The novel describes the military events of 1805-1807, as well as the Patriotic War of 1812. We can say that the war as a kind of objective reality becomes the main storyline novel, and therefore the fate of the characters must be considered in a single context with this event “hostile” to humanity. But at the same time, the war in the novel has a deeper understanding. This is a duel of two principles (aggressive and harmonic), two worlds (natural and artificial), a clash of two life attitudes (truth and lies).
Throughout his life, Andrei Bolkonsky dreams of “his Toulon”. He dreams of accomplishing a feat in front of everyone, in order to prove his strength and fearlessness, plunge into the world of glory, become a celebrity. “I will be sent there,” he thought, “with a brigade or division, and there, with a banner in my hand, I will go forward and break everything that is in front of me.” At first glance, this decision seems quite noble, it proves the courage and determination of Prince Andrei. The only repulsive thing is that he is focused not on Kutuzov, but on Napoleon. But the battle of Shengraben,
namely, the meeting with Captain Tushin becomes the first crack in the hero's system of views. It turns out that a feat can be accomplished without suspecting it, not in front of others; but Prince Andrei is not yet fully aware of this. It can be seen that in this case Tolstoy sympathizes not with Andrei Bolkonsky, but with Captain Tushin, a good-natured person, a native of the people. The author even somehow condemns Bolkonsky for his arrogance, a somewhat contemptuous attitude towards ordinary people. (“Prince Andrey glanced at Tushin and, without saying anything, moved away from him.”) Shengraben undoubtedly played positive role in the life of Prince Andrei. Thanks to Tushin, Bolkonsky changes his view of the war.
It turns out that war is not a means of achieving a career, but dirty, hard work, where an anti-human deed is performed. The final realization of this comes to Prince Andrei on the field of Austerlitz. He wants to accomplish a feat and accomplishes it. But later he remembers not his triumph, when he fled to the French with a banner in his hands, but the high sky of Austerlitz.
Depicting the war of 1805 at Shengraben, Tolstoy draws various paintings military operations and various types of its participants. We see the heroic transition of the Bagration detachment to the village of Shengraben, the Shengraben battle, the courage and heroism of Russian soldiers and the bad work of the commissariat, honest and courageous commanders and careerists who use the war for personal purposes. Typical for staff officers Zherkov, who at the height of the battle was sent by Bagration with an important assignment to the general of the left flank.
The order was to retreat immediately. Due to the fact that Zherkov did not find the general, the French cut off the Russian hussars, many were killed and Zherkov's comrade Rostov was wounded.
As always bold and brave Dolokhov. Dolokhov "killed one Frenchman at point-blank range and was the first to take a surrendered officer by the collar." But after that, he will approach the regimental commander and say: “I stopped the company ... The whole company can testify. Please remember…” Everywhere, always, he remembers first of all about himself, only about himself; everything he does, he does for himself.
They are not cowardly these people, no. But for the sake of the common good, they cannot forget themselves, their pride, their careers, their personal interests, no matter how loud they speak about the honor of the regiment and no matter how much they show their concern for the regiment.
Tolstoy, with special sympathy, shows commander Timokhin, whose company “alone stayed in order” and, inspired by the example of its commander, unexpectedly attacked the French and threw them back, making it possible to restore order in neighboring battalions.
Another inconspicuous hero is Captain Tushin. This is a "small, round-shouldered person." There was something special in his figure, not at all military, somewhat comical, but extremely attractive. He has “big, smart and kind eyes". Tushin is simple and humble person living the same life with the soldiers. During the battle, he does not know the slightest fear, cheerfully and animatedly commands, at decisive moments, consulting with sergeant major Zakharchenko, to whom he treats with great respect. With a handful of soldiers, the same heroes as their commander, Tushin with amazing courage and heroism does his job, despite the fact that the cover that stood near his battery left on someone's orders in the middle of the case. And his "battery ... was not taken by the French only because the enemy could not imagine the audacity of firing four unprotected cannons." Only after receiving the order to retreat, Tushin left the position, taking away the two guns that survived the battle.
Battle of Austerlitz in 1805. The general battle between the Russian-Austrian and French armies took place on November 20, 1805 near the town of Austerlitz in Moravia. The Russian-Austrian army numbered almost 86 thousand people. with 350 guns. It was commanded by General M.I. Kutuzov. The French army numbered about 3 thousand people. with 250 guns. It was led by Napoleon. The main forces of the allied army under the command of F.F. Buksgevden attacked the corps of Marshal L. Davout and, after stubborn battles, captured the Castle, Sokolnitsy, and Telnits. Meanwhile, the 4th Allied column under the command of I.-K. Kolovrata, which constituted the center of the allied forces, went on the offensive late, was attacked by the main forces of the French and left the Pracen Heights dominating the area. Under these conditions, Buksgevden received an order from Kutuzov to retreat, but did not comply with it. Meanwhile, Napoleon, having defeated the center of the allied forces, deployed his troops and attacked the left wing of the allies (Bukshowden) with the main forces both from the front and from the flank. As a result allied forces withdrew with heavy losses. The losses of the Russian troops amounted to 16 thousand killed and wounded, 4 thousand prisoners, 160 guns; Austrians - 4 thousand killed and wounded, 2 thousand prisoners, 26 guns; French - about 12 thousand killed and wounded. As a result of the defeat at Austerlitz, the 3rd anti-French coalition broke up.
One of the main lines of the book is Prince Andrei's disappointment in the very idea of war, in heroism, in the special vocation of the military. From the dream of accomplishing a feat and saving the entire army, he comes to the conclusion that war is a “terrible necessity”, which is permissible only when “they ruined my house and go to ruin Moscow”, that the military class is characterized by idleness, ignorance, cruelty, depravity, drunkenness.
So, in depicting military events, Tolstoy not only represents broad battle paintings Shengraben, Austerlitz and Borodino battles, but also shows the psychology of a separate human personality involved in the flow of hostilities. Army commanders, generals, staff commanders, line officers and the mass of soldiers, partisans - all these various participants in the war, carriers of the most diverse psychology, are shown by Tolstoy with amazing skill in the most diverse conditions of their combat and “peaceful” life. At the same time, the writer former member defense of Sevastopol, seeks to show real war, without any embellishment, “in blood, in suffering, in death”, drawing with deep and sober truth and beautiful qualities folk spirit, alien to ostentatious courage, pettiness, vanity, and, on the other hand, the presence of all these features in most officers - nobles.
| "Battle of Shengraben" | "Battle of Austerlitz" |
| The decisive battle in the campaign of 1805-1807. Shengraben is the fate of the Russian army, and, therefore, a test of the moral strength of Russian soldiers. The path of Bagration with an army of four thousand through the Bohemian Mountains was intended to delay Napoleon's army and give the Russian army the opportunity to gather strength, that is, in fact, to save the army. | Austerlitz - "battle of three emperors". Its purpose is to consolidate the achieved success. But in fact, the battle of Austerlitz became the era of “shame and disappointment for all of Russia and individual people, and the triumph of Napoleon the victor. |
| The purpose of the battle is noble and understandable to the soldiers. | The purpose of the battle is not understood by the soldiers. |
| Heroism, deeds | Confusion among the soldiers; senseless feat of Prince Andrei. |
| Victory | Defeat. |
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“I don’t know anyone who would write about the war better than Tolstoy”
Ernest Hemingway
Many writers use real historical events for the plots of their works. One of the most frequently described events is war - civil, domestic, world. The Patriotic War of 1812 deserves special attention: battle of Borodino, burning of Moscow, exile french emperor Napoleon. In Russian literature, a detailed depiction of the war is presented in the novel "War and Peace" by L.N. Tolstoy. The writer describes specific military battles, allows the reader to see real historical figures, gives his own assessment of the events that took place.
Causes of war in the novel "War and Peace"
L.N. Tolstoy in the epilogue tells us about “this man”, “without convictions, without habits, without traditions, without a name, not even a Frenchman ...”, who is Napoleon Bonaparte, who wanted to conquer the whole world. The main enemy on his way was Russia - huge, strong. By various deceitful ways, cruel battles, seizures of territories, Napoleon moved slowly from his goal. Neither the Peace of Tilsit, nor Russia's allies, nor Kutuzov could stop him. Although Tolstoy says that “the more we try to reasonably explain these phenomena in nature, the more unreasonable, incomprehensible they become for us,” nevertheless, in the novel War and Peace, the cause of the war is Napoleon. Standing in power in France, subjugating part of Europe, he lacked great Russia. But Napoleon was mistaken, he did not calculate the strength and lost this war.
War in the novel "War and Peace"
Tolstoy himself presents this concept as follows: “Millions of people committed against each other such an innumerable number of atrocities ... that for whole centuries the chronicle of all the courts of the world will not collect and which, during this period of time, the people who committed them did not look like crimes” . Through the description of the war in the novel War and Peace, Tolstoy makes us understand that he himself hates war for its cruelty, murder, betrayal, and senselessness. He puts judgments about war into the mouths of his heroes. So Andrei Bolkonsky says to Bezukhov: "War is not a courtesy, but the most disgusting thing in life, and you need to understand this and not play war." We see that there is no pleasure, pleasure, satisfaction of one's desires from bloody actions against another people. It is definitely clear in the novel that war in Tolstoy's portrayal is "against the human mind and all human nature event".
Major battle of the War of 1812
Even in the I and II volumes of the novel, Tolstoy tells about the military campaigns of 1805-1807. Shengraben, Austerlitz battles pass through the prism of the writer's reflections and conclusions. But in the war of 1812, the writer puts the Battle of Borodino at the forefront. Although he immediately asks himself and his readers the question: “Why was the Battle of Borodino given? Neither for the French nor for the Russians it made the slightest sense.
But it was the battle of Borodino that became the starting point until the victory of the Russian army. LN Tolstoy gives a detailed idea of the course of the war in War and Peace. He describes every action of the Russian army, physical and state of mind soldier. According to the writer's own assessment, neither Napoleon, nor Kutuzov, and even more so Alexander I did not expect such an outcome of this war. For everyone, the Battle of Borodino was unplanned and unforeseen. What is the concept of the war of 1812, the heroes of the novel do not understand, just as Tolstoy does not understand, just as the reader does not understand.
Heroes of the novel "War and Peace"
Tolstoy gives the reader the opportunity to look at his characters from the outside, to see them in action in certain circumstances. Shows us Napoleon before leaving for Moscow, who was aware of all the disastrous situation of the army, but went forward to his goal. He comments on his ideas, thoughts, actions.
We can watch Kutuzov - the main performer popular will who preferred "patience and time" to the offensive.
Before us is Bolkonsky, reborn, morally grown and loving his people. Pierre Bezukhov in a new understanding of all the "causes of human troubles", who arrived in Moscow with the aim of killing Napoleon.
Militia men "with crosses on their hats and in white shirts, who, with a loud voice and laughter, are lively and sweaty," ready at any moment to die for their homeland.
Before us is Emperor Alexander I, who finally gave the "reins of control of the war" into the hands of the "all-knowing" Kutuzov, but still does not fully understand true position Russia in this war.
Natasha Rostova, who abandoned all family property and gave wagons to the wounded soldiers so that they could leave the destroyed city. She takes care of the wounded Bolkonsky, giving him all her time and affection.
Petya Rostov, who died so absurdly without a real participation in the war, without a feat, without a battle, who secretly "signed up for the hussars" from everyone. And many more heroes who we meet in several episodes, but deserve respect and recognition in true patriotism.
Reasons for winning the War of 1812
In the novel, L.N. Tolstoy expresses thoughts about the reasons for Russia's victory in the Patriotic War: “No one will argue that the cause of death French troops Napoleon was, on the one hand, their entry into late time without preparation for a winter campaign deep into Russia, and on the other hand, the character that the war took on from the burning of Russian cities and inciting hatred for the enemy in the Russian people. For the Russian people, the victory in the Patriotic War was the victory of the Russian spirit, Russian strength, Russian faith in any circumstances. The consequences of the war of 1812 were severe for French side namely for Napoleon. It was the collapse of his empire, the collapse of his hopes, the collapse of his greatness. Napoleon not only did not take possession of the whole world, he could not stay in Moscow, but fled ahead of his army, retreating in disgrace and the failure of the entire military campaign.
My essay on the topic “The depiction of war in the novel War and Peace” tells very briefly about the war in Tolstoy’s novel. Only after a careful reading of the entire novel, you can appreciate all the skill of the writer and discover interesting pages military history Russia.
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Prepared by Sergey Golubev
Prince Adrey and the war
The novel describes the military events of 1805-1807, as well as the Patriotic War of 1812. It can be said that the war, as a kind of objective reality, becomes the main storyline of the novel, and therefore the fate of the characters must be considered in the same context with this event “hostile” to humanity. But at the same time, the war in the novel has a deeper understanding. This is a duel of two principles (aggressive and harmonic), two worlds (natural and artificial), a clash of two life attitudes (truth and lies).
Throughout his life, Andrei Bolkonsky dreams of “his Toulon”. He dreams of accomplishing a feat in front of everyone, in order to prove his strength and fearlessness, plunge into the world of glory, become a celebrity. “I will be sent there,” he thought, “with a brigade or division, and there, with a banner in my hand, I will go forward and break everything that is in front of me.” At first glance, this decision seems quite noble, it proves the courage and determination of Prince Andrei. The only repulsive thing is that he is focused not on Kutuzov, but on Napoleon. But the Battle of Shengraben, namely the meeting with Captain Tushin, becomes the first crack in the hero's system of views. It turns out that a feat can be accomplished without suspecting it, not in front of others; but Prince Andrei is not yet fully aware of this. It can be seen that in this case Tolstoy sympathizes not with Andrei Bolkonsky, but with Captain Tushin, a good-natured person, a native of the people. The author even somehow condemns Bolkonsky for his arrogance, a somewhat contemptuous attitude towards ordinary people. (“Prince Andrei glanced at Tushin and, without saying anything, moved away from him.”) Shengraben undoubtedly played a positive role in the life of Prince Andrei. Thanks to Tushin, Bolkonsky changes his view of the war.
It turns out that war is not a means of achieving a career, but dirty, hard work, where an anti-human deed is performed. The final realization of this comes to Prince Andrei on the field of Austerlitz. He wants to accomplish a feat and accomplishes it. But later he remembers not his triumph, when he fled to the French with a banner in his hands, but the high sky of Austerlitz.
Battle of Shengraben
Depicting the war of 1805 at Shengraben, Tolstoy draws various pictures of military operations and various types of its participants. We see the heroic transition of the Bagration detachment to the village of Shengraben, the Shengraben battle, the courage and heroism of Russian soldiers and the bad work of the commissariat, honest and courageous commanders and careerists who use the war for personal purposes. Typical for staff officers Zherkov, who at the height of the battle was sent by Bagration with an important assignment to the general of the left flank.
The order was to retreat immediately. Due to the fact that Zherkov did not find the general, the French cut off the Russian hussars, many were killed and Zherkov's comrade Rostov was wounded.
As always bold and brave Dolokhov. Dolokhov "killed one Frenchman at point-blank range and was the first to take a surrendered officer by the collar." But after that, he will approach the regimental commander and say: “I stopped the company ... The whole company can testify. Please remember...” Everywhere, always, he remembers first of all about himself, only about himself; everything he does, he does for himself.
They are not cowardly these people, no. But for the sake of the common good, they cannot forget themselves, their pride, their careers, their personal interests, no matter how loud they speak about the honor of the regiment and no matter how much they show their concern for the regiment.
Tolstoy, with special sympathy, shows commander Timokhin, whose company “alone stayed in order” and, inspired by the example of its commander, unexpectedly attacked the French and threw them back, making it possible to restore order in neighboring battalions.
Another inconspicuous hero is Captain Tushin. This is a "small, round-shouldered person." There was something special in his figure, not at all military, somewhat comical, but extremely attractive. He has “big, smart and kind eyes.” Tushin is a simple and modest person who lives the same life with soldiers. During the battle, he does not know the slightest fear, cheerfully and animatedly commands, at decisive moments, consulting with sergeant major Zakharchenko, to whom he treats with great respect. With a handful of soldiers, the same heroes as their commander, Tushin with amazing courage and heroism does his job, despite the fact that the cover that stood near his battery left on someone's orders in the middle of the case. And his "battery ... was not taken by the French only because the enemy could not imagine the audacity of firing four unprotected cannons." Only after receiving the order to retreat, Tushin left the position, taking away the two guns that survived the battle.
battle of austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz in 1805. The general battle between the Russian-Austrian and French armies took place on November 20, 1805 near the town of Austerlitz in Moravia. The Russian-Austrian army numbered almost 86 thousand people. with 350 guns. It was commanded by General M.I. Kutuzov. The French army numbered about 3 thousand people. with 250 guns. It was led by Napoleon. The main forces of the allied army under the command of F.F. Buksgevden attacked the corps of Marshal L. Davout and, after stubborn battles, captured the Castle, Sokolnitsy, and Telnits. Meanwhile, the 4th Allied column under the command of I.-K. Kolovrata, which constituted the center of the allied forces, went on the offensive late, was attacked by the main forces of the French and left the Pracen Heights dominating the area. Under these conditions, Buksgevden received an order from Kutuzov to retreat, but did not comply with it. Meanwhile, Napoleon, having defeated the center of the allied forces, deployed his troops and attacked the left wing of the allies (Bukshowden) with the main forces both from the front and from the flank. As a result, the allied forces withdrew with heavy losses. The losses of the Russian troops amounted to 16 thousand killed and wounded, 4 thousand prisoners, 160 guns; Austrians - 4 thousand killed and wounded, 2 thousand prisoners, 26 guns; French - about 12 thousand killed and wounded. As a result of the defeat at Austerlitz, the 3rd anti-French coalition broke up.
One of the main lines of the book is Prince Andrei's disappointment in the very idea of war, in heroism, in the special vocation of the military. From the dream of accomplishing a feat and saving the entire army, he comes to the conclusion that war is a “terrible necessity”, which is permissible only when “they ruined my house and go to ruin Moscow”, that the military class is characterized by idleness, ignorance, cruelty, depravity, drunkenness.
So, depicting military events, Tolstoy not only presents broad battle pictures of the Shengraben, Austerlitz and Borodino battles, but also shows the psychology of an individual human being involved in the flow of hostilities. Army commanders, generals, staff commanders, line officers and the mass of soldiers, partisans - all these various participants in the war, carriers of the most diverse psychology, are shown by Tolstoy with amazing skill in the most diverse conditions of their combat and “peaceful” life. At the same time, the writer, himself a former participant in the defense of Sevastopol, seeks to show a real war, without any embellishment, “in blood, in suffering, in death”, drawing with deep and sober truth the wonderful qualities of the national spirit, alien to ostentatious courage, pettiness, vanity, and, on the other hand, the presence of all these features in most officers - nobles.
| "Battle of Shengraben" | "Battle of Austerlitz" |
| The decisive battle in the campaign of 1805-1807. Shengraben is the fate of the Russian army, and, therefore, a test of the moral strength of Russian soldiers. Bagration's path with an army of four thousand through the Bohemian Mountains was intended to delay Napoleon's army and give the Russian army the opportunity to gather strength, that is, in fact, to save the army. | Austerlitz - "battle of three impe- rators". Its purpose is to consolidate the success achieved. But in fact, the battle of Austerlitz became the era of "shame and disappointment for all of Russia and individuals, and the triumph of Napoleon the victor." |
| The purpose of the battle is noble and understandable to the soldiers. | The purpose of the battle is not understood by the soldiers. |
| Heroism, deeds | Confusion among the soldiers; senseless feat of Prince Andrei. |
| Victory | Defeat. |
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The theme of the novel "War and Peace" is the image of Russian society in the first quarter XIX century. The main historical event of this period is, of course, the Patriotic War of 1812, which became the most important turning point in Russian history.
First, the war and the victory over Napoleonic France contributed to the growth national identity Russians, who until now sincerely bowed before France, and now they have become the winners of their own idols. Secondly, the victory in the Patriotic War aggravated all the social and economic contradictions in Russia and sharply raised the question of state reforms. In particular, the advanced Russian people understood that the common people played a huge role in the victory over Napoleon, and hoped that Alexander the First would limit or even abolish serfdom, so painful for the victorious people. But no decisive state reforms followed after the Patriotic War, which ultimately led to an increase in public discontent and to an uprising of the Decembrists on Senate Square. Historians, precisely because of domestic politics, call the reign of Alexander the First "the era of lost opportunities."
Tolstoy shows the war of 1812 as a historical event in which the most vividly appeared Russian national character. In the novel, the author describes in detail highlights of this war: the battle of Smolensk (the fire and the surrender of the city are not formal, but the real beginning of the Patriotic War), Borodino, the military council in Fili, the retreat of Russian troops from Moscow, the fire in Moscow, Napoleon's attempt to start peace negotiations with Alexander, the French retreat the old Smolensk road, the battle of Krasnensky, the battle of the Berezina, the guerrilla war.
outstretched historical novel can be considered the formal beginning of the Patriotic War - the crossing of the French army across the Neman (3,1,11). The battle of Borodino is the culmination of "War and Peace" as a historical novel, because, according to Tolstoy, this battle showed the moral superiority of the Russian army over the enemy. For the writer there is no question who won at Borodino, he rejects all the scholarly arguments of historians about whether Borodino was a victory or defeat for the Russians, and decisively declares that victory: “A direct consequence of the Battle of Borodino was Napoleon’s causeless flight from Moscow, returning along the old Smolensk road, the death of the five hundred thousandth invasion and the death of Napoleonic France, on which for the first time near Borodino the hand of the strongest enemy in spirit was laid” (3, 2, XXXIX).
Patriotic war is a people's war, therefore great attention Tolstoy devotes to the description of guerrilla warfare. Here the author acts both as a historian and as an artist. He talks about the emergence, organization, role of the partisan movement in the victory over the French. Partisan detachments were created not only by officers (real historical heroes A.N. Seslavin, D.V. Davydov - Tolstoy's heroes Dolokhov, Denisov), but also by peasants (real historical heroes G. Kurin, E. Chetvertakov, V. Kozhina) without any order from above. Tolstoy caustically writes about the indignation of the French, who in historical writings about Napoleon's Russian campaign wrote that the war of 1812 was won by the Russians not according to the rules. As if there were any rules for war! The writer in his novel responds to the reproaches of the French: the Russians, seeing the Fatherland in danger, did not hesitate for a long time whether they were fighting the aggressor who had invaded their land correctly or not. “It is good for the people who, in a moment of trial, without asking how others acted according to the rules in such cases, with simplicity and ease pick up the first club that comes across and nail it until the feeling of insult and revenge in their soul is replaced by contempt. and pity,” exclaims the author (4, 3,1). The symbol of the people's war in the novel is Tikhon Shcherbaty - the most useful person in the detachment of Vasily Denisov. For Tolstoy, it is quite clear that Napoleon could not win the Russian campaign, because he fought not with the army, but with the whole people.
The action of the novel does not end with the end of the Patriotic War. The French are expelled from Russia, Kutuzov dies, but the life of Russian society and the heroes of the novel continues. In the epilogue, from the arguments of Pierre, who had just returned from St. Petersburg to Lysy Gory, it becomes clear that Tolstoy's favorite hero is one of the active participants in the emerging Decembrist movement, and this socio-political movement itself is one of the historical consequences of the war of 1812.
The description of the Patriotic War occupies only the third and fourth volumes in the novel, so the first and second volumes, which describe the participation of Russian troops in the Napoleonic Wars of 1805-1807, can be called an exposition of the main historical action. Tolstoy himself wrote about his plan as follows: “I returned from 1812 to 1805 with a feeling that, perhaps, will seem strange to most readers. (...) I was ashamed to write about our triumph over Napoleonic France without describing our failures and shame. (...) If the reason for our triumph was not accidental, but lay in the essence of the character of the Russian people, then this character should have been expressed even more clearly in the era of failures and defeats ”(“ Introduction, preface and variants of the beginnings of War and Peace ”).
The most important historical events of the first and second volumes of the novel are descriptions of two military operations - the Battle of Shengraben and the Battle of Austerlitz - and the Peace of Tilsit.
Under the village of Shengraben, Bagration's special corps covered the retreat of the Russian army, which was in a dangerous position due to the defeat of the Austrian allies. Russian soldiers were aware of the need to save the army, so they fought courageously, starting with General Bagration, marching with the rank and file on the attack, and ending with the gunners of Captain Tushin. As a result, the four-thousandth barrage detachment of Bagration held back the advance of the entire French army of Marshal Murat. Under Austerlitz, according to Tolstoy, the Russian soldiers did not understand what they were fighting for, so the Russian regiments fled in panic from the battlefield, succumbing to the first terrible cry “Go around!”. Prince Andrei and Kutuzov see the scene of a panicky retreat, the latter even crying from impotence and shame. As a result, Austerlitz became the pinnacle of Napoleon's military genius and the shame of the allied troops.
Depicting Tilsit and emperors celebrating the conclusion of a peace treaty, the writer talks about the immorality of politics and war. Nikolai Rostov, watching the celebrations and ceremonies, cannot understand why so much blood was shed, why so many soldiers were crippled, if it all ended with the friendly embrace of Alexander and Bonaparte, who until recently was called the Antichrist (1, 1, I). Rostov had just been to the hospital of his wounded friend Vasily Denisov, where he saw the one-armed captain Tushin, the inconspicuous hero of the Shengraben battle, and many more mutilated and unfortunate patients. The hero never finds an answer to his question, and the author does not formulate a direct answer, but depicts the senselessness and cruelty of war.
The novel presents not only genuine historical events, but also real historical figures: Alexander the First, Napoleon, Kutuzov, Bagration, Speransky, numerous heroes of the Patriotic War - Yermolov, Raevsky, etc. Next to them in the work are described fictional characters. Story about privacy Tolstoy begins all the heroes in 1805, therefore, to the main historical event novel - Patriotic War - the characters are well-formed people, well known to the reader. Assessing the role of each hero in the history of Russia, Tolstoy develops general formula: there is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness, truth.
For example, according to Tolstoy, Alexander the First is not a great historical figure, because he does not understand the truth of life. The young king does not realize the severity of the war, the suffering of his own soldiers, but he sees only her front side and your power over ordinary people which are intended to glorify the adored sovereign. In the scene before Austerlitz, the Russian emperor demonstrates his attitude to the war: for him, the battle is less important than the parade in St. Petersburg: “After all, we are not on the Tsaritsyn Meadow, Mikhail Larionovich, where they don’t start the parade until all the regiments arrive.” - "That's why I don't start, sir," said Kutuzov in a sonorous voice, as if warning the possibility of not being heard, and something trembled in his face again. at the parade," he spoke clearly and distinctly" (1,3, XV). There is no simplicity in Alexander. In the scene of the Tilsit world, his behavior is artificial, he is also an actor, like Napoleon, but in a different way. On the eve of Austerlitz, Nikolai Rostov sees the tsar surrounded by his retinue in the city of Vishau: the sovereign, “leaning to one side, with a graceful gesture holding a golden lorgnette to his eye, looked into him at a soldier lying prone without a shako, with a bloody head” (1, 3, X). This looking at a dying soldier in a lorgnette is a parody of Napoleon, who loves to look at corpses on the battlefield. And Alexander's kindness is somehow feigned, which Tolstoy ironically emphasizes in the next scene. When the king had satisfied his curiosity, the dying soldier was placed on a stretcher: "Hush, hush, can't you hush?" - apparently more suffering than the dying soldier, the sovereign said and drove away ”(ibid.).
Another example. After being disappointed in Napoleon's personality, Prince Andrei believed "that in Speransky he found the ideal of a completely reasonable and virtuous person» (2, 3, VI). To understand the hypocrisy of Speransky, Bolkonsky was helped by Natasha Rostova, “a poetic, full of life, lovely girl” (2,3, XIX). The day after the ball, where he danced with Natasha for the first time, Prince Andrei went to dinner with Speransky and saw his new idol in home environment: “Everything that had previously been mysteriously and attractively presented to Prince Andrei in Speransky, suddenly became clear and unattractive to him” (2, 3, XVIII). Prince Andrei suddenly noticed not simplicity and truth, but falseness in the great reformer's neat laughter, demonstrativeness in Speransky's relationship to his daughter, to guests. Unpleasantly struck by his observations, Bolkonsky began to mentally try on the laws that he wrote in Speransky's constitutional committee to his peasants and realized that they did not address pressing issues. folk life and therefore completely unnecessary.
In conclusion, it should be said that "War and Peace" is not a historical work, but a historical, philosophical, family, psychological epic novel. Tolstoy looks at history early XIX century as a Russian writer living in the 60s XIX years century, that is, half a century later. The facts of recent history excited the author in connection with modern circumstances. Tolstoy was a member of the unsuccessful for Russia Crimean War(1853-1856) and, embarking on his novel, sought to unravel “why we spanked the famous and previously invincible commander Napoleon the First in 1812 and why we were spanked by Napoleon the Third, insignificant in all respects, in 1856” (“Decembrists”). Of course, the events of the first revolutionary situation of 1859-1861, peasant unrest, which became one of the main reasons for the abolition of serfdom, also prompted the author to write the novel. After these events, it was already clear to Tolstoy that it was the people that were the decisive force in history, thanks to him the Patriotic War of 1812 ended victoriously, and fifty years later the reform of 1861 was carried out. Therefore, the writer stated that in "War and Peace" he was occupied with "the thought of the people."
Historical assessments and reasoning of Tolstoy diverge from the assessments of professional Russian, French, German historians who studied the era of Napoleon and the Patriotic War. On the pages of the novel, the writer cites many quotations from historical writings and argue with them. This applies, for example, to the assessment of the Battle of Borodino, the causes of the fire in Moscow, the maneuver of the Russian army near Maloyaroslavets, etc. In the novel, the Battle of Shengraben is given too great importance, although it was a minor skirmish with the French, and Tolstoy compares Shengraben with the "battle of the three emperors" at Austerlitz. The writer sees the wisdom of Kutuzov and the correctness of his military tactics in slowness and restraint, justified by the French (!) proverb: "Everything comes in time for those who know how to wait." Tolstoy denies greatness to Napoleon, even talent as a commander, which is also at odds with the generally accepted assessments of this historical figure.
One can argue with the historical conclusions of the writer, but it should be noted that in his novel he presented his own holistic, thoughtful and reasonable view of history in general and of Patriotic War especially. The artistic interpretation of history in the novel is extremely vivid and convincing. This applies to how individual heroes, and images of the Russian people as a whole, the Russian national character.
Reflections on the causes of the war (based on the novel by L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace")
War is "an event contrary to human reason and to all human nature."
War of 1812 - center artistic intent L.N. Tolstoy in his brilliant epic novel "War and Peace" (1863-1869).
Man has an indisputable right to live on earth. Death in war is terrible and immoral: it takes away this right. The death of a hero who defended the fatherland can glorify his name, but this does not make its tragic meaning different: there is no person.
While the war is going on, “such an innumerable number of atrocities, deceptions, treason, theft, forgery and the issuance of false banknotes, arson and murders are committed that in whole centuries will not collect the annals of all the courts of the world.”
But, from the point of view of the morality of the war, these actions are not immoral: they are, after all, committed against a hated enemy, and also in the name of the honor and glory of "our" side.
L.N. Tolstoy writes that from the end of 1811 "armament and concentration of forces" began in Western Europe, so that by the summer of 1812 formidable hordes of Russia's enemies appeared at its borders. According to sources, 450 thousand people were in the army of Napoleon, and the French - 190 thousand, the rest were a contingent of allies.
Speaking about the causes of the war, Tolstoy names the main one. In the human environment, be it states, estates, social movements, there are moments when certain forces unite in order to create the prerequisites for the emergence of some very important event. This event, due to its significance in people's lives, can change the world.
So, Napoleon's wars with the Triple Alliance in 1805-1807. and the Treaty of Tilsit concluded in 1807 redrawn the map of Europe. Napoleon was the initiator of the economic blockade of England. Russia did not agree with the conditions of isolation of England, receiving military and financial assistance. With the knowledge of Napoleon, Russia established its influence in Finland against the interests of Sweden. Napoleon promised the independence of Poland, which went against the interests of Russia, but encouraged the Poles.
Conflicts due to clash of interests do not only arise between states. Heads of nations and armies, members of royal families, diplomats - these are high-ranking people on whom it depends whether there is a war or not. But, as Tolstoy writes, their authority and decisive the last word in the events that have arisen could only be an appearance.
It only seemed that the firmness of the Russian Emperor Alexander and the lust for power of Napoleon could move the situation towards war Western Europe with Russia. According to the writer, "billions of reasons coincided in order to produce what was." The horror of war is that its formidable and terrible mechanism, having gained momentum, mercilessly kills people.
“Millions of people, having renounced their feelings and their minds, had to go east from the West and kill their own kind…”.
As a rule, it is the "great people", the aggressors and invaders, who are to blame for the personal tragedies of those they attacked.
Tolstoy writes: "It is impossible to understand ... why, because the duke was offended, thousands of people from another region killed and ruined the people of Smolensk and Moscow provinces and were killed by them."
Tolstoy is a great humanist. He argues that the personal life of a person and, most importantly, the value of this life is above all. But if people are involved in historical process, common to all, then their environment becomes "spontaneous, swarm life."
In this case, as they say, the masses make history. The inhabitants of France willingly supported Napoleon in his claims to foreign territories, to material wealth other countries. And everyone believed that the costs of these wars would be repaid by the benefits received after the victory.
The soldiers of Napoleon's army expressed their love for their idol with joyful exclamations when they saw his figure when they left the forest to the Neman.
And Emperor Alexander and the subjects of his state had completely different motives that involved them in the bloody events of the war. main reason entry into the war on the part of the Russian world was one - this is the desire of the whole nation to defend independence native land at any cost.
"People's Thought" was embodied in the specific deeds of the defenders of the Fatherland.
