance of a comet, which is a symbol of great upheavals.
Third volume
(In the illustration, an episode of the Borodino battle of their film "War and Peace" 1967.)
In this part of the epic, the writer refers to wartime: the invasion of Napoleon, the surrender of Moscow, the battle of Borodino. On the battlefield, the main male characters of the novel are forced to intersect: Bolkonsky, Kuragin, Bezukhov, Dolokhov ... The end of the volume is the capture of Pierre Bezukhov, who made an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Napoleon.
Fourth volume
(After the battle, the wounded arrive in Moscow)
The “military” part is a description of the victory over Napoleon and the shameful retreat of the French army. The writer also touches upon the period of the partisan war after 1812. All this is intertwined with the “peaceful” fates of the heroes: Andrei Bolkonsky and Helen pass away; love is born between Nikolai and Marya; think about living together Natasha Rostova and Pierre Bezukhov. And the main character of the volume is the Russian soldier Platon Karataev, in whose words Tolstoy tries to convey all the wisdom of the common people.
Epilogue
This part is devoted to describing the changes in the lives of the heroes seven years after 1812. Natasha Rostova is married to Pierre Bezukhov; Nicholas and Marya found their happiness; the son of Bolkonsky, Nikolenka, grew up. In the epilogue, the author reflects on the role of individuals in the history of the whole country, and tries to show the historical interconnections of events and human destinies.
The main characters of the novel
More than 500 characters are mentioned in the novel. The author tried to describe the most important of them as accurately as possible, endowing with special features not only of character, but also of appearance:
Andrei Bolkonsky - Prince, son of Nikolai Bolkonsky. Constantly looking for the meaning of life. Tolstoy describes him as handsome, reserved, and with "dry" features. He has a strong will. Dies as a result of a wound received at Borodino.
Marya Bolkonskaya - Princess, sister of Andrei Bolkonsky. Inconspicuous appearance and radiant eyes; piety and concern for relatives. In the novel, she marries Nikolai Rostov.
Natasha Rostova is the daughter of Count Rostov. In the first volume of the novel, she is only 12 years old. Tolstoy describes her as a girl of not very beautiful appearance (black eyes, big mouth), but at the same time "alive". Her inner beauty attracts men. Even Andrei Bolkonsky is ready to fight for his hand and heart. At the end of the novel, she marries Pierre Bezukhov.
Sonya
Sonya is the niece of Count Rostov. In contrast to her cousin Natasha, she is beautiful in appearance, but much poorer in spirit.
Pierre Bezukhov is the son of Count Kirill Bezukhov. A clumsy massive figure, kind and at the same time strong character. He can be harsh, or he can become a child. Interested in Freemasonry. He is trying to change the life of the peasants and influence large-scale events. Initially married to Helen Kuragina. At the end of the novel, he marries Natasha Rostova.
Helen Kuragin is the daughter of Prince Kuragin. Beauty, a prominent society lady. She married Pierre Bezukhov. Changeable, cold. Dies as a result of an abortion.
Nikolai Rostov is the son of Count Rostov and Natasha's brother. The successor of the family and the defender of the Fatherland. He took part in military campaigns. He married Marya Bolkonskaya.
Fedor Dolokhov is an officer, a member of the partisan movement, as well as a great swashbuckler and lover of ladies.
Counts of Rostov
The Rostov counts are the parents of Nikolai, Natasha, Vera, and Petya. A revered married couple, an example to follow.
Nikolai Bolkonsky - Prince, father of Marya and Andrei. In Catherine's time, a significant personality.
The author pays much attention to the description of Kutuzov and Napoleon. The commander appears before us as smart, unfeigned, kind and philosophical. Napoleon is described as a little fat man with an unpleasantly feigned smile. At the same time, it is somewhat mysterious and theatrical.
Analysis and conclusion
In the novel "War and Peace" the writer tries to convey to the reader the "people's thought". Its essence is that each positive hero has his own connection with the nation.
Tolstoy departed from the principle of telling a story in a novel in the first person. Evaluation of characters and events goes through monologues and author's digressions. At the same time, the writer leaves the reader the right to assess what is happening. A vivid example of this is the scene of the Battle of Borodino, shown both from the side of historical facts and the subjective opinion of the hero of the novel, Pierre Bezukhov. The writer does not forget about the bright historical figure - General Kutuzov.
The main idea of the novel lies not only in the disclosure of historical events, but also in the ability to understand that one must love, believe and live under any circumstances.
), the French invasion of Russia, the battle of Borodino and the capture of Moscow, the entry of allied troops into Paris; the end of the novel is attributed to 1820. The author re-read many historical books and memoirs of his contemporaries; he understood that the task of the artist does not coincide with the task of the historian and, not striving for complete accuracy, he wanted to create the spirit of the era, the originality of her life, the picturesqueness of her style.
Lev Tolstoy. War and Peace. The main characters and themes of the novel
Of course, Tolstoy's historical figures are somewhat modernized: they often speak and think like the author's contemporaries. But this renewal of the old is inevitable in the creative perception of the historian of any process as a continuous, vital stream. Otherwise, the result is not a work of art, but a dead archeology. The author did not invent anything - he only chose what seemed to him the most significant. “Everywhere,” writes Tolstoy, “wherever only historical figures speak and act in my novel, I did not invent, but used materials from which I formed a whole library of books during my work.”
For "family chronicles" placed within the historical framework of the Napoleonic Wars, he used family memoirs, letters, diaries, and unpublished notes. The complexity and richness of the "human world" depicted in the novel can only be compared with the gallery of portraits of Balzac's multivolume Human Comedy. Tolstoy gives more than 70 detailed descriptions, outlines with a few strokes many minor persons - and all of them live, do not merge with each other, remain in memory. One sharply grasped detail determines the figure of a person, his character and behavior. In the waiting room of the dying Count Bezukhov, one of the heirs, Prince Vasily, walks on tiptoe in confusion. "He couldn't walk on tiptoe and jumped awkwardly with his whole body." And in this bouncing, the whole nature of the dignitary and imperious prince is reflected.
The external feature acquires a deep psychological and symbolic sound from Tolstoy. He has incomparable visual acuity, brilliant observation, almost clairvoyance. By one turn of the head or movement of the fingers, he guesses the person. Every feeling, even the most fleeting, is immediately embodied for him in a bodily sign; The movement, posture, gesture, expression of the eyes, the line of the shoulders, the trembling of the lips are read by him as a symbol of the soul. Hence the impression of spiritual and bodily wholeness and completeness that his characters produce. In the art of creating living people with flesh and blood, breathing, moving, casting a shadow, Tolstoy has no equal.
Princess Mary
In the center of the action of the novel are two noble families - Bolkonsky and Rostov. The eldest Prince Bolkonsky, general-in-chief of Catherine's time, a Voltairian and an intelligent gentleman, lives in the Bald Mountains estate with his daughter Marya, ugly and no longer young. Her father loves her passionately, but brings her up harshly and torments her with algebra lessons. Princess Mary "with beautiful radiant eyes", with a shy smile - an image of high spiritual beauty. She meekly bears the cross of her life, prays, accepts "God's people" and dreams of becoming a wanderer... He is God. What did she care about the justice or injustice of other people? She had to suffer and love herself, and she did it.
And yet she is sometimes worried about the hope of personal happiness; she wants to have a family, children. When this hope comes true and she marries Nikolai Rostov, her soul continues to strive for "infinite, eternal perfection."
Prince Andrei Bolkonsky
Princess Mary's brother, Prince Andrei, does not look like his sister. This is a strong, intelligent, proud and disappointed person, feeling his superiority over others, burdened by his chirping, frivolous wife and looking for practically useful activities. He cooperates with Speransky in the commission for the drafting of laws, but soon gets tired of this abstract office work. He is seized by a thirst for glory, he goes on a campaign in 1805 and, like Napoleon, awaits his "Toulon" - exaltation, greatness, "human love". But instead of the Toulon, the Austerlitz field awaits him, on which he lies wounded and looks into the bottomless sky. “Everything is empty,” he thinks, “everything is a lie, except for this endless sky. Nothing, nothing but him. But even that is not even there, there is nothing but silence, calmness.
Andrey Bolkonsky
Returning to Russia, he settles in his estate and plunges into the "longing of life." The death of his wife, the betrayal of Natasha Rostova, who seemed to him the ideal of girlish charm and purity, plunge him into gloomy despair. And only slowly dying from a wound received in the Battle of Borodino, in the face of death, he finds that “truth of life”, which he always so unsuccessfully sought: “Love is life,” he thinks. Everything, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love it. Love is God, and to die means for me, a particle of love, to return to the common and eternal source.
Nikolay Rostov
Complicated relations connect the Bolkonsky family with the Rostov family. Nikolai Rostov is a whole, spontaneous nature, like Eroshka in The Cossacks or Volodya's brother in Childhood. He lives without questions and doubts, he has a "common sense of mediocrity." Direct, noble, brave, cheerful, he is surprisingly attractive, despite his limitations. Of course, he cannot understand the mystical soul of his wife Marya, but he knows how to create a happy family, raise kind and honest children.
Natasha Rostova
His sister Natasha Rostova is one of the most charming female images of Tolstoy. She enters the life of each of us as a beloved and close friend. From her lively, joyful and spiritualized face, a radiance emanates, illuminating everything around her. When she appears, everyone becomes cheerful, everyone starts smiling. Natasha is full of such an excess of vitality, such a "talent of life" that her whims, frivolous hobbies, selfishness of youth and thirst for the "pleasures of life" - everything seems charming.
She is constantly on the move, intoxicated with joy, inspired by feeling; she does not reason, “does not deign to be clever,” as Pierre says about her, but the clairvoyance of the heart replaces her mind. She immediately “sees” a person and accurately defines him. When her fiancé Andrei Bolkonsky leaves for the war, Natasha becomes infatuated with the brilliant and empty Anatole Kuragin. But the break with Prince Andrei and then his death turn her whole soul upside down. Her noble and truthful nature cannot forgive herself for this guilt. Natasha falls into hopeless despair and wants to die. At this time, news comes of the death of her younger brother Petya in the war. Natasha forgets about her grief and selflessly takes care of her mother - and this saves her.
“Natasha thought,” writes Tolstoy, “that her life was over. But suddenly love for her mother showed her that the essence of her life - love - was still alive in her. Love woke up and life woke up. Finally, she marries Pierre Bezukhov and turns into a child-loving mother and devoted wife: she refuses all the "pleasures of life" that she loved so passionately before, and devotes herself wholeheartedly to her new, difficult duties. For Tolstoy, Natasha is life itself, instinctive, mysterious and holy in its natural wisdom.
Pierre Bezukhov
The ideological and compositional center of the novel is Count Pierre Bezukhov. All complex and numerous lines of action are drawn to it, coming from two "family chronicles" - the Bolkonskys and the Rostovs; he clearly enjoys the greatest sympathy of the author and is closest to him in terms of his mental disposition. Pierre belongs to the "searching" people, reminds Nikolenka, Nekhludova, Venison but most of all Tolstoy himself. Before us are not only the external events of life, but also the consistent history of his spiritual development.
The path of searching for Pierre Bezukhov
Pierre was brought up in an atmosphere of Rousseau's ideas, he lives by feeling and is prone to "dreamy philosophizing". He is looking for the "truth", but due to weakness of will he continues to lead an empty secular life, go on a spree, play cards, go to balls; an absurd marriage to the soulless beauty Helen Kuragina, a break with her and a duel with a former friend Dolokhov produce a profound upheaval in him. He's interested in freemasonry, thinks to find in him "inner peace and harmony with himself." But disappointment soon sets in: the philanthropic activity of the Masons seems to him insufficient, their addiction to uniforms and magnificent ceremonies outrages him. Moral stupor, panicky fear of life finds on him.
"The tangled and terrible knot of life" strangles him. And now, on the Borodino field, he meets the Russian people - a new world opens up to him. The spiritual crisis was prepared by amazing impressions that suddenly fell upon him: he sees the fire of Moscow, is taken prisoner, spends several days awaiting the death sentence, is present at the execution. And then he meets "Russian, kind, round Karataev." Joyful and bright, he saves Pierre from spiritual death and leads him to God.
“First, he sought God for the goals that he set for himself,” writes Tolstoy, and suddenly he recognized in his captivity, not by words, not by reasoning, but by direct feeling, what his nanny had long told him; that God is here, here, everywhere. He learned in captivity that God in Karataev is greater, infinite and incomprehensible than in the Architecton of the universe recognized by the Masons.
Religious inspiration covers Pierre, all questions and doubts disappear, he no longer thinks about the "meaning of life", because the meaning has already been found: love for God and selfless service to people. The novel ends with a picture of the complete happiness of Pierre, who married Natasha Rostova and became a devoted husband and loving father.
Platon Karataev
The soldier Platon Karataev, whose meeting in Moscow occupied by the French made a revolution in Pierre Bezukhov, who seeks the truth, is conceived by the author as a parallel to the "people's hero" Kutuzov; he, too, is a person without a personality, passively surrendering to events. This is how Pierre sees him, i.e., the author himself, but he appears to the reader differently. It is not the impersonality, but the extraordinary originality of his personality that strikes us. His well-aimed words, jokes and sayings, his constant activity, his bright cheerfulness of spirit and sense of beauty (“goodness”), his active love for his neighbors, humility, cheerfulness and religiosity are formed in our view not in the image of an impersonal “part of the whole”, but into the amazingly whole face of the people's righteous man.
Platon Karataev is the same "great Christian" as the holy fool Grisha in "Childhood". Tolstoy intuitively felt its spiritual originality, but his rationalistic explanation glided over the surface of this mystical soul.
Heroes of the novel "War and Peace"
L.N. Tolstoy put the “folk thought” as the basis for evaluating the heroes of his book. Kutuzov, Bagration, captains Tushin and Timokhin, Andrey Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov, Petya Rostov, Vasily Denisov, together with the people, stand up to defend their homeland. With all their hearts they love their homeland and people and the heroine of the novel, the wonderful "sorceress" Natasha Rostova. The negative characters of the novel: Prince Vasily Kuragin and his children Anatole, Ippolit and Helen, the careerist Boris Drubetskoy, the money-grubber Berg, foreign generals in the Russian service - they are all far from the people and care only about their own personal benefits.
The unparalleled feat of Moscow is immortalized in the novel. Its inhabitants, unlike the inhabitants of the capitals of other countries conquered by Napoleon, did not want to submit to the conquerors and left their native city. “For the Russian people,” says Tolstoy, “there could be no question of whether it would be good or bad under French rule in Moscow. It was impossible to be under the control of the French: it was the worst of all.
Entering Moscow, which looked like an empty hive. Napoleon felt that over him and his armies the hand of the strongest enemy was raised. He began to insistently seek a truce and twice sent ambassadors to Kutuzov. On behalf of the people and the army, Kutuzov decisively rejected Napoleon's proposal for peace and organized a counteroffensive of his troops, supported by partisan detachments.
Having suffered a defeat in the Battle of Tarutino, Napoleon left Moscow. Soon began a disorderly flight of his regiments. Having turned into crowds of marauders and robbers, the Napoleonic troops fled back along the same road that led them to the Russian capital.
After the battle near Krasny Kutuzov addressed his soldiers with a speech in which he heartily congratulated them on their victory and thanked them for their faithful service to the fatherland. In the scene under Krasnoy, the deepest nationality of the great commander, his love for those who saved his homeland from foreign enslavement, his true patriotism is revealed with special penetration.
However, it should be noted that there are scenes in War and Peace where the image of Kutuzov is shown inconsistently. Tolstoy believed that the development of all events taking place in the world does not depend on the will of people, but is predetermined from above. It seemed to the writer that Kutuzov thought the same way and did not consider it necessary to interfere in the development of events. But this decisively contradicts the image of Kutuzov, which was created by Tolstoy himself. The writer emphasizes that the great commander knew how to understand the spirit of the army and sought to control it, that all Kutuzov's thoughts and all his actions were aimed at one goal - to defeat the enemy.
The image of the soldier Platon Karataev, with whom Pierre Bezukhov met and became friends in captivity, is also contradictory drawn in the novel. Karataev is characterized by such features as gentleness, humility, readiness to forgive and forget any offense. Pierre listens with surprise, and then with delight, to Karataev's stories, which always end with gospel calls to love everyone and forgive everyone. But the same Pierre had to see the terrible end of Platon Karataev. When the French drove a party of prisoners along a muddy autumn road, Karataev fell from weakness and could not get up. And the guards ruthlessly shot him. One cannot forget this terrible scene: the murdered Karataev lies by the muddy forest road, and a hungry, lonely, freezing little dog sits and howls near him, which he saved so recently from death ...
Fortunately, the "Karataev" features were unusual for the Russian people who defended their land. Reading "War and Peace", we see that it was not Platon Karataev who defeated Napoleon's army. This was done by the fearless gunners of the modest Captain Tushin, the brave soldiers of Captain Timokhin, the cavalrymen of Uvarov, and the partisans of Captain Denisov. The Russian army and the Russian people defeated the enemy. And this is shown with convincing force in the novel. It is no coincidence that during the Second World War, Tolstoy's book was a reference book for people from different countries who fought against the invasion of Hitler's fascist hordes. And it will always serve as a source of patriotic inspiration for freedom-loving people.
From the epilogue that ends the novel, we learn about how his characters lived after the end of the Patriotic War of 1812. Pierre Bezukhov and Natasha Rostova joined their destinies, found their happiness. Pierre is still concerned about the future of his homeland. He became a member of a secret organization from which the Decembrists would later emerge. Young Nikolenka Bolkonsky, the son of Prince Andrei, who died from a wound received on the Borodino field, listens attentively to his heated speeches.
You can guess the future of these people by listening to their conversation. Nikolenka asked Pierre: “Uncle Pierre ... If dad were alive ... would he agree with you?” And Pierre replied: “I think so ...”
At the end of the novel, Tolstoy draws a dream of Nikolenka Bolkonsky. “He and Uncle Pierre walked ahead of a huge army,” Nikolenka dreamed. They went on a difficult and glorious feat. Nikolenka was accompanied by her father, who encouraged both him and Uncle Pierre. Waking up, Nikolenka makes a firm decision: to live in such a way as to be worthy of the memory of his father. "Father! Father! Nikolenka thinks. “Yes, I will do what even he would be pleased with.”
With this oath, Nikolenka Tolstoy completes the storyline of the novel, as if opening the veil to the future, stretching the threads from one era of Russian life to another, when the heroes of 1825, the Decembrists, entered the historical arena.
Thus ends the work to which Tolstoy, in his own admission, devoted five years of "continuous and exceptional labor."
Vasily Kuragin
Prince, father of Helen, Anatole and Hippolyte. This is a very famous and quite influential person in society, he occupies an important court post. The attitude towards everyone around Prince V. is condescending and patronizing. The author shows his hero “in a courtly, embroidered uniform, in stockings, shoes, with stars, with a bright expression of a flat face”, with a “perfumed and shining bald head”. But when he smiled, there was "something unexpectedly rude and unpleasant" in his smile. Especially Prince V. does not wish harm to anyone. He simply uses people and circumstances to carry out his plans. V. always strives to get close to people who are richer and higher in position. The hero considers himself an exemplary father, he does everything possible to arrange the future of his children. He is trying to marry his son Anatole to the rich Princess Marya Bolkonskaya. After the death of the old prince Bezukhov and Pierre receiving a huge inheritance, V. notices a rich fiancé and by cunning gives his daughter Helen to him. Prince V. is a great intriguer who knows how to live in society and make acquaintances with the right people.Anatole Kuragin
Kuragina Helen
Anna Pavlovna Sherer
Boris Drubetskoy
Count Rostov
Countess of Rostov
The wife of Count Rostov, "a woman with an oriental type of thin face, forty-five years old, apparently exhausted by children ... The slowness of her movements and speech, which came from the weakness of her strength, gave her a significant look that inspires respect." R. creates in his family an atmosphere of love and kindness, he cares very much about the fate of his children. The news of the death of the youngest and beloved son of Petya almost drives her crazy. She is accustomed to luxury and the fulfillment of the slightest whims, and demands this after the death of her husband.
Natasha Rostova
Daughter of the Count and Countess Rostov. She is "black-eyed, with a big mouth, ugly, but alive ...". Distinctive features of N. are emotionality and sensitivity. She is not very smart, but she has an amazing ability to guess people. She is capable of noble deeds, she can forget about her interests for the sake of other people. So, she calls on her family to take out the wounded on carts, leaving their property. N. takes care of her mother with all her dedication after Petya's death. N. has a very beautiful voice, she is very musical. With her singing, she is able to awaken the best in a person. Tolstoy notes N.'s closeness to the common people. This is one of her best qualities. N. lives in an atmosphere of love and happiness. Changes in her life occur after meeting with Prince Andrei. N. becomes his bride, but later becomes interested in Anatole Kuragin. After a while, N. understands the full force of his guilt before the prince, before his death he forgives her, she remains with him until his death. N. feels true love for Pierre, they understand each other perfectly, they are very good together. She becomes his wife and completely surrenders to the role of wife and mother.
Nikolay Rostov
Son of Count Rostov. "A short curly young man with an open expression." The hero is distinguished by "swiftness and enthusiasm", he is cheerful, open, friendly and emotional. N. participates in military campaigns and the Patriotic War of 1812. In the battle of Shengraben, N. goes on the attack at first very bravely, but then he is wounded in the arm. This injury causes him to panic, he thinks about how he, "whom everyone loves so much," can die. This event somewhat belittles the image of the hero. After N. becomes a brave officer, a real hussar, remaining faithful to duty. N. had a long affair with Sonya, and he was going to do a noble deed by marrying a dowry against the will of his mother. But he receives a letter from Sonya in which she says that she is letting him go. After the death of his father, N. takes care of the family, resigning. She and Marya Bolkonskaya fall in love with each other and get married.
Petya Rostov
The youngest son of the Rostovs. At the beginning of the novel, we see P. as a small boy. He is a typical representative of his family, kind, cheerful, musical. He wants to imitate his older brother and go in life along the military line. In 1812 he was full of patriotic impulses and went into the army. During the war, the young man accidentally ends up with an assignment in the Denisov detachment, where he remains, wanting to take part in the real case. He accidentally dies, showing all his best qualities in relation to his comrades the day before. His death is the greatest tragedy for his family.
Pierre Bezukhov
In pursuit of money, P. entangles the Kuragin family and, taking advantage of P.'s naivety, force him to marry Helen. He is unhappy with her, he understands that she is a terrible woman and breaks off relations with her.
At the beginning of the novel, we see that P. considers Napoleon his idol. After that, he is terribly disappointed in him and even wants to kill him. P. is characterized by the search for the meaning of life. That is how he becomes interested in Freemasonry, but, seeing their falsity, he leaves from there. P. tries to reorganize the life of his peasants, but he does not succeed because of his gullibility and impracticality. P. participates in the war, not yet fully understanding what it is. Left in burning Moscow to kill Napoleon, P. is captured. He experiences great moral torment during the execution of prisoners. In the same place, P. meets with the spokesman for the "people's thought" Platon Karataev. Thanks to this meeting, P. learned to see the "eternal and infinite in everything." Pierre loves Natasha Rostov, but she is married to his friend. After the death of Andrei Bolkonsky and the rebirth of Natasha to life, Tolstoy's best heroes get married. In the epilogue, we see P. as a happy husband and father. In a dispute with Nikolai Rostov, P. expresses his convictions, and we understand that we are facing a future Decembrist.
Sonya
S. - the niece of the old Count Rostov, brought up in this house. Since childhood, the heroine has been in love with Nikolai Rostov, very friendly with Natasha. S. is restrained, silent, reasonable, capable of sacrificing herself. The feeling for Nikolai is so strong that she wants to "always love, and let him be free." Because of this, she refuses Dolokhov, who wanted to marry her. S. and Nikolai are connected by a word, he promised to take her as his wife. But the old Countess Rostova is against this wedding, he reproaches S ... She, not wanting to pay with ingratitude, refuses to marry, freeing Nikolai from this promise. After the death of the old count, he lives with the countess in the care of Nicholas.
Dolokhov
Nikolai Bolkonsky
ON THE. short in stature, "in a powdered wig ... with small dry hands and gray drooping eyebrows, sometimes, as he frowned, obscured the brilliance of smart and as if young shining eyes." The prince is very restrained in the manifestation of feelings. He constantly harasses his daughter with nit-picking, although in fact he loves her very much. ON THE. proud, intelligent man, constantly concerned about the preservation of family honor and dignity. In his son, he brought up a sense of pride, honesty, duty, patriotism. Despite the withdrawal from public life, the prince is constantly interested in the political and military events taking place in Russia. Only before his death, he loses an idea of the scale of the tragedy that happened to his homeland.
Andrey Bolkonsky
Son of Prince Bolkonsky, brother of Princess Marya. At the beginning of the novel, we see B. as an intelligent, proud, but rather arrogant person. He despises people of high society, is unhappy in marriage and does not respect his pretty wife. B. is very restrained, well educated, he has a strong will. This hero is going through a big spiritual change. First we see that his idol is Napoleon, whom he considers a great man. B. goes to war, goes to the active army. There he fights on an equal footing with all the soldiers, shows great courage, composure, and prudence. Participates in the Battle of Shengraben. B. was seriously wounded in the battle of Austerlitz. This moment is extremely important, because it was then that the spiritual rebirth of the hero began. Lying motionless and seeing the calm and eternal sky of Austerlitz above him, B. understands all the pettiness and stupidity of everything that happens in the war. He realized that in fact there should be completely different values in life than those that he had until now. All feats, glory do not matter. There is only this vast and eternal sky. In the same episode, B. sees Napoleon and understands all the insignificance of this man. B. returns home, where everyone thought he was dead. His wife dies in childbirth, but the child survives. The hero is shocked by the death of his wife and feels guilty before her. He decides not to serve anymore, settles in Bogucharovo, takes care of the household, raises his son, reads many books. During a trip to St. Petersburg, B. meets Natasha Rostova for the second time. A deep feeling awakens in him, the heroes decide to get married. B.'s father does not agree with the choice of his son, they postpone the wedding for a year, the hero goes abroad. After the betrayal of the bride, he returns to the army under the leadership of Kutuzov. During the Battle of Borodino, he was mortally wounded. By chance, he leaves Moscow in the Rostovs' train. Before his death, he forgives Natasha and understands the true meaning of love.
Lisa Bolkonskaya
Princess Mary
Kutuzov
