SECULAR SOCIETY IN THE PICTURE OF L. N. TOLSTOY. The novel by L. N. Tolstoy "War and Peace" was created during the rapid social development of Russia. The revolutionary democrats gained wide popularity and attracted the attention of the entire progressive intelligentsia. In Russia, a struggle broke out between the liberal nobles and the revolutionary democrats. Leo Tolstoy was not a member of the society of revolutionaries, but he always defended the positions of the patriarchal peasantry, forever breaking with the noble class. The great writer had reasons for this - mostly, it seems to me, a moral plan. For a long life in the nest of nobles and an equally long observation of the life of the common people, the great writer was still able to determine for himself the environment where true human values \u200b\u200bcan exist - the people. After such a choice, these inert, degenerate, jaded people in brilliant clothes meant little to the writer. He focused his attention on people of the spirit. But noble society has always been the subject of his scathing criticism.
In the novel, the writer reflected his most intimate thoughts about the noble society, especially sharply opposed the capital's nobility, the so-called secular society.
At the very beginning of the novel, the author introduces the reader to a typical representative of high society, Anna Pavlovna Sherer. This is a cunning and dexterous woman who formed a circle of high society, “in which there is nothing truthful, simple and natural. Everything is saturated through and through with lies, falsehood, heartlessness and hypocrisy.”
The closest person to Anna Pavlovna is Prince Vasily Kuragin. He is the head of the family of the famous Kuragin family and one of the most successful businessmen of that time. It should be noted that the writer had a special dislike and contempt for people like Kuragin.
So, Prince Vasily is a secular person, a careerist and an egoist. He seeks to become the heir to the dying rich nobleman - Count Bezukhov. But this dream did not come true. The entire inheritance of the old count passed by will to his illegitimate son, Pierre Bezukhov. Prince Vasily immediately realized that by marrying Pierre to his daughter Helen, he would become a rich father-in-law. Having arranged this wedding, he dreams of another. He caught fire with the dream to attach his son Anatole. In his concept, this means it is profitable to marry him. The Kuragins go to Prince Bolkonsky to ask for the hand of his daughter. But the old Bolkonsky quickly unraveled the mercenary plans of Prince Vasily and refused Anatole, who did not care. Anatole does not have firm moral principles, just as his father and sister Helen do not.
Helen's only virtue is beauty. When she passes through the hall, the dazzling whiteness of her shoulders attracts the eyes of all the surrounding men. Especially brightly Helen began to shine with her splendor and beauty in the world after her marriage. She did not miss a single ball and was a welcome guest everywhere. Pierre was the complete opposite of her in character and felt an ever-increasing dislike for his wife. Naturally, Helen's behavior was indifferent to him, he was not even jealous of her. He well defined its essence: "Where you are, there is debauchery."
But back to the Kuragins. Needless to say, they stopped at nothing to achieve their goals. Such is Anatole. Not loving Natasha Rostova, he does everything possible to win her hand. To do this, Anatole decided to play a performance of ardent love and secretly take her away from her parents' house, so to speak, in the best romantic traditions.
But the play fails. Seeing that the girl understood his intentions, he leaves for the army in order to avoid the stinging talk of the world.
Exactly the same rake and veil is the second son of Prince Vasily - Ippolit. But to the characteristic features of Hippolytus, one must also add his mental limitations, which makes his actions especially ridiculous.
On the example of the Kuragin family, Tolstoy portrayed typical representatives of the world, for whom personal interests have always been above all else.
Both Boris Drubetskoy and Berg belong to the world. The goal of their life is to be in the spotlight of the world all the time, to be able to get a "warm place", have a rich wife, create a brilliant career and get to the "tops".
The writer also makes it clear that the main representatives of the world are the king himself, his retinue, military and civil administration. The emperor grants the nobles all possible privileges in rights. I want to complete this series of secular society with Arakcheev - a serviceable, cruel, executive guardian of order, or rather, the well-being of secular society.
In Tolstoy's novel, secular society exists as a background against which the events of the real, high, tragic and beautiful life of the Russian people and the best representatives of the nobility unfold.
L.N. Tolstoy originally wanted to write a short novel about a Decembrist who returned home from exile. About his views on life, changes in worldview. But in the process of work, I realized that one cannot do without the previous story. It was necessary to reveal the origins of the Decembrist movement, the character of the Russian nobility and the common people. But this world is so multifaceted that the work resulted in a voluminous, truly legendary epic novel.
Attitude towards war
Showing the war, Tolstoy describes Napoleon's attack on Russia, the Battle of Borodino, the slow return of the Russian army, the French conquest of Moscow, the fire in the capital, and the return of the Napoleonic army during the harsh winter. The French commander had to flee from Russia under the shelling of Russian soldiers. His army is suffering from cold, hunger, as the Russians have destroyed all food supplies. The capture of Moscow by Napoleon proved futile, and ultimately destroyed most of his army.
Along with these historical events, Tolstoy describes the various classes of Russian society in terms of their participation in the war and the impact the war had on their lives. At the beginning of the novel, the Russian aristocratic class insists on Russia's participation in the war. They wanted a quick victory, pride in the Russian nobility. But they did not expect that the war would destroy houses, agriculture, and take many lives of compatriots. However, most of this class did not plan to participate in the war themselves, but were going to win battles at the hands of the peasants.
At the beginning of the novel, representatives of the aristocracy dream of war, admiring the genius of Napoleon. For them, it does not matter how many battles will take human lives, how many people will be crippled, how many orphans will remain. During the bloody and protracted confrontations, the nobility already makes other pathetic speeches, scolding the French commander. The attitude towards the French language, so praised quite recently, is also changing. There are penalties for this speech.
Character Antagonism
Tolstoy leads the reader to the realization of true and false moral values, patriotism, honor and dishonor. People like Drubetskoy are eager for war only for their own benefit. Through the death of hundreds of people, they want to get a high officer rank. Their aspirations are base, vile, vulgar, deceitful. And simple, inconspicuous people, like Tushin, really cheer for victory, sympathize with people, love, root for their homeland. The same goes for the women in the novel. Young Natasha Rostova, who was considered by many to be windy, irresponsible, gives her carts to the wounded, realizing that because of this she will not be able to evacuate in time. The author gently pushes us to compare Helen Kuragina and Marya Bolkonskaya. Everyone considers Helen a beauty, many are in love with her. It is in demand in secular society. Maria, on the other hand, has an inconspicuous appearance, modest, quiet. But she has a finely sensitive soul, is virtuous, beautiful internally. You understand this only after reading the novel in its entirety.
Attitude towards peasants
All Moscow and St. Petersburg nobility of that time were landowners. But only a few of them treated the peasants as people. Then it was easy to sell a person, exchange or lose at cards. And the peasants were measured by "souls". This suggests that the aristocrats imagined themselves to be almost gods, thinking that they possessed human souls. Meanwhile, the Russian people - this is the true hero of a great work.
Conclusion
The writer paid much attention to the image of the nobility. Lev Nikolaevich makes us understand the insignificance of these people. They are cold, arrogant, stiff. Personal gain, money, rank, gossip is more important for them than honor, truth, morality. Here it is not customary to openly express one's thoughts aloud, and personal opinion should correspond to the opinion of the crowd. Any sincere manifestation of feelings finds here only condemnation. Some of them, such as: Pierre Bezukhov, Natasha Rostova, Andrey Bolkonsky, through physical and moral suffering, were able to purify themselves, come to inner harmony after a cruel introspection. But they are few.
The writer also reveals the role of women in society. She should not be a coquette, like Helen Kuragina, not a secular lady, like Anna Scherer, but a mother and wife. This becomes the main character of the novel - Natasha Rostova.
The multifaceted prose canvas created by Leo Tolstoy is a true picture of the life of the Russian people in the first quarter of the 19th century. The volume of the work and the scale of the description characteristically evoke the multifaceted problems of the novel. One of the problems that L.N. Tolstoy is the study of the moral essence of secular society in the novel "War and Peace".
Artistic reception of opposition
One of the main artistic techniques used by the author is opposition. This catches the eye even before reading the epic novel, because this technique already emphasizes the title of the work. Through a parallel image, based on the opposition of war and peace, Lev Nikolayevich depicts the actual problems of the early 19th century, human vices and virtues, the values of society and the personal dramas of the heroes.
The method of opposition touched not only the plans of the image, but also the images. The author created images of war and peace in the novel. If the author portrays the war through battles, the characters of generals, officers and soldiers, then the world personifies the image of Russian society in the first decades of the 19th century.
In describing the characteristic secular world in the novel "War and Peace", the author does not deviate from his stylistic manner, which is characterized not only by philosophical digressions, where the author's assessment of the events described is traced, but also by a comparative description of phenomena, images, spiritual qualities. So, in a hidden opposition, the author depicts representatives of the two main cities of the Empire - St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Characteristics of the metropolitan society in the novel
In that historical period, which is described in the work, St. Petersburg was the capital of the Russian Empire, with a pretentious society characteristic of such a high rank. St. Petersburg is a city characterized by architectural splendor combined with cold gloominess and impregnability. The author also transfers his peculiar character to Petersburg society.
Social events, balls, receptions are the main events for representatives of the secular society of the capital. It is there that political, cultural and secular news are discussed. However, behind the external beauty of these events, it is clear that the representatives of the nobility do not care and do not care at all about these topics, nor the opinions of the interlocutors, nor the outcome of conversations and meetings. The denunciation of true and false beauty, the essence of the metropolitan society is revealed in the novel already from the first price in the salon of Anna Pavlovna Sherer.
The Petersburg high society in the novel plays the usual roles, speaks only about what it is customary to talk about, and acts as it is expected. On the example of the Kuragin family, which are typical representatives of the capital's society, the author, with undisguised disappointment and irony, emphasizes the theatricality, pretense and cynicism of the social life of St. Petersburg and its representatives. Only those who are inexperienced or have lost interest in role-playing find the author’s approval on the pages of the novel, through whose mouth the author gives his assessment: “Living rooms, gossip, balls, vanity, insignificance - this is a vicious circle from which I cannot get out.”
Description of Moscow social life and its representatives
For the first time, the author introduces the reader to the customs and atmosphere of the Moscow nobility at the morning reception of the Rostov family. At first glance, it may seem that the secular picture of Moscow is not much different from the society of the Northern capital. However, the conversations of representatives of the nobility are no longer so generalized and empty, in them one can hear personal opinions, disputes and discussions, which indicates the sincerity of views, true excitement for the fate of their region and the state as a whole. At social events there is a place for children's pranks and good-natured laughter, sincere amazement, simplicity and directness of thoughts and actions, trust and forgiveness.
At the same time, one should not assume that Tolstoy, who undoubtedly sympathizes with Moscow society in the novel, idealizes it. On the contrary, he emphasizes many of his qualities that are not approved by the author, such as envy, ridicule, passion for gossip and discussion of someone else's private life. However, creating the image of the secular society of Moscow, the author identifies it with the characteristic, both positive and negative features inherent in the Russian people.
The role of the image of secular society in the novel
One of the main issues that underlies the work and my essay on the topic “Secular society in the novel“ War and Peace ”is the essence of the Russian people, with all its versatility, shortcomings and virtues. In the novel, Tolstoy's goal was to show, without embellishment and flattery, the true face of society at the beginning of the 19th century, in order to depict the essence of the Russian soul and main national values such as home, family and state against its background.
The image of society serves not only as a force that forms views, opinions, principles of thinking and ideals of behavior, but also as a backdrop for expressing bright personalities due to it, thanks to whose high moral qualities and heroism the war was won, which largely affected the future fate of the state.
Artwork test
Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" makes it possible to judge what Russian society was like at the beginning of the 19th century.
The writer shows the reader not only representatives of high society, but also the Moscow and local nobility, creates amazing images of peasants. Thus, almost all social strata of Russia are represented in the novel.
Pictures of Russian society in the novel "War and Peace"
Historical figures
- emperor Alexander I,
- Napoleon,
- Kutuzov,
- Marshals of France
- generals of the Russian army.
Showing historical figures, Tolstoy is authorially biased: for him, a truly historical, majestic personality is Kutuzov. Both Emperor Alexander and Napoleon first of all think about themselves, their role in history, therefore their role in real history is illusory. Kutuzov, on the other hand, feels the breath of providence, subordinates his activities to the service of the Fatherland. Tolstoy writes:
"There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth."
Therefore, Kutuzov is great and Napoleon and others like him are insignificant.
Images of Russian nobles in the novel "War and Peace"
Revealing the images of Russian nobles, the writer uses his favorite method of contrast. The St. Petersburg nobility, the high society of St. Petersburg are opposed to the Moscow and local nobility by the desire for their own benefit, career, narrow personal interests.
The salon of Anna Pavlovna Sherer becomes the personification of such a society, the description of the evening at which the novel begins. The hostess herself and her guests are likened to a workshop, where machines are noisy, spindles are spinning. Pierre's behavior, his sincerity seem bad manners to the regulars of the salon.
The Kuragin family also becomes a symbol of the deceitfulness of high society. Outer beauty is not necessarily an attribute of inner beauty. The beauty of Helen and Anatole hide their predatory nature, which is aimed only at obtaining their own pleasure. Pierre's marriage to Helen, Natasha's false love for Anatole are mistakes that are paid for with disappointment in life, a fragile fate.
The essence of high society is manifested in relation to the war of 1812. Petersburg during the Battle of Borodino is more busy with which of the two contenders for her hand will be chosen by Princess Bezukhova, Helen, with her husband alive. The patriotism of this society is expressed in the rejection of the French language and the inability to speak Russian. The deceitfulness of this society is clearly visible in the behavior of Prince Vasily Kuragin during the struggle for the appointment of Kutuzov as commander of the Russian army. Kuragins, Bergi, Drubetskoy, Rostopchin, even in war, seek only benefits, they are alien to true patriotism, the unity of the nation.
Moscow and local nobles are close to the people. Moscow treats the war of 1812 differently. The nobles gather the militia, embraced by a single impulse of patriotism, they meet Emperor Alexander. Pierre equips a whole regiment of militia, demands that the carts, which are intended for transporting things during the retreat, be given to the wounded. Tolstoy admires a single family home, where masters and servants represent a single whole (scenes of name days in the Rostovs' house, Natasha's hunting and dancing in the house of Uncle Rostovs).
Images of the people, merchants "War and Peace"
For each of Tolstoy's favorite heroes, a man from the people becomes a measure of truth:
- for Andrei Bolkonsky, this is a meeting with Tushin in the battle of Shengraben,
- for Pierre - with Platon Karataev in captivity,
- for Denisov - with Tikhon Shcherbaty in the partisan detachment.
The unity of the nation is also represented by the image of Muscovites, in particular the Moscow lady who leaves the city
"with a vague consciousness that she is not Bonaparte's servant."
The merchant class is represented in the novel by the character Ferapontov, who opens his barns to residents and soldiers during the retreat from Smolensk, shouting:
"Take it all ... Russia decided."
The images of the peasants are extremely interesting. Tolstoy shows the diversity of Russian folk characters.
- This is Tikhon Shcherbaty, “the most needed person in Denisov’s detachment,” a man who can walk as much on foot as on horseback, pull a horse out of a swamp, and take a prisoner.
- This is only the elder Vasilisa mentioned by the writer, who led the partisan detachment.
- This is Captain Tushin, small, nondescript, thanks to whom it was possible to save the Russian army in the battle of Shengraben.
- This is Captain Timokhin, an inconspicuous war worker who keeps the Russian army.
- This is the philosopher and sage Platon Karataev, whose contradictory image still confuses critics. Plato was a good soldier, but he also takes captivity for granted, like life, while maintaining self-esteem.
Tolstoy would not have been Tolstoy if he had not shown the inconsistency of the attitudes of the peasants towards the invasion. The rebellion of the Bogucharov peasants, their unwillingness to go into captivity, speaks of the hopes of the peasantry for liberation from serfdom.
“In War and Peace,” Tolstoy says, “I loved the thought of the people.”
Russian families in the novel
But family thought also plays an important role in the novel. Tolstoy considers the family to be the basis of the state.
The families of the Rostovs, Bolkonskys, at the end of the novel, the families of Pierre and Natasha, Nikolai and Marya are the moral ideal of a family where there is a kindred of souls, unity and mutual understanding.
It is in these families that talented children grow up, the basis of the future of Russia.
He wrote that his novel -
"a picture of morals built on a historical event."
The novel gives a lot to understand the mysteries of the Russian soul and the Russian national character, the amazing strength of the nation, the people in the broadest sense, with deep national upheavals.
Did you like it? Do not hide your joy from the world - shareAll the heroes of the novel "War and Peace" (both fictional characters and historical figures) are grouped and evaluated by Tolstoy depending on the degree of their proximity or remoteness from the people. This single principle of characterization and evaluation of the entire set of characters (and there are more than five hundred of them in the novel) allowed the writer to bring together the image of people of various social strata and various individual destinies.
The main accusation that Tolstoy makes against the St. Petersburg secular society, leading a "ghostly", artificial life, is isolation from the people, especially in a time of formidable trials. "War and Peace" begins with a description of the evening in the salon of Anna Pavlovna Sherer, where the nobility of the capital gathers. In itself, the comparison of the evening with a spinning workshop (“Spindles from different directions were evenly and incessantly noisy”) quite accurately and definitely expressed the author’s attitude to the world of falsity and emptiness, to that artificial life, which is characterized by mechanistic, deadness. The idea of the old Prince Bolkonsky about European politics: "some kind of puppet comedy" - gets a generalized meaning.
L. N. Tolstoy puts forward certain criteria by which he determines the value of the human personality: a person's attitude to his homeland, people, nature, the ability to introspection, the depth of feelings, moral quest. Representatives of secular society do not stand the test of humanity. The environment of the Kuragins and their ilk (Adolf Berg, Boris Drubetskoy and Rostopchin with his pseudo-patriotism) is distinguished precisely by its lifelessness, puppetry, hostility to everything truly human, natural, and finally, just decent. Vasily Kuragin tried to rob Pierre, his son, Anatole, involved Pierre in scandalous stories, he also brought a lot of grief to Marya Bolkonskaya, Natasha Rostova. Pierre had every reason to say, referring to Helen and meaning not only her alone, but the whole secular world that she embodied: "... where you are, there is debauchery, evil ...".
The main principle of Tolstoy's depiction of negative characters is static, lack of movement, depth of experience. Their moral world is always primitive, devoid of intellectual wealth and moral appeal; they are not given a living perception of nature (none of them is depicted outside city houses, secular evenings, balls, etc.). So already in "War and Peace" begins that "tearing off all and sundry masks", which will become especially characteristic of Tolstoy's subsequent work. Developed poses, unchanging smiles, acting were common both for the usual visitors to Anna Pavlovna's salon and for Napoleon.
The motifs of puppetry and play as signs of unnaturalness and artificiality are especially pronounced in episodes where Natasha, who has just returned from the village and has not yet had time to get used to the conventions of secular society, visits the opera house. Tolstoy describes the opera performance, seen as if through her eyes, that is, from the point of view of a natural person: “... then some more people came running and began to drag away that girl who was previously in white, and now in a blue dress. They didn’t drag her away right away, but sang for a long time, and then they dragged her away…”. Right here in the theater
Natasha meets Anatole and becomes infatuated with him. The atmosphere of artificiality, falsehood, when the shameful, the unlawful turns out to be permissible and ordinary (“Naked Helen was sitting next to her ...”), deprives Natasha of simple, natural human ideas, her landmarks have shifted, and what would have been impossible for her moral sense quite recently, now becomes quite acceptable.
Tolstoy does not accept a life preoccupied only with "ghosts, reflections", devoid of truly human values. And it is characteristic that representatives of the secular world hated by the author gradually occupy less and less space in the development of the action, in the end almost completely disappearing from the pages of the novel.
Helen suddenly dies from a strange and mysterious illness, nothing is said in the epilogue about the Kuragins and Scherer, Berg and Drubetskoy. Forgotten and Napoleon. Everything dark, selfish, negative leaves, goodness, light, openness and naturalness win. The heroines of the epic novel “Tolstoy's moral sensitivity,” writes E. A. Maimin, “forces him to portray heroes, both positive and negative, in the light of his ideal. He does not like those of his heroes in whom there is no life, a unique personality.
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