"War and Peace" is one of the brightest works of world literature, revealing the extraordinary richness of human destinies, characters, an unprecedented breadth of coverage of the phenomena of life, the deepest image of the most important events in the history of the Russian people. The basis of the novel, as L. N. Tolstoy admitted, is “the thought of the people”. “I tried to write the history of the people,” said Tolstoy. The people in the novel are not only peasants and peasant soldiers in disguise, but also the yard people of the Rostovs, and the merchant Ferapontov, and the army officers Tushin and Timokhin, and representatives of the privileged class - the Bolkonskys, Pierre Bezukhov, the Rostovs, and Vasily Denisov, and the field marshal Kutuzov, that is, those Russian people for whom the fate of Russia was not indifferent. The people are opposed by a handful of court aristocrats and a "big-faced" merchant, worried about his goods before the French take Moscow, that is, those people who are completely indifferent to the fate of the country.
In the epic novel there are more than five hundred characters, a description of two wars is given, events unfold in Europe and Russia, but, like cement, all the elements of the novel are held together by “folk thought” and “the author’s original moral attitude to the subject.” According to Leo Tolstoy, an individual is valuable only when he is an integral part of the great whole, his people. “His hero is a whole country fighting against the invasion of the enemy,” wrote V. G. Korolenko. The novel begins with a description of the campaign of 1805, which did not touch the hearts of the people. Tolstoy does not hide the fact that the soldiers not only did not understand the goals of this war, but even vaguely imagined who Russia's ally was. Tolstoy is not interested in the foreign policy of Alexander I, his attention is drawn to the love of life, modesty, courage, endurance, selflessness of the Russian people. Tolstoy's main task is to show the decisive role of the masses in historical events, to show the greatness and beauty of the feat of the Russian people in conditions of mortal danger, when psychologically a person reveals himself most fully.
The plot of the novel is based on the Patriotic War of 1812. The war brought decisive changes to the life of the entire Russian people. All the usual conditions of life were shifted, everything was now evaluated in the light of the danger that hung over Russia. Nikolai Rostov returns to the army, Petya volunteers to go to war, the old prince Bolkonsky forms a detachment of militia from his peasants, Andrei Bolkonsky decides to serve not at the headquarters, but directly command the regiment. Pierre Bezukhov gave part of his money to equip the militias. The Smolensk merchant Ferapontov, in whose mind the disturbing thought of the “death” of Russia arose when he learned that the city was being surrendered, does not seek to save property, but calls on the soldiers to drag everything out of the shop so that the “devils” do not get anything.
The War of 1812 is more represented by mass scenes. The people begin to realize the danger when the enemy approaches Smolensk. The fire and surrender of Smolensk, the death of the old prince Bolkonsky at the time of the review of the peasant militia, the destruction of the crop, the retreat of the Russian army - all this enhances the tragedy of events. At the same time, Tolstoy shows that in this difficult situation something new was born that was to destroy the French. In the growth of moods of determination and anger against the enemy, Tolstoy sees the source of the approaching turning point in the course of the war. The outcome of the war was determined long before its end by the "spirit" of the troops and people. This decisive "spirit" was the patriotism of the Russian people, which manifested itself simply and naturally: the people left the cities and villages captured by the French; refused to sell food and hay to enemies; guerrilla detachments formed behind enemy lines.
The Battle of Borodino is the climax of the novel. Pierre Bezukhov, watching the soldiers, experiences a sense of the horror of death and suffering that the war brings, on the other hand, the consciousness of “the solemnity and significance of the coming minute”, which the people inspire him. Pierre was convinced how deeply, with all his heart, the Russian people understand the meaning of what is happening. The soldier, who called him a “countryman”, tells him confidentially: “They want to pile on all the people; one word - Moscow. They want to make one end." The militias, who have just arrived from the depths of Russia, in accordance with custom, put on clean shirts, realizing that they will have to die. Old soldiers refuse to drink vodka - "not such a day, they say."
In these simple forms, connected with folk concepts and customs, the high moral strength of the Russian people was manifested. The high patriotic spirit and moral strength of the people brought victory to Russia in the war of 1812.
Consider how the people were portrayed in the novel "War and Peace" by L. N. Tolstoy. The author finished work on his work in 1867. Speaking about him, he admitted that he loved in his novel "the thought of the people."
The world of the peasantry in the work
The people in the novel "War and Peace" are widely represented. The peasantry is described in detail by the author. In Tolstoy's image, the world of the peasantry is self-sufficient and harmonious. The writer did not believe that his representatives needed intellectual influence. Heroes-nobles do not even think about the need to "develop" the peasants. On the contrary, it is the latter who are often closer to understanding the meaning of life. Lev Nikolaevich depicts the complex spiritual world of the representatives of the nobility and the artless spirituality of the Russian peasant as different, but at the same time complementary beginnings of the existence of our country. The ability to establish contact with the people is an indicator of the moral health of the nobles in the novel.
Fluctuating boundaries between classes
Repeatedly Tolstoy emphasizes the fragility of the boundaries between the estates. Human, common makes them "transparent". The people in the novel "War and Peace" often come close, interact with the upper strata of society. The hunter Danilo, for example, is full of "contempt for everything" and "independence". This hunter allows himself to look at the master Nikolai Rostov "contemptuously". However, this was not offensive to Nicholas. He knew that this man still belonged to him. All are equal during the hunt, all obey the order established once. Only in the heat of the hunt can Danilo scold Ilya Andreevich, who missed the wolf, even swipe at him with a rapnik. Such behavior of a serf under normal conditions is impossible in relation to a master.
Let us give another example of how the nobility and the people interact in the novel War and Peace. An important stage in the spiritual life of one of the main characters, Pierre Bezukhov, was a meeting in the barracks for prisoners with Platon Karataev. It was this soldier-peasant who returned the lost faith in life to him. The main moral criterion in the epilogue of the novel becomes for Pierre the possible attitude of Karataev to his activities. And he concludes that he probably would not have understood his social activities, but he would certainly have approved because he loved “goodness” in everything.
Depiction of peasant riot
The theme of the people in the novel "War and Peace" is diverse. Tolstoy, depicting the rebellion of the Bogucharov peasants, expressed his own attitude towards the conservative layers of the patriarchal-communal world, accustomed to resisting any changes. In Bogucharovo, the spontaneity of folk life is much more noticeable than in other areas, since there were very few landowners, literate and courtyards. Peasants live here in a small closed community. They are actually isolated from the whole world. Peasants for no apparent reason suddenly begin to move in a certain direction, obeying the incomprehensible laws of being. Tolstoy emphasizes that in the life of the peasants from Bogucharovo, the mysterious currents of the life of the Russian people were stronger and more noticeable than in other areas, the meaning and causes of which are inexplicable to contemporaries. Through the image of the rebellion, the theme of the people in the novel "War and Peace" is revealed from a new perspective.
Cause of the Peasants' Revolt
The general mood, the element of rebellion completely subjugates every peasant. Even the headman Dron was captured by the general impulse. Princess Mary's attempt to distribute the master's bread to the peasants ended in failure. Only "unreasonable animal malice" of Rostov, his "imprudent act" could sober up this indignant crowd. The peasants obeyed the brute force unquestioningly, admitting that they rebelled "out of stupidity". Lev Nikolaevich in the work showed not only the external causes of the rebellion ("relations with the French" and rumors about the "freedom" that the gentlemen took away). The hidden deep socio-historical reason for this event was in the internal "force", which accumulated gradually and, like lava, escaped from a boiling volcano. That is why the common people rebelled in the novel "War and Peace".
The image of Tikhon Shcherbaty
The image is an important detail of the fresco about the people's war, which was created by Tolstoy. Tikhon was the only one in his entire village who attacked the French. On his own initiative, he joined the "party" of Denisov and soon became one of the most necessary people in it, showing great ability and willingness to work. Through his image, the common people are also analyzed in the novel "War and Peace".
Tikhon occupied a special place in the partisan detachment. He did all the menial work, was the most courageous and useful man. Tikhon, in addition, played the role of a jester and willingly succumbed to this rank himself. In his behavior and appearance, the writer sharpened the features of the holy fool. Yellowfang had a face pitted with wrinkles and smallpox, with narrow, small eyes.
Tikhon's attitude to the murder of the French
Tikhon is a cold-blooded, merciless warrior. He obeys, killing the French, only the instinct of exterminating the enemy, and treats them almost like inanimate objects. Tikhon resembles a predator with his cruelty. It is not by chance that the author compares him with a wolf: Shcherbaty wielded an ax the way a wolf wielded his teeth.
The image of Platon Karataev
One of the key images of the work is He is especially important when revealing the topic: "The people in the novel" War and Peace. "It is impossible to write an essay on this topic without mentioning this character, who was cut off from the usual way of life and placed in new conditions (French captivity , army), in which his spirituality manifested itself especially brightly. The hero lives in harmony with the whole world. He treats all people with love. Plato deeply feels life, directly and vividly perceives people. In the image of Tolstoy Karataev is an example of a "natural" person, coming out of the people, the embodiment of folk morality, largely instinctive.
This hero, personifying the Russian people in the novel "War and Peace", is shown in the work mainly through Bezukhov's perception of him. Pierre notes that the very presence of this man in the barracks created a feeling of comfort for the prisoners. Bezukhov was interested in how Plato took off his shoes and settled in his corner, because something "round", "soothing" and "pleasant" was felt even in this.
Karataev looked very youthful, although he was over 50 years old. He seemed healthy and physically strong. In particular, the "young" Plato was striking, which had the appearance of "youth" and "innocence". Karataev was always doing something that probably became a habit for this hero. Once captured, he did not seem to feel what illness and fatigue were, he felt in the barracks just like at home.
Karataev's return to peasant life in unusual conditions
Outside of the usual conditions, outside of everything that pressured him, Karataev naturally and imperceptibly returned to the serf way of life. He rejected everything alien, which was imposed on him by force from the outside. For Plato, who represents the people in Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace", peasant life is especially attractive: dear memories, as well as ideas of goodness, are associated with it. Therefore, he spoke mainly about the events of "Christian" life, as he called it.
Plato died naturally, feeling tenderness and "quiet delight" before the mystery of death. He did not perceive it as torture or punishment, so there was no suffering on his face: it was lit up with an expression of "quiet solemnity."
The image of Platon Karataev is the image of a righteous peasant who not only lived in harmony with people and with the whole world, admiring the manifestations of life, but was also able to resurrect Pierre Bezukhov, who had reached a spiritual dead end. For Pierre, he forever remained the personification of "simplicity and truth."
"People's Thought" in the novel
"People's Thought" is the main idea of the work "War and Peace". Lev Nikolaevich knew that the simple life of the Russian people, with its "private" interests, destinies, joys, goes on regardless of meetings with Napoleon's Alexander, Speransky's state plans, or the diplomatic game. Only those events of history that set the popular masses in motion, concern national destinies, are capable of changing, always beneficially, albeit dramatically, an individual person. It was the patriotism of the people (in the novel "War and Peace" Tolstoy also describes their patriotic feelings) that led to the victory of the Russians over the French.
1867 L. M. Tolstoy finished work on the landmark novel of his work "". The author noted that in "War and Peace" he "loved the thought of the people", poeticizing the simplicity, kindness and morality of the Russian people. This "people's thought" reveals, depicting the events of the Patriotic War of 1812. It is no coincidence that L. Tolstoy describes the war of 1812 only on the territory of Russia. The historian and realist artist L. Tolstoy showed that the Patriotic War of 1812 was a just war. Defensively, the Russians raised "the club of the people's war, which punished the French until the invasion was stopped." The war radically changed the life of the entire Russian people.
The author introduces in the novel there are many images of peasants, Soldiers, whose thoughts, considerations in the aggregate constitute the people's worldview. The irresistible strength of the Russian people is fully felt in the heroism and patriotism of the inhabitants of Moscow, forced to leave their native city, their treasure, but not subdued in their souls; the peasants refuse to sell food and hay to the enemies, and create partisan detachments. L. Tolstoy showed real heroes, persistent and firm in fulfilling their military duties in the images of Tushin and Timokhin. The theme of the folk element is revealed more expressively in the depiction of guerrilla warfare. Tolstoy creates a vivid image of the partisan Tikhon Shcherbatov, who arbitrarily joined the Denisov detachment and was "the most useful person in the detachment." - a generalized image of the Russian peasant. In the novel, he appears on those pages where Pierre's stay in captivity is depicted. The meeting with Karataev changes a lot in Pierre's attitude to life. Deep folk wisdom seems to be concentrated in the image of Plato. This wisdom is calm, sane, without tricks and cruelty. From her, Pierre changes, begins to feel life in a new way, renews his soul.
Hatred for the enemy equally felt by representatives of all strata of Russian society, and patriotism and closeness to the people are most inherent in Tolstoy's favorite heroes -,. The simple Russian woman Vasilisa, the merchant Feropontov, and the family of Count Rostov feel united in their desire to help the country. The spiritual strength that the Russian people showed in the Patriotic War of 1812 is the same strength that supported the activity of a talented Russian and commander. He was elected commander-in-chief "against the will of the sovereign and in accordance with the will of the people." That is why, Tolstoy believes, he was able to fulfill his great historical mission, since each person is worth something not on his own, but only when he is part of his people. Thanks to unity, high patriotic enthusiasm and moral strength, the Russian people won the war.
"People's Thought"- the main idea of the novel "War and Peace". Tolstoy knew that the simple life of people, with its "personal" destinies, vicissitudes, joy, constitute the fate and history of the country. “I tried to write the history of the people,” said Tolstoy, the people in the broadest sense of the word. Therefore, the “folk thought” plays a huge role for the author, affirms the place of the people as a decisive force in history.
The people in the novel "War and Peace"
It is believed that wars are won and lost by commanders and emperors, but in any war a commander without an army is like a needle without a thread. After all, it is soldiers, officers, generals - people who serve in the army and take part in battles and battles, become the very thread with which history is embroidered. If you try to sew with only one needle, the fabric will pierce, perhaps even traces will remain, but there will be no result. So a commander without his regiments is just a lonely needle, which is easily lost in the haystacks formed by time if there is no thread of his troops behind him. Sovereigns are not at war, the people are at war. Sovereigns and commanders are only needles. Tolstoy shows that the theme of the people in the novel "War and Peace" is the main theme of the entire work. The people of Russia are people of different classes, both high society and those who make up the middle class, and ordinary people. They all love their Motherland and are ready to give their lives for it.
The image of the people in the novel
The two main storylines of the novel reveal to readers how the characters are formed and the destinies of two families - the Rostovs and the Bolkonskys - develop. Using these examples, Tolstoy shows how the intelligentsia developed in Russia, some of its representatives came to the events of December 1825, when the Decembrist uprising took place.
The Russian people in War and Peace are represented by different characters. Tolstoy seemed to have collected the features inherent in ordinary people, and created several collective images, embodying them in specific characters.
In Plato Karataev, met by Pierre in captivity, the characteristic features of serfs were embodied. Kind, calm, hard-working Plato, who talks about life, but does not think about it: “He, apparently, never thought about what he said and what he would say ...”. In the novel, Plato is the embodiment of a part of the Russian people of that time, wise, obedient to fate and the tsar, who loves their homeland, but went to fight for it only because they were caught and "given to the soldiers." His natural kindness and wisdom revive the "master" Pierre, who is constantly looking for the meaning of life and cannot find and comprehend it.
But at the same time, "When Pierre, sometimes struck by the meaning of his speech, asked to repeat what was said, Plato could not remember what he had said a minute ago." All these searches and throwings are alien and incomprehensible to Karataev, he knows how to accept life as it is at this very moment, and he accepts death humbly and without grumbling.
The merchant Ferapontov, an acquaintance of Alpatych, is a typical representative of the merchant class, on the one hand stingy and cunning, but at the same time burning his property so that the enemy does not get it. And he does not want to believe that Smolensk will be surrendered, and he even beats his wife for her requests to leave the city.
And the fact that Ferapontov and other merchants themselves set fire to their shops and houses is a manifestation of patriotism and love for Russia, and it is already clear that Napoleon will not be able to defeat the people, who are ready to do anything to save their homeland.
The collective image of the people in the novel "War and Peace" is created by many characters. These are partisans like Tikhon Shcherbaty, who fought the French in their own way, and, as if effortlessly, destroyed small detachments. These are wanderers, humble and religious, such as Pelageyushka, who went to holy places. Militia men, dressed in simple white shirts, "to prepare for death", "with a loud voice and laughter" digging trenches on the Borodino field before the battle.
In difficult times, when the danger of being conquered by Napoleon hung over the country, one main goal came to the fore for all these people - the salvation of Russia. Before her, everything else was petty and unimportant. At such moments, people show their true colors with amazing clarity, and in War and Peace, Tolstoy shows the difference between ordinary people who are ready to die for their country and other people, careerists and opportunists.
This is especially well manifested in the description of the preparations for the battle on the Borodino field. A simple soldier with the words: “They want to fall on all the people ...”, some officers, for whom the main thing is that “for tomorrow big awards should have been distributed and new people should have been put forward”, soldiers praying in front of the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God, Dolokhov, asking for forgiveness from Pierre - all these are strokes of the general picture that confronted Pierre after a conversation with Bolkonsky. “He understood that hidden ... warmth of patriotism that was in all those people he saw, and which explained to him why all these people were calmly and as if frivolously preparing for death” - this is how Tolstoy describes the general state of people before the Battle of Borodino.
But the author does not idealize the Russian people at all, in the episode where the Bogucharov peasants, trying to preserve their acquired property, do not let Princess Marya out of Bogucharov, he clearly shows the meanness and meanness of these people. In describing this scene, Tolstoy shows the behavior of the peasants as alien to Russian patriotism.
Conclusion
In an essay on the topic “The Russian people in the novel “War and Peace”, I wanted to show the attitude of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstov towards the Russian people as a “whole and unified” organism. And I want to end the essay with a quote from Tolstov: “... the reason for our triumph was not accidental, but lay in the essence of the character of the Russian people and troops, ... this character should have been expressed even more clearly in an era of failures and defeats ... "
Artwork test
1867 L. M. Tolstoy finished work on the landmark novel of his work "War and Peace". The author noted that in "War and Peace" he "loved the thought of the people", poeticizing the simplicity, kindness and morality of the Russian people. L. Tolstoy reveals this “folk idea” by depicting the events of the Patriotic War of 1812. It is no coincidence that L. Tolstoy describes the war of 1812 only on the territory of Russia. The historian and realist artist L. Tolstoy showed that the Patriotic War of 1812 was a just war. Defensively, the Russians raised "the club of the people's war, which punished the French until the invasion was stopped." The war radically changed the life of the entire Russian people.
The author introduces into the novel many images of peasants, Soldiers, whose thoughts and considerations together make up the people's worldview. The irresistible strength of the Russian people is fully felt in the heroism and patriotism of the inhabitants of Moscow, forced to leave their native city, their treasure, but not subdued in their souls; the peasants refuse to sell food and hay to the enemies, and create partisan detachments. L. Tolstoy showed real heroes, persistent and firm in fulfilling their military duties in the images of Tushin and Timokhin. The theme of the folk element is revealed more expressively in the depiction of guerrilla warfare. Tolstoy creates a vivid image of the partisan Tikhon Shcherbatov, who arbitrarily joined the Denisov detachment and was "the most useful person in the detachment." Platon Karataev is a generalized image of the Russian peasant. In the novel, he appears on those pages where Pierre's stay in captivity is depicted. The meeting with Karataev changes a lot in Pierre's attitude to life. Deep folk wisdom seems to be concentrated in the image of Plato. This wisdom is calm, sane, without tricks and cruelty. From her, Pierre changes, begins to feel life in a new way, renews his soul.
Representatives of all strata of Russian society equally felt hatred for the enemy, and patriotism and closeness to the people are most inherent in Tolstoy's favorite heroes - Pierre Bezukhov, Andrei Bolkonsky, Natasha Rostova. The simple Russian woman Vasilisa, the merchant Feropontov, and the family of Count Rostov feel united in their desire to help the country. The spiritual strength that the Russian people showed in the Patriotic War of 1812 is the same strength that supported Kutuzov's activities as a talented Russian and commander. He was elected commander-in-chief "against the will of the sovereign and in accordance with the will of the people." That is why, Tolstoy believes, Kutuzov was able to fulfill his great historical mission, since each person is not worth something on his own, but only when he is part of his people. Thanks to unity, high patriotic enthusiasm and moral strength, the Russian people won the war.
"People's Thought" is the main idea of the novel "War and Peace". Tolstoy knew that the simple life of people, with its "personal" destinies, vicissitudes, joy, constitute the fate and history of the country. “I tried to write the history of the people,” said Tolstoy, the people in the broadest sense of the word. Therefore, the “folk thought” plays a huge role for the author, affirms the place of the people as a decisive force in history.
Did you like the essay? Save the site in your bookmarks, it will come in handy - "The image of the common people in the novel" War and Peace "
- New!
War and peace are everything in human life, its universal scope and at the same time its deepest contradiction. S. G. Bocharov L. N. Tolstoy, having decided to write a large epic canvas, intended to title it like this: “Everything is good that ...
The epic of L. N. Tolstoy “War and Peace” has become one of the most significant works of world literature, affecting moral problems and providing answers to such important historical and philosophical questions that relate to the meaning of life of an individual ...
"Deep knowledge of the secret movements of psychological life and the direct purity of the moral feeling, which now gives a special physiognomy to the works of Count Tolstoy, will always remain essential features of his talent" (N.G. Chernyshevsky) Beautiful ...
Natasha Rostova is the central female character in the novel "War and Peace" and, perhaps, the author's favorite. Tolstoy presents us with the evolution of his heroine over the fifteen-year period, from 1805 to 1820, of her life and over more than one and a half thousand ...
