The greatest work Russian writer - L. N. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” - illuminates important aspects folk life, views, ideals, life and morals of various strata of society in peacetime and in the difficult days of war. The author stigmatizes high society and treats the Russian people with warmth and pride throughout the entire narrative. But the high society, which unites all the nobility, has its heroes. Tolstoy contrasts the Bolkonsky and Rostov families with those who are deeply indifferent to the fate of their homeland. Unusual, bright and short life Prince Andrei Bolkonsky is filled with permanent moral quests, the desire to know the meaning of life, to goodness and truth. At our first acquaintance with Prince Andrei, we see in him a restless person, dissatisfied with his real life. Wanting to be useful to the Fatherland, dreaming of military career, Prince Bolkonsky leaves for military service in 1805. At this time, he is passionate about the fate of Bonaparte.
Bolkonsky begins his military service from the lower ranks among the adjutants at Kutuzov’s headquarters and, unlike staff officers such as Drubetskoy, is not looking for an easy career and awards. Prince Andrei is a patriot by nature, he feels responsible for the fate of the Fatherland, for the fate of the Russian army, and considers it necessary to be where it is especially difficult, where the fate of what is dear to him is being decided.
Among the main questions that concern Tolstoy are: true patriotism and the heroism of the Russian people. In the novel, Tolstoy talks a lot about the faithful sons of the Fatherland, ready to give their lives to save their homeland. One of them is Prince Andrei Bolkonsky: “Having seen Mak and heard the details of his death, he realized that half of the campaign was lost, understood the difficulty of the position of the Russian troops and vividly imagined what awaited the army and the role that he would have to play in it "
Prince Andrei insists that he be sent to Bagration’s detachment, which was tasked with detaining the enemy and not allowing him to cut off “the route of communication with the troops coming from Russia.” Kutuzov’s words: “If one tenth of his detachment comes tomorrow, I will thank God” did not stop Bolkonsky. “That’s why I ask you to send me to this detachment,” he answered.
The birth of a child and at the same time the death of his wife, before whom he felt guilty, in my opinion, aggravated, so to speak, Bolkonsky’s spiritual crisis. It seems to him that his life is over. He became disillusioned with everything: “I live and it’s not my fault, therefore, I need to live until death somehow better, without interfering with anyone,” says Prince Andrei to Pierre. And, in my opinion, it was under the influence of Pierre that the spiritual revival of Prince Andrei began: “... for the first time after Austerlitz he saw that high, eternal sky... and something that had long fallen asleep, something better that was in silently, suddenly joyful and youthful awakened in his soul.” And the meeting with Natasha Rostova in Otradnoye finally awakens him to life. Love for the cheerful, poetic Natasha gives birth in Andrei’s soul to dreams of family happiness. Natasha became a second, new life for him. She had something that the prince did not have, and she harmoniously complemented him.
After Natasha’s confession, Andrei’s ardor subsides. Now he feels responsible for Natasha, he wants this, and at the same time he is afraid. After listening to his father, Andrei postpones the wedding for a year. Natasha and Andrey - very different people. She is young, inexperienced, trusting and spontaneous. He already has a whole life behind him, the death of his wife, his son, the trials of difficult wartime, a meeting with death. Therefore, Andrei cannot fully understand the essence of a young girl who has absolutely no life experience. Natasha lives by feelings, Andrey lives by reason.
And again Andrey suffers deep disappointment. In his absence, Natasha cannot live in peace, she needs movement, feelings, a change of scenery, new events, new acquaintances, and she finds herself in a world where Helen, Anatole, Prince Vasily live - cynical, cold representatives high society. Natasha cannot resist the seducer - Anatole.
All dreams of a family collapsed in Andrei’s soul: “That endless receding vault of the sky that stood above him before suddenly turned into a low vault that definitely pressed on him, in which everything was clear, but there was nothing eternal and mysterious.” And Prince Andrei again returns to his element - to the army. There he must think, first of all, not about himself, but about the interests of his Fatherland, about the lives of his soldiers. Bolkonsky “... was entirely devoted to the affairs of his regiment. He was caring for his men and officers and affectionate with them. The regiment called him “our prince.” They were proud of him and loved him.”
On the eve of the Battle of Borodino, Prince Andrei was full of firm confidence that the Russian army would win the upcoming battle. He believed in the people, his soldiers, in the rightness of the fight for the Fatherland. Andrey walked on the grass, admired the beauty native land, looked at flowers, earth, leaves, grass. And in this peaceful and calm moment he receives a mortal wound. Enduring severe suffering, realizing that he is dying, before the mystery of death he experiences a feeling universal love and forgiveness. At this tragic moment, another meeting of Prince Andrei and Natasha takes place. War and suffering made Natasha an adult, now she understands how cruelly she treated Bolkonsky, betrayed him wonderful person because of his childhood passion. Natasha is on her knees asking the prince for forgiveness. And he forgives her, he loves her again. He already loves with unearthly love, and this love brightens him up last days in this world. Dying, Bolkonsky unites with eternity. He always strived for this, but could not connect the heavenly and earthly. Prince Andrei managed to do this by gaining faith.
Tasks and tests on the topic "The image of Andrei Bolkonsky in L. N. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace""
- Basics of past tense verbs. Spelling the letter before the suffix -l - Verb as part of speech grade 4
Lessons: 1 Assignments: 9 Tests: 1
The epochal work “War and Peace” reveals to the reader not only real pictures historical events of the first quarter of the XIX century in Russia, but also reflects a wide palette of diversity of relationships between people. Tolstoy's novel can safely be called a work of ideas, the value and objectivity of which is still relevant today. One of the problems that is raised in the work is the analysis of the essence of the concept of love. In the work, the author addresses the issues of forgiveness of infidelity, self-sacrifice for the sake of a loved one and many others, united by the theme of love. The main love story, which personifies the ideal of sincere feeling, is reflected in the relationship between Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky in Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”.
Ideals of love and family relationships
According to Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, the concept of love and marriage in prose work somewhat demarcated. Using the example of the relationship between Pierre and Natasha, the writer personifies in the novel the ideal of true family happiness, harmony of relationships between people, trust, calm and confidence in a marital union. The idea of simple human happiness and finding harmony in simplicity is fundamental in the work of Lev Nikolaevich and is realized through the image family relations Bezukhov.
The relationship between Natasha and Andrey symbolizes the love line of the novel. Between them there is not a shadow of those concepts that the author idealizes at the end of the work using the example of the Bezukhov family. This is precisely what suggests that the concept of love and family for Tolstoy is somewhat different. Family gives a person confidence, stability and calm happiness. Love, according to Tolstoy, can both inspire and destroy a personality, change its inner world, attitude towards others and completely influence the path of life. It was these feelings that affected the heroes Andrei and Natasha. Their relationship is far from ideal, but it is the personification of the symbol true love in the novel "War and Peace".
Reflection of the war on people's lives
Using the example of the relationship between Bolkonsky and Natasha, the author depicts one of the tragic consequences of such a phenomenon as war. If it weren’t for Andrei’s participation in hostilities and his injury during the Battle of Borodino, perhaps these heroes would have become the personification not only of true love in the novel, but also could have symbolized the ideal of family. However, according to Tolstoy's plan, the heroes were not given such a chance. In the novel “War and Peace,” the love of Natasha and Andrei, which ended in the death of Bolkonsky, is one of the plot and ideological devices for depicting the drama and tragedy of war.
Relationship history
The meeting of these heroes changed the lives of both of them. In the heart of the gloomy, boring, unsmiling and disillusioned Andrei with life, society and love, faith in beauty, the desire to live and be happy were revived. The heart of a lively and sensual Natasha, open to new emotions and feelings, also could not resist the fateful meeting, and was given to Andrey. They fell in love with each other almost at first sight. Their engagement was a logical continuation romantic dating, who inspired Andrei and gave him faith in a new life.
How painful was his disappointment in his chosen one when Natasha, inexperienced and ignorant of the laws of life and human cruelty, could not resist the temptations of social life and tarnished pure feeling to Andrey with his passion for Anatoly Kuragin. “Natasha didn’t sleep all night; she was tormented by an insoluble question: who did she love: Anatoly or Prince Andrei? Despite strong feelings to Natasha, Andrei cannot forgive her for this betrayal. “And of all the people, I have never loved or hated anyone more than her,” he says to his friend Pierre.
The tragedy of the ending is the essence of the author's intention
The collapse of hopes and life plans leads him to real despair. This feeling did not escape poor Natasha, who, realizing her mistake, reproaches and torments herself for the pain she caused to her loved one. However, Tolstoy decided to give his suffering heroes one last moment of happiness. After being wounded at the Battle of Borodino, Andrei Bolkonsky and Natasha meet in the hospital. The old feeling flares up with much greater force. However, the cruelty of reality does not allow the heroes to be together due to Andrei’s serious injury. The author only gives Andrei the opportunity to spend his last days next to the woman he loves.
The importance of the ability to forgive and be forgiven
This plot plan is implemented by Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy with the aim of proclaiming the idea of the importance of the ability to forgive and earn forgiveness. Despite the tragic events that separated the young people, they carried this feeling until the end of their lives. The dynamic and not always ideal relationship of these characters in the novel “War and Peace” is another aspect of the writer’s ideological plan. Despite the fact that in the novel “War and Peace” Bolkonsky and Natasha personify the ideal love relationship, they are quite close to real life, in which there is room for misunderstandings, resentments, betrayals and even hatred. Love story Andrey and Natasha, the author deliberately gives them an imperfect shade. The episode associated with the betrayal of the bride and the separation of the characters give special realism to both the heroes of the work and the entire novel.
Describing the relationship between Andrei and Natasha, the author demonstrates that the reader faces ordinary people who may make a mistake, be it treason, pride or hatred. Thanks to this depiction of the relationship between the main characters love line epic novel, the reader gains the opportunity to feel the real life story, believe and empathize with the characters, feel all the tragedy and injustice of such social phenomenon, like war, which is one of the main ideas of the work and essay on the topic: “Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky in the novel “War and Peace.”
Work test
Description of the Battle of Borodino occupies twenty chapters of the third volume of War and Peace. This is the center of the novel, its culmination, the decisive moment in the life of the entire country and many of the heroes of the work. Here the paths of the main ones cross characters: Pierre meets Dolokhov, Prince Andrei meets Anatole, here each character is revealed in a new way, and here for the first time the enormous force that won the war manifests itself - the people, the men in white shirts.
The picture of the Borodino battle in the novel is given through the perception of a civilian, Pierre Bezukhov, the most seemingly unsuitable hero for this purpose, who understands nothing in military affairs, but perceives everything that happens with the heart and soul of a patriot. The feelings that possessed Pierre in the first days of the war will become the beginning of his moral rebirth, but Pierre does not yet know about it. “The worse the state of affairs, and especially his affairs, the more pleasant it was for Pierre...” For the first time, he felt not alone, a useless owner of enormous wealth, but part of a single multitude of people. Having decided to travel from Moscow to the battlefield, Pierre experienced “a pleasant feeling of awareness that everything that makes up people’s happiness, the convenience of life, wealth, even life itself, is nonsense that is pleasant to discard in comparison with something...”
This feeling comes naturally from honest man, when the common misfortune of his people hangs over him. Pierre does not know that Natasha, Prince Andrei will experience the same feeling in burning Smolensk and in Bald Mountains, as well as many thousands of people. It was not curiosity alone that prompted Pierre to go to Borodino; he sought to be among the people, where the fate of Russia was being decided.
On the morning of August 25, Pierre left Mozhaisk and approached the location of the Russian troops. Along the way, he met numerous carts with wounded, and one old soldier asked: “Well, fellow countryman, will they put us here, or what? Ali to Moscow? There is not only hopelessness in this question, but the same feeling that possesses Pierre is felt in it. And another soldier, who met Pierre, said with a sad smile: “Today I’ve seen not only soldiers, but also peasants!” They drive out the peasants too... Nowadays they don’t understand... They want to attack all the people, one word - Moscow. They want to make one end.” If Tolstoy had shown the day before the Battle of Borodino through the eyes of Prince Andrei or Nikolai Rostov, we would not have been able to see these wounded people or hear their voices. Neither Prince Andrei nor Nikolai would have noticed all this, because they are professional military men accustomed to the horrors of war. But for Pierre all this is unusual; like an inexperienced viewer, he notices all the smallest details. And looking with him, the reader begins to understand both him and those with whom he met near Mozhaisk: “the comforts of life, wealth, even life itself, is nonsense that is pleasant to discard in comparison with something...”
And at the same time, all these people, each of whom could be killed or maimed tomorrow - they all live today, without thinking about what awaits them tomorrow, look with surprise at Pierre’s white hat and green tailcoat, laugh and wink at the wounded. The name of the field and the village next to it has not yet gone down in history: the officer whom Pierre addressed still confuses him: “Burdino or what?” But on the faces of all the people Pierre met there was a noticeable “expression of consciousness of the solemnity of the coming moment,” and this consciousness was so serious that during the prayer service even the presence of Kutuzov with his retinue did not attract attention: “the militia and soldiers, without looking at him, continued to pray.”
“In a long frock coat on a huge body, with a stooped back, with an open white head and with a leaking, white eye on a swollen face,” this is how we see Kutuzov before the Battle of Borodino. Kneeling down in front of the icon, he then “tried for a long time and could not get up from heaviness and weakness.” This senile heaviness and weakness, physical weakness, emphasized by the author, enhances the impression of spiritual power emanating from him. He kneels before the icon, like all people, like the soldiers whom he will send into battle tomorrow. And just like them, he feels the solemnity of the present moment.
But Tolstoy reminds us that there are other people who think differently: “For tomorrow, great rewards must be given out and new people brought forward.” The first among these “hunters of awards and nominations” is Boris Drubetskoy, in a long frock coat and with a whip over his shoulder, like Kutuzov’s. With a light, free smile, he first, confidentially lowering his voice, scolds Pierre's left flank and condemns Kutuzov, and then, noticing the approaching Mikhail Illarionovich, praises both his left flank and the commander-in-chief himself. Thanks to his talent to please everyone, he “managed to stay at the main apartment” when Kutuzov kicked out many like him. And at this moment he managed to find words that might be pleasant to Kutuzov, and he said them to Pierre, hoping that the commander-in-chief would hear them: “The militia - they directly put on clean, white shirts to prepare for death. What heroism, Count! Boris calculated correctly: Kutuzov heard these words, remembered them - and with them Drubetskoy.
Pierre’s meeting with Dolokhov is also not accidental. It is impossible to believe that Dolokhov, a reveler and a brute, can apologize to anyone, but he does it: “I am very glad to meet you here, Count,” he told him loudly and without being embarrassed by the presence of strangers, with particular decisiveness and solemnity. “On the eve of the day on which God knows which of us is destined to survive, I am glad to have the opportunity to tell you that I regret the misunderstandings that existed between us, and I would like you not to have anything against me.” Please forgive me."
Pierre himself could not explain why he went to the Borodino field. He only knew that it was impossible to stay in Moscow. He wanted to see with his own eyes that incomprehensible and majestic thing that was about to happen in his fate and the fate of Russia, and also to see Prince Andrei, who was able to explain to him everything that was happening. Only he could Pierre trust, only from him did he expect important words at this decisive moment in his life. And they met. Prince Andrey behaves coldly, almost hostilely, towards Pierre. Bezukhov, with his very appearance, reminds him of his former life, and most importantly, of Natasha, and Prince Andrei wants to forget about her as quickly as possible. But, having gotten into conversation, Prince Andrei did what Pierre expected of him - he expertly explained the state of affairs in the army. Like all soldiers and most officers, he considers the greatest good the removal of Barclay and the appointment of Kutuzov to the post of commander-in-chief: “While Russia was healthy, a stranger could serve her, and there was an excellent minister, but as soon as she is in danger, she needs her own, dear Human".
For Prince Andrei, as for all soldiers, Kutuzov is a man who understands that the success of the war depends on “the feeling that is in me, in him,” he pointed to Timokhin, “in every soldier.” This conversation was important not only for Pierre, but also for Prince Andrei. Expressing his thoughts, he himself clearly understood and fully realized how sorry he was for his life and his friendship with Pierre. But Prince Andrei is his father’s son, and his feelings will not manifest themselves in any way. He almost forcibly pushed Pierre away from him, but, saying goodbye, “quickly walked up to Pierre, hugged him and kissed him...”
August 26 - the day of the Battle of Borodino - through the eyes of Pierre we see a beautiful sight: the bright sun breaking through the fog, flashes of gunfire, “lightning of the morning light” on the bayonets of the troops... Pierre, like a child, wanted to be where these smokes were, these shiny bayonets and cannons, this movement, these sounds.” For a long time he still did not understand anything: having arrived at the Raevsky battery, “I never thought that this ... was the most important place in the battle,” and did not notice the wounded and killed. In Pierre's view, war should be a solemn event, but for Tolstoy it is hard and bloody work. Together with Pierre, the reader is convinced that the writer is right, watching with horror the progress of the battle.
Each one occupied his own niche in the battle, fulfilled his duty honestly or not. Kutuzov understands this perfectly well, almost does not interfere in the course of the battle, trusting the Russian people, for whom this battle is not a vain game, but a decisive milestone in their life and death. Pierre, by the will of fate, ended up on the “Raevsky battery”, where decisive events took place, as historians would later write. But to Bezukhov, even without them, “it seemed that this place (precisely because he was on it) was one of the most significant places of the battle.” The blind eyes of a civilian cannot see the full scale of events, but only what is happening around. And here, as if in a drop of water, all the drama of the battle, its incredible intensity, rhythm, and tension from what was happening was reflected. The battery changes hands several times. Pierre fails to remain a contemplative; he actively participates in protecting the battery, but does everything on a whim, out of a sense of self-preservation. Bezukhov is scared of what is happening, he naively thinks that “... now they (the French) will leave it, now they will be horrified by what they did! But the sun, obscured by smoke, still stood high, and in front, and especially to the left of Semyonovsky, something was boiling in the smoke, and the roar of shots, shooting and cannonade not only did not weaken, but intensified to the point of despair, like a man who, struggling , screams with all his might.”
Tolstoy sought to show the war through the eyes of its participants and contemporaries, but sometimes looked at it from the point of view of a historian. Thus, he drew attention to poor organization, successful and unsuccessful plans that collapsed due to the mistakes of military leaders. By showing military operations from this side, Tolstoy pursued another goal. At the beginning of the third volume, he says that war is “an event contrary to human reason and all human nature.” There was no justification for the last war at all, because it was fought by emperors. There was truth in this war: when the enemy comes to your land, you are obliged to defend yourself, which is what the Russian army did. But be that as it may, war still remained a dirty, bloody affair, as Pierre understood at the Raevsky battery.
The episode when Prince Andrey was wounded cannot leave the reader indifferent. But the most offensive thing is that his death is meaningless. He did not rush forward with a banner, as at Austerlitz, he was not on the battery, as at Shengraben - he only walked across the field, counting his steps and listening to the noise of shells. And at that moment he was overtaken by an enemy core. The adjutant standing next to Prince Andrei lay down and shouted to him: “Get down!” Bolkonsky stood and thought that he did not want to die, and “at the same time, he remembered that they were looking at him.” Prince Andrei could not do otherwise. He, with his sense of honor, with his noble valor, could not lie down. In any situation there are people who cannot run, cannot remain silent and cannot hide from danger. Such people usually die, but remain heroes in the memory of others.
The prince was mortally wounded; was bleeding, Russian troops stood on occupied lines. Napoleon was horrified, he had never seen anything like this: “two hundred guns are aimed at the Russians, but... the Russians are still standing...” He dared to write that the battlefield was “magnificent,” but it was covered with the bodies of thousands, hundreds thousands killed and wounded, but Napoleon was no longer interested in this. The main thing is that his vanity is not satisfied: he did not win a crushing and brilliant victory. Napoleon at this time “yellow, swollen, heavy, with dull eyes, a red nose and a hoarse voice... sat on a folding chair, involuntarily listening to the sounds of gunfire... He awaited with painful melancholy the end of the matter that he considered himself the cause of, but whom I could not stop.”
Here Tolstoy shows it as natural for the first time. On the eve of the battle, he took care of his toilet for a long time and with pleasure, then received a courtier who had arrived from Paris and performed a small performance in front of the portrait of his son. For Tolstoy, Napoleon is the embodiment of vanity, the very thing that he hates in Prince Vasily and Anna Pavlovna. A real person, according to the writer, should not care about the impression he makes, but should calmly surrender to the will of events. This is how he portrays the Russian commander. “Kutuzov sat, with his gray head drooping and his heavy body slumped, on a carpeted bench, in the very place where Pierre had seen him in the morning. He did not make any orders, but only agreed or disagreed with what was offered to him.” He doesn't fuss, trusting people to take initiative where needed. He understands the meaninglessness of his orders: everything will be as it will be, he does not bother people with petty care, but believes in the high spirit of the Russian army.
The great humanist L.N. Tolstoy truthfully and accurately reflected the events of August 26, 1812, giving his interpretation of the most important historical event. The author denies the decisive role of personality in history. It was not Napoleon and Kutuzov who led the battle; it went as it should have gone, as thousands of people participating in it on both sides were able to “turn” it. An excellent battle painter, Tolstoy was able to show the tragedy of war for all participants, regardless of nationality. The truth was on the side of the Russians, but they killed people, they themselves died for the sake of the vanity of one “little man.” Speaking about this, Tolstoy seems to “warn” humanity against wars, against senseless hostility and against bloodshed.
Essay on the topic: Andrei Bolkonsky. Work: War and Peace
This is one of the main characters of the novel, the son of Prince Bolkonsky, brother Princess Marya. At the beginning of the novel we see B. as an intelligent, proud, but rather arrogant person. He despises people of high society, is unhappy in his marriage and does not respect his pretty wife. B. is very reserved, well educated, and has a strong will. This hero is experiencing great spiritual changes. First we see that his idol is Napoleon, whom he considers a great man. B. gets into war and is sent to the active army. There he fights on an equal basis with all the soldiers, showing great courage, composure, and prudence. Participates in the Battle of Shengraben. B. was seriously wounded in the Battle of Austerlitz. This moment is extremely important, because it was then that the spiritual rebirth of the hero began. Lying motionless and seeing the calm and eternal sky of Austerlitz above him, B. understands all the pettiness and stupidity of everything that is happening in the war. He realized that in reality there should be completely different values in life than those that he had until now. All exploits and glory do not matter. There is only this vast and eternal sky. In the same episode, B. sees Napoleon and understands the insignificance of this man. B. returns home, where everyone thought he was dead. His wife dies in childbirth, but the child survives. The hero is shocked by the death of his wife and feels guilty towards her. He decides not to serve anymore, settles in Bogucharovo, takes care of the household, raising his son, and reads a lot of books. During a trip to St. Petersburg, B. meets Natasha Rostova for the second time. A deep feeling awakens in him, the heroes decide to get married. B.'s father does not agree with his son's choice, they postpone the wedding for a year, the hero goes abroad. After his fiancee betrays him, he returns to the army under the leadership of Kutuzov. During the Battle of Borodino, he was mortally wounded. By chance, he leaves Moscow in the Rostov convoy. Before his death, he forgives Natasha and understands the true meaning of love.
Bolkonsky Andrey is one of the main characters of the novel, the prince, the son of N.A. Bolkonsky, the brother of Princess Marya. “...Short stature, a very handsome young man with definite and dry features.” This is an intelligent, proud person who seeks great intellectual and spiritual content in life. His sister notes in him some kind of “pride of thought”; he is restrained, educated, practical and has a strong will. By origin, B. occupies one of the most enviable places in society, but is unhappy in his family life and is not satisfied with the emptiness of the world. At the beginning of the novel, his hero is Napoleon. Wanting to imitate Napoleon, dreaming of “his Toulon,” he leaves for the active army, where he shows courage, composure, and a heightened sense of honor, duty, and justice. Participates in the Battle of Shengraben. Seriously wounded in the Battle of Austerlitz, B. understands the futility of his dreams and the insignificance of his idol. The hero returns home, where he was considered dead, on the day of his son’s birth and the death of his wife. These events shock him even more, leaving him feeling guilty towards his dead wife. Having decided not to serve anymore after Austerlitz, B. lives in Bogucharovo, doing housework, raising his son and reading a lot. During Pierre's arrival, he admits that he lives for himself alone, but something momentarily awakens in his soul when he sees the sky above him for the first time since his injury. From that time on, while maintaining the same circumstances, the “war” began inner world his new life" During his two years of living in the village, B. has been doing a lot of analysis of the latest military campaigns, which prompts him, under the influence of a trip to Otradnoye and awakened vitality, to go to St. Petersburg, where he works under the supervision of Speransky, who is in charge of the preparation of legislative changes. In St. Petersburg, B.’s second meeting with Natasha takes place, and a deep feeling and hope for happiness arises in the hero’s soul. Having postponed the wedding for a year under the influence of his father, who did not agree with his son’s decision, B. goes abroad. After his fiancée’s betrayal, in order to forget about it and calm down the feelings that washed over him, he returns to the army again under the command of Kutuzov. Participating in the Patriotic War, B. wants to be at the front, and not at headquarters, gets close to the soldiers and comprehends the power of the “spirit of the army” fighting for the liberation of his homeland. Before participating in the last battle of Borodino in his life, the hero meets and talks with Pierre. Having received a mortal wound, B., by a coincidence, leaves Moscow in the Rostov convoy, reconciling with Natasha along the way, forgiving her and understanding before his death the true meaning of the power of love that unites people.
Andrey Bolkonsky
ANDREY BOLKONSKY is the hero of L.N. Tolstoy’s epic novel “War and Peace” (1863-1869). Unlike many of the characters in the novel, who had easily recognizable prototypes among people of 1810-1820 or Tolstoy’s contemporaries, as well as his relatives, A.B. there was no clearly identifiable prototype. The author insisted on a fictitious name for this hero. However, among the possible prototypes they name, for example, N.A. Tuchkov; in some circumstances, the fate of the adjutant F. Tizenhausen can be found close to the description of the feat of A.B. at the Battle of Austerlitz. The writer’s work on the image required the most intense work; its evolution is such that from minor character he turned into one of the main characters. In the first drafts for the novel by A.B. - a brilliant secular young man, in the final version - an intellectual hero with an analytical mindset, who carries one of the main semantic and philosophical loads in the novel. Image of A.B. is built on the interweaving of two main principles: external, social life, service, career - and the evolution of the hero’s inner world. The tradition of literary criticism attributes A.B. to the number of seeking heroes, representatives of the spiritual aristocracy.
Prince A.B. - the son of a rich, noble and respected nobleman of the Catherine era, who received an excellent upbringing and education. He is smart, brave, deeply decent, impeccably honest and proud. His pride is determined not only by his upbringing and social origin, but is also his distinctive “ancestral” feature, and his sister, Princess Marya, also notes in him some kind of “pride of thought,” and Pierre Bezukhoe sees in his friend “the abilities of a dreamer.” philosophizing." A.B. He has a strong will, he is reserved and practical. His sense of self-worth goes beyond the usual ideas, which is revealed in a clash with staff officers over Mac, when A.B. sharply contrasts service to the common cause and purely personal interests (“either we serve or lackeys”).
At the beginning of the novel, A.B., who occupies one of the most enviable places in society, married to a little princess, feels unhappy in his marriage, treats the world with contempt and admits to Pierre that “this life is not for me.” The beginning of the campaign of 1805 prompts A.B. join the active army, where he becomes Kutuzov's adjutant. During hostilities A.B. brave and looking for an opportunity to stand out, to find “his Toulon,” imitating in this his idol Napoleon, in whom the hero sees the embodiment cherished dream about personal glory for the sake of the happiness and well-being of other people. A.B. is on the battlefield during the Battle of Shengraben. On the Field of Austerlitz he accomplishes a feat, rushing forward with a banner in his hands. Seriously wounded, he looks into the bottomless sky, which seems to speak of the frailty of his recent desires, and the sight of Napoleon admiring the battlefield and the dead reveals the insignificance of his former idol. A.B. continues the line of those heroes of Russian literature who in one way or another served to debunk the inherently individualistic idea of Napoleonism (Hermann from “ Queen of Spades"A.S. Pushkin, Raskolnikov from “Crime and Punishment” by F.M. Dostoevsky, etc.) Having survived after being wounded, having lost his wife who died in childbirth, A.B. decides to live only for himself, no longer serve - and for the first time in his life it turns out that his existence is not subordinated to the achievement of narrow egoistic goals, on the contrary, he gives his strength to close people. During this period A.B. understands that a new life has begun in his inner world, although all the previous external circumstances remain. During two years of village life A.B. he changes his mind a lot, reads a lot, analyzes the latest military campaigns, and under the impression of a trip to Otradnoye, a meeting with Natasha Rostova, returns to active life, realizing that at 31 she is not finished yet.
A.B. distinguished by a rationalistic comprehension of life, an analytical approach to the assessment of people and phenomena. He discovers a different perception of life in his love for Natasha, communication with whom awakens the best, emotionally alive feelings in the hero. After the betrayal of his bride, under the impression of the feelings that washed over him, he again returned to the army under the command of Kutuzov. Taking part in the Patriotic War, A.B. earlier than others, he understands the essence of many events taking place before his eyes, becomes close to the soldiers, abandoning his headquarters service in order to command a regiment. In a conversation with Pierre on the eve of the Battle of Borodino, he talks about his observations of the “spirit of the army”, about its imperious, decisive force in the war.
IN art world Tolstoy has heroes, persistently and purposefully searching for meaning lives striving for complete harmony with the world. They are not interested in social intrigues, selfish interests, empty conversations in high society salons. They are easy to recognize among arrogant, self-satisfied faces.
These, of course, include one of the most bright images"War and Peace" - Andrei Bolkonsky. True, the first acquaintance with this hero does not evoke much sympathy, because he beautiful face“with definite and dry features” spoils the expression of boredom and dissatisfaction. But it, as Tolstoy writes, is caused by the fact that “everyone in the living room was not only familiar, but was already so tired of him that he found it very boring to look at them and listen to them.” The author's extensive commentary suggests that a brilliant and idle, empty life does not satisfy the hero, who strives to break the vicious circle in which he finds himself.
Prince Andrei, who, in addition to intelligence and education, has a strong will, decisively changes his life by enlisting in the headquarters of the commander-in-chief. Bolkonsky dreams of heroism and glory, but his desires are far from vanity, for they are caused by the desire for the victory of Russian weapons, for the common good. Possessing hereditary pride, Andrei unconsciously separates himself from the world ordinary people. In the hero’s soul, the gap between his lofty dreams and earthly everyday life becomes deeper and deeper. His pretty wife Lisa, who once seemed perfect to him, turned out to be an ordinary, ordinary woman. And Andrei undeservedly insults her with his disdainful attitude. Yes and vibrant life The headquarters of the commander-in-chief, who seems to Bolkonsky to be the brain of the army, also turns out to be very far from ideal. Andrei firmly believes that his thoughts about saving the army will attract attention and interest and will serve the common good. But instead of saving the army, he has to save the doctor’s wife from the demands of the transport officer. This, in general, noble deed seems too petty and insignificant to Andrei in comparison with his heroic dream.
The feat he accomplished during the Battle of Austerlitz, when he runs ahead of everyone with a banner in his hands, is full of external effect: even Napoleon noticed and appreciated it. But why, having committed a heroic act, does Andrei not experience any delight or elation? Probably because at that moment when he fell, seriously wounded, a new high truth was revealed to him along with the high endless sky, spreading a blue vault above him. Against his background, all his former dreams and aspirations seemed small and insignificant to Andrey, the same as his former idol. A reassessment of values took place in his soul. What seemed beautiful and sublime to him turned out to be empty and vain. And what he so diligently fenced himself off from was the simple and quiet family life, - now seems desirable to him, full of happiness and harmony. It is not known how Bolkonsky’s life with his wife would have turned out. But when, having risen from the dead, he returned home kinder and gentler, a new blow fell upon him - the death of his wife, to whom he was never able to make amends. Andrey is trying to live a simple life, quiet life, touchingly caring for his son, working to improve the lives of his serfs: he made three hundred people free cultivators, and replaced the rest with quitrent. These humane measures, testifying to Bolkonsky’s progressive views, for some reason still do not convince of his love for the people. Too often he shows contempt for a peasant or a soldier, whom one can pity, but cannot respect. In addition, the state of depression and the feeling of the impossibility of happiness indicate that all the transformations cannot completely occupy his mind and heart. Changes in Andrei's difficult mental state begin with the arrival of Pierre, who, seeing his friend's depressed mood, tries to instill in him faith in the existence of a kingdom of goodness and truth that should exist on earth. Andrei's final revival to life occurs thanks to his meeting with Natasha Rostova. The description emanates poetry and charm moonlit night and Natasha's first ball. Communication with her opens up a new sphere of life for Andrey - love, beauty, poetry. But it is with Natasha that he is not destined to be happy, because there is no complete mutual understanding between them. Natasha loves Andrei, but does not understand and does not know him. And she, too, remains a mystery to him with her own, special inner world. If Natasha lives every moment, unable to wait and put off the moment of happiness until a certain time, then Andrei is able to love from a distance, finding a special charm in anticipation of the upcoming wedding with his beloved girl. The separation turned out to be too difficult a test for Natasha, because, unlike Andrei, she is not able to think about something else, to keep herself busy with something. The story with Anatoly Kuragin destroys the possible happiness of these heroes. Proud and proud Andrei is unable to forgive Natasha for her mistake. And she, experiencing painful remorse, considers herself unworthy of such a noble, ideal person. Fate separates loving people, leaving bitterness and pain of disappointment in their souls. But she will unite them before Andrei’s death, because the Patriotic War of 1812 will change a lot in their characters.
When Napoleon entered Russia and began to rapidly advance, Andrei Bolkonsky, who hated the war after being seriously wounded at Austerlitz, went into the active army, refusing a safe and promising service at the headquarters of the commander-in-chief. Commanding a regiment, the proud aristocrat Bolkonsky becomes close to the mass of soldiers and peasants, learns to appreciate and respect the common people. If at first Prince Andrei tried to arouse the courage of the soldiers by walking under bullets, then when he saw them in battle, he realized that he had nothing to teach them. He begins to look at the men in soldiers' greatcoats as patriotic heroes who courageously and steadfastly defended their Fatherland. Andrei Bolkonsky comes to the idea that the success of the army does not depend on the position, weapons or number of troops, but on the feeling that exists in him and in every soldier. This means that he believes that the mood of the soldiers, the general morale of the troops are a decisive factor for the outcome of the battle.
But still, the complete unity of Prince Andrei with common people didn't happen. It is not for nothing that Tolstoy introduces a seemingly insignificant episode about how the prince wanted to swim on a hot day, but due to his disgust towards the soldiers wallowing in the pond, he was never able to fulfill his intention. Andrei himself is ashamed of his feelings, but cannot overcome it.
It is symbolic that at the moment of his mortal wound, Andrei experiences a great craving for simple earthly life, but immediately thinks about why he is so sorry to part with it. This struggle between earthly passions and ideal, cold love for people becomes especially acute before his death. Having met Natasha and forgiven her, he feels a surge of vitality, but this reverent and warm feeling is replaced by some kind of unearthly detachment, which is incompatible with life and means death.
Thus, revealing in Andrei Bolkonsky many remarkable features of a patriotic nobleman. Tolstoy ends his path of quest with heroic death for the sake of saving his homeland. And in the novel, his friend and like-minded person Pierre Bezukhov is destined to continue this search for higher spiritual values, which remained unattainable for Andrei.
Prince Andrey is a richly gifted person. He has an extraordinary mind, distinguished by a penchant for serious, deep work of thought and introspection; At the same time, he is completely alien to daydreaming and the “foggy philosophizing” associated with it. However, this is not a dry, rational person. He has a rich mental life, deep feelings. Prince Andrei is a man of strong will, an active, creative nature, he strives for a broad social and government activities. This need is supported in him by his inherent ambition, the desire for fame and power. It should be said, however, that Prince Andrei is incapable of bargaining with his conscience. He is honest, and his desire for glory is combined with a thirst for selfless achievement.
Prince Bolkonsky was small in stature, a very handsome young man with definite and dry features. Everything about his figure, from his tired, bored look to his quiet, measured step, presented the sharpest contrast with his little, lively wife. He, apparently, not only knew everyone in the living room, but was so tired of him that looking at them and listening to them was very boring for him. Of all the faces that bored him, the face of his pretty wife seemed to bore him the most. With a grimace that spoiled his handsome face, he turned away from her... At the beginning of the novel, A.B., who occupies one of the most enviable places in society, married to a little princess, feels unhappy in his marriage, treats the world with contempt and admits to Pierre that “This life is not for me.”
The beginning of the campaign of 1805 prompts A.B. join the active army, where he becomes Kutuzov's adjutant. During hostilities A.B. brave and looking for an opportunity to stand out, to find “his Toulon,” imitating his idol Napoleon, in whom the hero sees the embodiment of his cherished dream of personal glory for the sake of the happiness and well-being of other people. A.B. is on the battlefield during the Battle of Shengraben. On the Field of Austerlitz he accomplishes a feat, rushing forward with a banner in his hands. Seriously wounded, he looks into the bottomless sky, which seems to speak of the frailty of his recent desires, and the sight of Napoleon admiring the battlefield and the dead reveals the insignificance of his former idol. A.B. continues the line of those heroes of Russian literature who in one way or another served to debunk the inherently individualistic idea of Napoleonism (Hermann from “The Queen of Spades” by A.S. Pushkin, Raskolnikov from “Crime and Punishment” by F.M. Dostoevsky, etc.) Having survived after being wounded, having lost his wife who died in childbirth, A.B. decides to live only for himself, no longer serve - and for the first time in his life it turns out that his existence is not subordinated to the achievement of narrow egoistic goals, on the contrary, he gives his strength to close people. During this period A.B. understands that a new life has begun in his inner world, although all the previous external circumstances remain. During two years of village life A.B. he changes his mind a lot, reads a lot, analyzes the latest military campaigns, and under the impression of a trip to Otradnoye and a meeting with Natasha Rostova, he returns to active life, realizing that at 31 years old it is not over yet.
Quote from Andrei Bolkonsky: “The military class is the most honorable. What is war, what is needed for success in military affairs, what are the morals of a military society? The purpose of war is murder, the weapons of war are espionage, treason and its encouragement, the ruin of residents, their robbery or theft for food for the army; deceit and lies, called military tricks; the morals of the military class - lack of freedom, that is, all the kings, except the Chinese. , wear a military uniform, and the one who killed the most people is given a big reward..."
On the Borodino field A.B. is wounded and, by coincidence, leaves the city abandoned by the residents of Moscow in the Rostov convoy. Under the influence of experienced military events, new thoughts, physical suffering and repentance of Natasha A.B. reconciles with her, however, having risen to forgiveness, stepping over his offended pride, and most importantly, realizing that true meaning life is love for others, he experiences a moral breakdown. After a prophetic dream for him about the futility of the fight against death, A.B. gradually fades away, despite the passing of physical danger; the truth revealed to him, driving the “living human life", above and moreover that his proud soul can contain.
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Each of Tolstoy's heroes has his own path of quest - often complex, painful, contradictory. This also applies to the hero of War and Peace, Andrei Bolkonsky.
Let's start our conversation about Prince Andrei with a question: have you ever wondered why he was inactive during the Battle of Borodino? In the Battle of Austerlitz, he accomplishes a real feat: alone, with a banner in his hands, he runs forward, hoping to captivate the retreating soldiers with his example. However, according to the deep conviction of the writer, that war was completely unnecessary for Russia, Andrei’s feat was meaningless. But the Battle of Borodino had a completely different meaning. The fate of Russia was decided there. That's when Prince Andrei needed to accomplish a feat! Nothing like that actually happens. Why?
Andrei Bolkonsky adopted the rationalistic type of consciousness from his father. Old Prince It is no coincidence that Bolkonsky tortures his daughter Marya with geometry and laughs at her religious views. He is a follower of the ideas of the 18th century. (century of Enlightenment). We must assume that this also explains a lot about Andrei - a certain dryness, the desire to live with the mind, and not with feelings.
In the first half of the novel, Andrei Bolkonsky combines contempt for aristocratic society with an ambitious desire for personal glory. He is ready to give everything in the world “for a moment of glory, triumph over people, for people’s love for themselves.” That is why Prince Andrei even feels jealous of Napoleon. Thus, from the very beginning of War and Peace, the “Napoleonic theme” arises in its relationship with the destinies of the main characters.
The hero of the novel is convinced that historical events may well be subject to the will of one person. Having learned during the war of 1805 about the hopeless situation of the Russian army, Andrei dreams of how “at the military council he will present an opinion that alone will save the army, and how he alone will be entrusted with the execution of this plan.”
The courage of Captain Tushin and his soldiers for the first time made the arrogant Prince Andrei imbued with respect for people who committed truly heroic deeds, without thinking at all about fame or exploits. And yet the desire to glorify himself, to compare with Napoleon does not leave Andrei Bolkonsky. This is the only reason why he accomplishes his feat at Austerlitz.
However, when he, seriously wounded, lay on the Field of Austerlitz, the light of the eternal, unchanging, high sky helped him realize that everything he had dreamed about before was empty and a deception, everything turned out to be insignificant in comparison with this endless sky. Even Napoleon, his recent idol, now seems small and insignificant to him, and the pompously beautiful phrases of the French emperor seem false and inappropriate.
The ideological crisis leads Andrei to disappointment in his ambitious plans and even to disappointment in life in general. He will have to go through a lot before he finds his way.
This state of depression, pessimism, caused by the collapse of hopes, the death of his wife, is violated by Pierre Bezukhov. Pierre at that time was interested in Freemasonry, which he understood as “the teaching of Christianity, freed from state and religious shackles.” He says to his friend: "Na earth, it is on this earth (Pierre pointed in the field) that there is no truth - everything is lies and evil; but in the world, in the whole world, there is a kingdom of truth, and we are now children of the earth, and forever - children of the whole world... We must live, we must love, we must believe... that we live not now only on this piece of earth, but lived and will live forever there, in everything (he pointed to the sky).”
These words struck Prince Andrei: “... for the first time after Austerlitz he saw that high, eternal sky... and something that had long fallen asleep, something better that was in him, suddenly woke up joyfully and youthfully in his soul "
This is how Andrey’s meeting with Natasha was psychologically prepared, which returned him to the fullness of the feeling of living life. And ahead of him is disappointment in civic activities, the burning pain of Natasha’s betrayal... In a state of gloomy depression, he meets Patriotic War. But it is now that joining the great universal cause helps it to truly be reborn.
Andrei Bolkonsky perceives the war with Napoleon as a national tragedy, and not just his personal tragedy: the personal organically and naturally merges with the historical and popular. He finally overcomes the false idea of a lone hero, comes to a decisive condemnation of the “Napoleonic idea”, to comprehend the spirit of the Russian people, people's truth, people's understanding of historical events.
Impressed by a conversation with Kutuzov on the eve of the Battle of Borodino, fully accepting his views, Bolkonsky says to Pierre: Material from the site
“Success has never depended and will never depend on position, weapons, or even numbers; and least of all from the position.
- And from what?
“From the feeling that is in me, in him,” he pointed to Timokhin, “in every soldier.”
Now on the Borodino field, Prince Andrei no longer thinks that he alone is able to decide the fate of the battle. In full accordance with the author’s understanding of the laws of war, he feels himself (just like Kutuzov) only a part of that enormous power, which is destined to defeat the enemy. “He had nothing to do or order,” the novel says about the behavior of regimental commander Andrei Bolkonsky during the Battle of Borodino. “Everything was done on its own.” As you can see, the external inaction of Prince Andrey is a manifestation of the highest wisdom that he acquired as a result of many life trials, as a result of understanding the great truth of Kutuzov, but not Napoleon. The quest of Andrei Bolkonsky in the period from Austerlitz to Borodin is his path from Napoleon to Kutuzov.
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