There are two very similar concepts - morality and ethics. Morality is following certain rules that exist in society, and morality is the basis of morality. For many people, the understanding of the correctness of their actions and thoughts is based on kindness, spirituality, honesty, respect for themselves and others; these are the very concepts of morality on which the morality of society is based. Throughout the narrative, as life circumstances change, the moral quest of Andrei Bolkonsky in the novel “War and Peace” reflects his views on the world and events around him at a given, specific moment in time.
But under any circumstances, Andrei Bolkonsky retains his main core of life - he always remains an honest and decent person. For him, the main principles always remain, which are based on respect for people who are worthy, from his point of view.
Changing views on the life of Andrei Bolkonsky
At the beginning of the novel, Prince Andrei suffers from the life he lives; it seems to him that everything that surrounds him is deceitful and false through and through. He is eager to go to war, dreams of exploits, of his Toulon. About glory and love of people. But here everything feels sick and disgusting to him. “Drawing rooms, gossip, balls, vanity, insignificance - this is a vicious circle from which I cannot escape,” says Bolkonsky to Pierre, answering the question why he goes to war.
The fact that his young wife is expecting a child not only does not stop him, on the contrary, the princess irritates him with her coquetry, her usual drawing room chatter. “Of all the faces that bored him, the face of his pretty wife seemed to bore him the most,” Tolstoy writes about Bolkonsky at the beginning of the novel.
The path of spiritual quest of Andrei Bolkonsky begins with the thought that real life- in war, the main thing in this world is not the quiet comfort of family, but military exploits in the name of glory, for the sake of human love, for the sake of the Fatherland.
Once in the war, he happily serves as Kutuzov’s adjutant. “In the expression of his face, in his movements, in his gait, the former pretense, fatigue and laziness were almost not noticeable; he had the appearance of a man who does not have time to think about the impression he makes on others, and is busy doing something pleasant and interesting. His face expressed more satisfaction with himself and those around him; his smile and gaze were more cheerful and attractive.”
Bolkonsky, before the decisive battle, reflects on the future: “Yes, it’s very possible that they will kill you tomorrow,” he thought. And suddenly, at this thought of death, a whole series of memories, the most distant and most intimate, arose in his imagination; he remembered the last farewell to his father and wife; he remembered the first times of his love for her; remembered her pregnancy, and he felt sorry for both her and himself... “Yes, tomorrow, tomorrow! - he thought. - Tomorrow, perhaps, everything will be over for me, all these memories will no longer exist, all these memories will no longer have any meaning for me. Tomorrow, maybe - even probably tomorrow, I have a presentiment of it, for the first time I will finally have to show everything that I can do.”
He strives for fame, for fame: “... I want fame, I want to be famous people, I want to be loved by them, then it’s not my fault that I want this, that I want this alone, for this alone I live. Yes, for this alone! I'll never tell anyone this, but oh my God! What should I do if I love nothing but glory, human love? Death, wounds, loss of family, nothing scares me. And no matter how dear or dear many people are to me - my father, sister, wife - the most dear people to me - but, no matter how scary and unnatural it seems, I will give them all now for a moment of glory, triumph over people, for love people whom I don’t know and won’t know, for the love of these people.”
As if in mockery, in response to lofty discussions about what this moment seems to Andrei the most important thing in life, Tolstoy immediately inserts a stupid joke from the soldiers, who are not at all interested in the prince’s lofty thoughts:
“Titus, what about Titus?”
“Well,” answered the old man.
“Tit, go thresh,” said the joker.
“Ugh, to hell with them,” a voice rang out, covered by the laughter of the orderlies and servants.”
But even this does not knock Bolkonsky out of his heroic mood: “And yet I love and treasure only the triumph over all of them, I treasure this mysterious power and glory that floats above me in this fog!” - he thinks.
Bolkonsky dreams of exploits, and, unlike Nikolai Rostov, does not flee from the battlefield; on the contrary, the prince rouses the retreating troops to attack. And he gets seriously injured.
This is where the first turning point occurs in Bolkonsky’s consciousness, suddenly what seemed absolutely right becomes completely unnecessary and even superfluous in his life. Lying wounded under the sky of Austerlitz, Prince Andrei clearly realizes that the main thing is not to die heroically in the war, in order to earn the love of complete strangers who don’t even care about you at all! “How come I haven’t seen this before? high sky? And how happy I am that I finally recognized him. Yes! everything is empty, everything is deception, except this endless sky. There is nothing, nothing, except him. But even that is not there, there is nothing but silence, calm. And thank God!.."
Even at that moment when Napoleon, his hero, approached him... at that moment Napoleon seemed to him such a small, insignificant person in comparison with what was now happening between his soul and this high, endless sky with clouds running across it. He didn’t care at all at that moment, no matter who stood above him, no matter what they said about him; he was glad... that these people would help him and return him to life, which seemed so beautiful to him, because he understood it so differently now.”
And now Napoleon, with his ambitious plans, seems to the prince to be an insignificant creature who does not understand the true meaning of life. “At that moment all the interests that occupied Napoleon seemed so insignificant to him, his hero himself seemed so petty to him, with this petty vanity and joy of victory, in comparison with that high, fair and kind sky that he saw and understood... Looking into the eyes To Napoleon, Prince Andrei thought about the insignificance of greatness, about the insignificance of life, the meaning of which no one could understand, and about the even greater insignificance of death, the meaning of which no one living could understand and explain.”
In delirium, without realizing it, Bolkonsky dreams about his family, about his father, sister, and even his wife and small child, which should soon be born - it was these “dreams ... that formed the main basis of his feverish ideas.” Suddenly they became the main ones for him.” Quiet life and calm family happiness in Bald Mountains...”
And when he returned family estate, having managed to catch his wife in last minutes life, “... something came off in his soul that he was guilty of a fault that he could not correct or forget.” The birth of a son, the death of his wife, all the events that happened to Prince Andrei during the war changed his attitude towards life. Bolkonsky even decided never to serve in the army again; the main thing for him now becomes concern for little son who needs it. “Yes, this is the only thing left for me now,” the prince thinks.
The moral quest of Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov
Everything about the stormy public life, which is led by his father, what is happening in the army seems boring and uninteresting, all this only irritates Bolkonsky. Even the fact that while reading a letter from Bilibin, Prince Andrei suddenly awakens interest in what was written, even this interest angers him, because he does not want to take part in this alien, “over there” life.
Pierre's arrival, conversations and debates about what is better: to do good to people, as Bezukhov claims, or not to do evil, as Bolkonsky believes, these events seem to awaken the prince from sleep. This philosophical dispute reflects the moral quest of Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov in a difficult period of life for both of them.
They are both, each in their own way, right. Each of them is looking for their place in life, and each wants to understand for himself how to live in accordance with the concepts of honor and dignity. This controversy becomes another turning point in the life of Prince Andrei. Unexpectedly for him, “the meeting with Pierre was... the era from which, although in appearance it was the same, but in the inner world his new life began.”
During this period of his life, Bolkonsky compares himself to an old gnarled oak tree that does not want to obey spring and bloom, “Spring, and love, and happiness!” - as if this oak tree was saying, “and how can you not get tired of the same stupid and senseless deception. Everything is the same, and everything is a deception!
Looking at this tree, Prince Andrei convinces himself “that he didn’t need to start anything, that he should live out his life without doing evil, without worrying and without wanting anything.”
But the whole point is that he has to convince himself of this, in the depths of his soul, not yet fully realizing, he is ready for new metamorphoses. To the point that it will turn his soul upside down and stir up in it the dormant expectation of joy and love.
Just at this moment he meets Natasha Rostova, falls in love with her and suddenly discovers that in fact he can be happy and can love, and even the old oak tree confirms his thoughts: “The old oak tree, completely transformed, spreading out like a tent of lush, dark greenery, thrilled, slightly swaying in the rays of the evening sun. No gnarled fingers, no sores, no old mistrust and grief - nothing was visible.”
Everything that was good in his life comes to his mind, and these thoughts lead him to the conclusion that in fact: “life is not over at 31.” Love, not yet fully realized, finally returns Bolkonsky to activity.
But in life everything always changes, and Prince Andrei’s relationship with Natasha will also change. Her fatal mistake will lead to a break with Bolkonsky and to the fact that he will again lose faith in life.
Not wanting to understand and forgive Natasha, the prince will go to war, and there, having come under fire and already mortally wounded, Bolkonsky will nevertheless come to the understanding that the main thing in life is love and forgiveness.
Conclusion
So what is morality in the understanding of Prince Bolkonsky in the novel “War and Peace”? This is honor and dignity, this is love for family, for women, for people.
But often, in order to realize and reach the final verdict, a person goes through serious trials. Thanks to these tests thinking people develop and grow spiritually and morally. In an essay on the topic “The Moral Quest of Andrei Bolkonsky” I wanted to show that for Prince Andrei the concept of morality is the basis of life, the very core on which he rests inner world.
Work test
The image of Andrei Bolkonsky is one of the most complex images in the novel “War and Peace”. At first, according to Tolstoy’s plan, it was just a “brilliant young man” killed in the Battle of Austerlitz, then he became the son of the old man Bolkonsky, then the image acquired even greater independence and depth.
Let's try to analyze the character of the hero. The type of Andrei Bolkonsky is the type of a rational, reasonable person, prone to constant introspection. He is endowed with an extraordinary mind, sharp and ironic, a brilliant memory, and a strong will. Pierre was always amazed at Prince Andrei's erudition, his extraordinary memory, and ability to work and study. Bolkonsky’s lack of inclination toward dreamy philosophizing also struck Pierre, but in this he saw Prince Andrei’s strength, not weakness.
Indeed, as N.K. notes. Gudziy, in terms of internal composure, organization, clear discipline, strong will, Bolkonsky’s character contrasts with the character of Pierre Bezukhov. However, “the very intensity of his [Prince Andrei’s] thoughts is the result of a great, albeit hidden, temperament, outwardly restrained by the internal discipline and endurance of a person who knows how to control his mental movements.”
A distinctive feature of Prince Andrei is his energy and desire for active work. He is young and ambitious, dreams of exploits and glory. Bolkonsky's idol during this period was Napoleon. And Prince Andrei goes to the army, where he can prove himself and realize his ambitious thoughts.
On the eve of the Battle of Austerlitz, Bolkonsky is completely in the grip of his dreams. He imagines how he “firmly and clearly speaks his opinion to Kutuzov, and Weyrother, and the emperors,” how everyone is amazed “by the fidelity of his considerations, but no one undertakes to carry it out, and so he takes a regiment, a division... and alone wins victory." Here, in the hero’s mind, a dispute between two internal voices begins.
Another inner voice objects to Prince Andrei, reminding him of death and suffering. But the first voice drowns out these unpleasant thoughts for him: “Death, wounds, loss of family, nothing scares me. And no matter how dear or dear many people are to me - my father, sister, wife - the people dearest to me - but, no matter how scary and unnatural it seems, I will give them all now for a moment of glory, triumph over people, for self-love of people I don’t know...”
As G. B. Kurlyandskaya notes, the presence of two votes in internal monologue The hero testifies to the duality and inconsistency of Bolkonsky. And Tolstoy pointed out this inconsistency almost from the first pages of the novel.
Emphasizing the unconditional merits in the hero, the writer endows Prince Andrei with a number of repulsive traits. Intolerance, claims to his own exclusivity, a sense of contempt and disgust towards others, aristocratic pride often give rise to a feeling of superiority over people.
Bolkonsky experiences a feeling of superiority mixed with contempt towards his wife, staff officers and soldiers, and the salon aristocracy. He feels a sense of superiority even when communicating with Pierre, although it would seem that he sincerely loves his friend. Let us remember their conversation when Pierre, blushing, says that he is an illegitimate son. “Prince Andrei looked at him with kind eyes. But his glance, friendly and affectionate, still expressed the consciousness of his superiority.”
Elsewhere, Tolstoy directly writes that Bolkonsky “considered a huge number of people to be despicable and insignificant creatures.” This constant feeling of superiority over people, fueled by the real abilities of the hero, as well as his way of thinking and the peculiarities of his worldview, contributed to the development of individualistic sentiments in Bolkonsky.
In the Battle of Austerlitz, Prince Andrei’s ambitious dreams of his “Toulon” are shattered, barely having time to come true. Bolkonsky manages to prevent the panic that has engulfed the troops and raises the battalion to attack when, with the regimental banner in his hands, he rushes forward, calling on the soldiers to attack.
However, in this battle, Prince Andrei is seriously wounded, and life opens up to him in a completely different way. Bleeding on the Field of Austerlitz, Bolkonsky suddenly realizes how empty, petty and insignificant all his previous desires are. Dreams of glory, heroic deeds, the love of others, the genius of Napoleon - everything seems vain to him, far from the true meaning of life, “enclosed in the huge, endless sky” that he sees in front of him.
“How quiet, calm and solemn, not at all like how I ran,” thought Prince Andrei, “not like how we ran, shouted and fought; It’s not at all like how the Frenchman and the artilleryman pulled each other’s banners with embittered and frightened faces - not at all like how the clouds crawl across this high endless sky. How come I haven’t seen this high sky before? And how happy I am that I finally recognized him.” A kind of “revolution” occurs in the hero’s life, dramatically changing his fate.
Realizing the pettiness of his ambitious thoughts, Prince Andrey goes to privacy. He decides to no longer serve either in the army or in civilian service, in his soul there is a “cooling towards life”, in his thoughts - skepticism and unbelief, in his feelings - indifference and indifference.
Bolkonsky begins to live for his family, raising Nikolenka after Lisa's death. However " simple life is given to him with suffering, its secret depth and significance is not open to him.” And the reason for this is not only the feeling of one’s own exclusivity, which is invariably present in Bolkonsky, but also the special internal complexity of Prince Andrei, which is conveyed by Tolstoy through the correlation of the hero’s worldview with the image of a distant, endless, blue sky.
As S.G. Bocharov notes, the image of the sky here contains many things - here there is greatness, and eternity, and the desire for ideal, and coldness, lifelessness. The flip side of Bolkonsky’s severity, exactingness and intolerance is the hero’s desire for a “heavenly” ideal, a thirst to find such an ideal in earthly life, a thirst for perfection and correctness in everything. Bolkonsky, as the researcher notes, cannot combine the “heavenly” and “earthly” in his soul, cannot come to terms with even the slightest deviation from the “ideal.” Rough reality often offends the idealistically sublime perception of Prince Andrei. Therefore, an underlying motive of death arises here - Bolkonsky is “too good” for earthly life.
And the hero’s “post-Austerlitz state” fully corresponds to “heavenly coldness and detachment.” Pierre, who arrived in Bogucharovo, is amazed at the indifference and skepticism of Prince Andrei, his extinct look. Bezukhov enthusiastically tells his friend about the transformations that he carried out on the estates, but Prince Andrei is skeptical about the need for these innovations. He doesn’t care about the fate of the peasants: “If they are beaten, flogged and sent to Siberia, then I think that it is no worse for them. In Siberia he leads his same bestial life, and the scars on his body will heal, and he is as happy as he was before.”
Bolkonsky proves to Pierre that he needs to live for himself, without thinking about the global problems of existence. Pierre convinces his friend of the need for “life for everyone.” But such a life brought Prince Andrei only bitterness and disappointment: desiring achievement, glory and the love of those around him, he lost faith in himself, in the effectiveness and significance of any activity. “I know only two real misfortunes in life: remorse and illness. And happiness is only the absence of these two evils,” Bolkonsky says to Pierre.
Pierre believes that his friend’s mental crisis is a temporary state, that Prince Andrei’s momentary beliefs are far from the truth, which exists in the world regardless of all human misconceptions. “...There is truth and there is virtue; and man's highest happiness consists in striving to achieve them. We must live, we must love, we must believe... that we are not living just now on this piece of land, but that we have lived and will live forever...” he convinces Bolkonsky.
Pierre's words inspire Prince Andrei, and “something that has long fallen asleep, something better and joyful” awakens in his soul. The hero’s “return to life” is also helped by his trip to Otradnoye. Here he meets Natasha Rostova and accidentally overhears her night conversation with Sonya. As V. Ermilov notes, Natasha, by her very existence, “the fullness, the excess of the power of life concentrated in her,” calls Bolkonsky to life. It was after the night conversation he heard that an “unexpected confusion of young thoughts and hopes” awakens in his soul; the renewed, transformed oak, reminiscent of old age, now evokes in the soul of Prince Andrei “a causeless spring feeling of joy,” a thirst for activity and love.
However, here again the motive of the hero’s alienation from life arises. He doesn’t even try to get acquainted with Natasha, who is destined to play a key role in Bolkonsky’s fate, - this is how the writer emphasizes that “life goes on independently of Andrei Bolkonsky, on its own; she, life, does not care about Prince Andrei, who has secluded himself and fenced himself off from her.”
And this motive of alienation from life, it seems, is connected with Bolkonsky’s failed happiness, with his unhappy love. According to Tolstoy, only the person who has the necessary will to live, love for it, and acceptance of it is worthy of happiness. Everything that gives a feeling of vitality and natural joy of human existence.
In Bolkonsky, all his unconscious impulses towards life cannot restore the harmonious balance of personal perception and the real, prosaic surrounding world. Therefore, the hero’s feelings here are nothing more than one of his impulses.
After a trip to Otradnoye, Prince Andrei regains the desire to “live with everyone,” his lost energy is revived, and his interest in social activities. He goes to St. Petersburg to take part in the reforms being carried out in Russia. His hero this time is Speransky. Having become a member of the commission for drawing up the military regulations, Prince Andrei experiences in St. Petersburg “a feeling similar to what he experienced on the eve of the battle, when he was tormented by restless curiosity and irresistibly drawn to higher spheres.” Speransky seems to him the ideal of a “completely reasonable and virtuous person”; he feels for him “the passionate feeling of admiration that he once felt for Bonaparte.”
However, while admiring Speransky’s extraordinary mentality, his energy and perseverance, Prince Andrei was at the same time unpleasantly struck by his cold, mirror-like gaze, which did not allow him to penetrate into his soul, and by the too great contempt for people that he noticed in this man.
At a home dinner with the Speranskys, Prince Andrei is completely disappointed in his idol. In a home environment, a person is most natural - to Bolkonsky, all gestures, postures, and speeches of Speransky seem artificial and feigned. The thin sound of Speransky's voice unpleasantly strikes Prince Andrei. And again the hero is visited by thoughts about the insignificance of what is happening, he remembers his troubles, searches, the formalism of the meetings, where “everything that concerned the essence of the matter was carefully and briefly discussed.” Having realized the futility of this work, the bureaucracy of officials, and most importantly, feeling that work cannot make him happier and better, Prince Andrei leaves public service.
In St. Petersburg, Bolkonsky meets Natasha Rostova again, and this chance meeting at the ball becomes fateful. “Prince Andrei, like all people who grew up in the world, loved to meet in the world that which did not have a common secular imprint on itself. And such was Natasha, with her surprise, joy, and timidity, and even mistakes in the French language.” In Natasha, he is unconsciously attracted to something that is not in himself - simplicity, fullness of life, acceptance of it, spontaneity of perception and enormous inner freedom. He feels in Natasha “the presence of a completely alien to him, special world, filled with some joys unknown to him...”
Bolkonsky himself was never internally free - he was constrained social rules, moral standards, dogmas perceived by the soul, their idealistic demands for people and life. Therefore, love for Natasha is the strongest of all feelings experienced by the hero. This is his greatest impulse to life. However, Bolkonsky’s happiness was not destined to happen: Natasha unexpectedly became interested in Anatoly Kuragin and broke off her relationship with Prince Andrei.
And Bolkonsky again goes to military service. Now this service for him is salvation from personal misfortune, a desire to forget himself in the circle of new people and things. “Everything that connected his memory with the past repelled him, and therefore he tried in relation to this former world only not to be unfair and to fulfill his duty.”
But the same sense of duty does not allow him to remain indifferent to great, grandiose events. For Bolkonsky, the French invasion of Russia is exactly the same misfortune as the death of his father, as well as the break with Natasha. Prince Andrei sees his duty as defending his homeland.
Before the Battle of Borodino, he talks with Pierre, who arrived on the battlefield. Bolkonsky no longer believes in military genius and in the rational will of an individual. His faith now lies in the “people's feeling”, that “hidden warmth of patriotism” that unites all Russian soldiers and gives them confidence in victory. “Tomorrow, no matter what, we will win the battle!” - he says to Pierre.
In the battle, Prince Andrei is seriously wounded, after which he is operated on. Here the hero again feels the proximity of death, and only now there is a turning point in his worldview. After suffering, he feels “a bliss that he has not experienced for a long time.” His heart is filled with a previously unfamiliar feeling of Christian love. He feels pity and compassion when he sees the wounded Anatole lying next to him. “Compassion, love for brothers, for those who love us, who hate us, love for enemies - yes, the love that God preached on earth...” - all this is suddenly revealed to Prince Andrei.
However, universal, compassionate love begins to fight in the dying Bolkonsky with love for Natasha, when they meet in Mytishchi, with the love that binds him to life. And first love wins - with her, Prince Andrei “refuses” life and dies. Thus, Tolstoy in the novel contrasts life and Christian, all-forgiving love.
Thus, the whole life of Andrei Bolkonsky was imbued with the desire for an unattainable ideal. Such an ideal for him turns out to be forgiveness and compassion. Having acquired a new worldview, he overcomes the spiritual limitations of individualism and intolerance. He dies, having achieved harmony, if not with life, then at least with himself.
Composition. L.N. Tolstoy. The meaning of Andrei Bolkonsky’s quest in the novel “War and Peace”
The novel “War and Peace” is a book for all times, and one of the most read in the world. It carries unforgettable moral lessons and gives the mind food for thought. By the enormous scope of events, by the number characters, in terms of artistic power, this work has no equal in world literature.
Tolstoy depicts the uniquely peculiar features of each person. Watching the heroes of the novel, we penetrate into their inner world, learn their secret thoughts, love or despise them. And such diligence in the depiction is by no means accidental, because the philosophical basis of the novel is human life in all the diversity of its manifestations. All indigenous life situations found their vivid embodiment in the novel: birth and death, different eras spiritual development personalities – childhood, adolescence, youth, maturity, family and love. And all sorts of things historical event in the novel it is seen through the eyes of the main characters, it passed through their soul and heart.
Tolstoy's favorite heroes are looking for answers to eternal questions: what to do? What should I devote my life to? One of the main characters of the novel, Andrei Bolkonsky, asks himself the same questions. He dreams of glory similar to the glory of Napoleon, and wants to break out of the sphere of secular and family life. The dream of a feat especially excites Bolkonsky near Austerlitz. In this unfavorable battle for Russia, Andrei Bolkonsky, deciding to achieve victory even at the cost own life, shows dedication and heroism. Having picked up the banner at a moment of general confusion, he drags the confused soldiers along with him. And suddenly the rapid movement ends abruptly. Prince Andrei falls, wounded in the head. And at this moment, in the minds of the seriously wounded Prince Andrei, “displaced” ideas about glory fall into place, faith in the power of Napoleon is debunked, and the futility of his own ambitious aspirations becomes clear. But the shocks for Prince Andrei did not end there. Further events- the appearance of a child, the death of his wife - shook Andrei Bolkonsky to the depths of his soul. Disappointed in his previous aspirations and ideals, having experienced grief and repentance, he comes to the conclusion that living for himself and for his loved ones is the only thing he can do in life. A meeting with his friend Pierre, a conversation with him, and his words: “You have to live, you have to love, you have to believe” - sank deeply into the soul of Prince Andrei and confirmed his own conclusions. A meeting with Natasha Rostova, a moonlit spring night in Otradnoye - all this prepared Andrei’s final return to life. It seems to him that it was in love that he found true happiness. But the trials again strive to unsettle Bolkonsky’s life, and precisely at the moment when they seemed to end. The happiness turned out to be short-lived, and the brighter it was, the more tragic he felt about the break with Natasha. But his personal grief, by force of circumstances, receded into the background. Now the defense of his homeland becomes the highest goal of his life, and Prince Andrei returns to the army. The horror of war, its inhuman essence and unnaturalness again appear before him, and this becomes more and more depressing for Andrei due to the participation and death of teenagers, almost children, on the battlefield. The feeling of hatred for war involuntarily intensifies in the reader as well, and reaches extreme point, when one of Tolstoy’s favorite heroes, Andrei Bolkonsky, dies in the war. This is also sad because only before death main character finds answers to all his questions and understands the meaning of life. No matter what, to live, helping and sympathizing with people, no matter what to understand them, no matter what to merge your life with theirs - this is the new ideal that awakened in the soul of Andrei Bolkonsky.
The world of ideas in “War and Peace” is complex and diverse. Using the example of Andrei Bolkonsky, the reader goes through the school of morality and patriotism, humanism and spirituality, learns to dispassionately pose thorny issues and do not rest in search of an answer to them. Under any circumstances, I want to remember the heroes of “War and Peace” and immediately stop being afraid of being decisive, patriotic and being endlessly kind person. And already own example will be a wonderful example for younger people.
Reviews
I liked the essay: short in scope, but quite deep in content. In the problems of war and peace, as well as in the problem of the infinity of the Universe, there are no boundaries. I, a former military man, was simply amazingly impressed by Prince Andrei’s monologue about war: “...War is not a courtesy, and we must understand this and not play at war... (and further, every word is THE TRUTH ABOUT WAR). Not before, I haven’t read anything more accurate about the war since...
With sincere respect and gratitude,
Thank you, Erich!
Eh, if only the teacher knew that the essay was very good, it would be absolutely wonderful! But the good news is that I didn’t find fault too much.
Andrei Bolkonsky inherited from his father a love of order, activity and “pride of thought.” But, as a representative of the new generation, Prince Andrei softened many of his father’s habits. For example, the family tree makes him smile: together with others, he freed himself from this superstition of aristocracy. He loved to meet people who did not have a “common secular imprint” on them.
Bolkonsky's marriage. Savor.
The novel finds Andrei Bolkonsky precisely at that moment in his spiritual life when the superstition of secular relationships became especially painful for him. He is a young husband, but in his richly decorated dining room, where all the silver, earthenware and table linen shine with newness, with nervous irritation he advises Pierre never to marry. Having married, because everyone marries, a kind, very pretty girl, Andrei had to end up, like everyone else, in “an enchanted circle of living rooms, gossip, balls, vanity, insignificance.”
Bolkonsky at war.
He realizes that this life is “not for him” - and, just to break with it, he decides to go to war. War, he thinks, like everyone else, is something bright, special, not vulgar, especially a war with such a commander as Bonaparte.
But Bolkonsky is not destined to follow the beaten path. The very first victory, which he, in his capacity as Kutuzov’s adjutant, reported to the Minister of War, brought him to thoughts that tormented him in high society drawing rooms. The stupid, feigned smile of the minister, the insulting behavior of the adjutant on duty, the rudeness of ordinary officers, the stupidity of the “dear Orthodox army” - all this quickly drowned out interest in the war and the happiness of new, joyful impressions.
Prince Andrei went to war as an opponent of all abstract reasoning. The family trait, practical efficiency, was combined with a mocking and contemptuous attitude towards everything that bore the imprint of metaphysics. When his sister put the icon on his neck, suffering from his jokes about the shrine, Andrei took this gift, so as not to upset his sister, and “his face was at the same time tender and mocking.” At Austerlitz, Andrei was seriously wounded. It was then, exhausted from loss of blood, knocked out from the ranks of his comrades, and finding himself in the face of death, Andrei somehow became closer to his sister’s religious worldview. When Napoleon and his retinue stood over him, everything suddenly seemed to him in a different light than before.
The death of his wife and the first rebirth of Bolkonsky
On the eve of the battle, after a military council that left a very confused impression, Prince Andrei for a moment had the idea that the sacrifices were pointless due to some court considerations; but this thought was drowned out by other, habitual thoughts about glory; It seemed to him that he would give up the people most dear to him for a moment of glory, triumph over people. But, seeing near him the victor covered in glory, Napoleon, whom he considered his hero, the wounded Prince Andrei could not respond to the question addressed to him. “At that moment all the interests that occupied Napoleon seemed so insignificant to him, his hero himself seemed so petty to him.” He just wanted to comprehend that deity, touching and calming, about which his sister told him. Having not yet fully recovered from the wound, Prince Andrei arrives home just in time for the birth of his son and the death of his wife, who could not bear childbirth.
The dying woman looked at her husband childishly and reproachfully, and “something in his soul was torn off by an axle.” Just recently it seemed indisputable to him that this woman, the “little princess,” was tying him to a vulgar life, standing in the way of his path to glory and triumph; and now he is a hero, crowned with glory, having received the attention of Napoleon and the most flattering reviews of Kutuzov, he is just as powerless, petty and guilty in front of a dying woman, as there, on the Field of Austerlitz, in front of him, lying in blood, his hero was powerless, petty and guilty Napoleon. And after his wife’s death, he still imagines her unspoken reproach: “Oh, what and why did you do this to me?”
With his unaccustomment to abstractions, Prince Andrei is not able to reconcile the contradictions caused in his soul. It seems to him that he needs to completely withdraw from all social activities, and for two years he leads a secluded life in his village, slowly recovering from the consequences of his wound. It seems to him that the mistake of his previous life was the desire for fame. But glory, he thinks, is love for others, the desire to do something for them, the desire for their praise. This means that he lived for others and therefore ruined his life. You need to live only for yourself, for your family, and not for your so-called neighbors. Therefore, in a conversation with Pierre, he ardently and convincingly objects to all his plans to benefit the peasants. Men are also “neighbors”, “they are the main source of error and evil.”
He does not want to serve in the army, he also refuses an elective position as a noble, he tries to completely immerse himself in caring only about himself, about his father, about his home. Not getting sick and not feeling remorse is the basis of happiness. But without a mocking smile, as it would have been before, Prince Andrei listens to Pierre when he expounds to him the teachings of Freemasonry: to live for others, but without despising them, as Prince Andrei despised those people who should glorify him, you need to see yourself as a link, part of a huge , a harmonious whole, you need to live for truth, for virtue, for love for people.
Slowly and difficultly, as in a strong nature, this seed of new life developed in Andrei’s soul. Sometimes he even wanted to convince himself that his life was over. It seems to him that, while protecting his father, he only takes on the troubles of militia affairs for his own peace of mind, that it is only out of material interests that he travels about the guardianship of his distant estate, that it is only out of idleness that he follows developing political events and studies the reasons for the failures of past military campaigns . In fact, a new attitude towards life is emerging in him: “No, life is not over at thirty-one... Not only do I know everything. what is in me... it is necessary for everyone to know me, so that my life does not go on for me alone!” The decision to move to St. Petersburg in the fall to take an active part in social activities was natural way out from this mood.
Bolkonsky in the service of Speransky.
In 1809, Prince Andrei appeared in the capital with a reputation as a liberal, created by the manumission of the peasants. In a circle younger generation, adjacent to Speransky’s reform activities, Prince Andrei immediately occupies a prominent place. Former acquaintances find that in five years he has changed for the better, softened, matured, got rid of his former pretense, pride and mockery. Prince Andrei himself is unpleasantly struck by the contempt of some people for others, which he sees, for example, in Speransky. Meanwhile, Speransky for him is almost the same as Napoleon before Austerlitz, and it seems to Prince Andrei that he is again as if he is before a battle, but only this time a civil one. He enthusiastically set to work on part of the civil code, became younger, cheerful, prettier, but lost all ability to deal with society ladies, who were very dissatisfied that he “got involved with Speransky.”
Love for Natasha, who in her simplicity was so unlike Speransky’s strict opponents, grows in Bolkonsky’s heart, but
at the same time, he again wants something infinitely great, like the Austerlitz sky, and Speransky’s halo fades for him. “... He vividly imagined Bogucharovo, his activities in the village, his trip to Ryazan, he remembered the peasants, Drona - the headman, and, adding to them the rights of persons, which he distributed in paragraphs, it became surprising to him how he could do such a thing for so long idle work."
Bolkonsky in the War of 1812.
The break with Speransky was accomplished simply and easily; but it was all the more difficult for Bolkonsky, who was not passionate about any business, to endure
the unexpected betrayal of Natasha, who had already agreed with him regarding the date of the wedding. Only out of a desire to meet his opponent in the army and bring him to a duel, he enters the active army just before the start of Patriotic War 1812. Glory, public good, love for a woman, the fatherland itself - everything now appears to Prince Andrei as “roughly painted figures.” War is “the most disgusting thing in life” and at the same time “the favorite pastime of idle and frivolous people.” “The purpose of war is murder... They will come together to kill each other, kill, maim tens of thousands of people. How God looks and listens to them from there!” This is how Prince Andrei reasons in a conversation with Pierre on the eve of the Battle of Borodino and concludes: “Ah, my soul, Lately It became hard for me to live... But it is not good for a person to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil... Well, not for long!”
The next morning, frowning and pale, he first walked for a long time in front of the ranks of soldiers, considering this necessary to excite their courage, “then
he became convinced that he had nothing and nothing to teach them.”
Hours and minutes drag on languidly, when all the strength of the soul is aimed at not thinking about danger... In the middle of the day, an exploding cannonball struck Andrei.
Reconciliation with life and death of Bolkonsky.
And the first thought of the wounded man was the reluctance to die and the question why it was so sad to part with life. At the dressing station, when he was undressed, his childhood flashed before him for a moment - a nanny putting him into a crib and rocking him to sleep. He was somehow touched - and then he suddenly recognized Kuragin in the terribly groaning man. the one who broke his happiness with Natasha. I also remembered Natasha. And he, looking at the once hated, now pitiful face with eyes swollen from tears, he himself “cried tender, loving tears over people, over himself and over them and his delusions.” He understood something that he had not understood before - love for everyone, even for enemies. “... Enthusiastic pity and love for this man filled his happy heart.”
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L.N. Tolstoy never showed himself to be an unprincipled writer. Among the variety of his images, one can easily find those to which he had a positive attitude, with enthusiasm, and those to which he felt antipathy. One of the characters to which Tolstoy was clearly partial was the image of Andrei Bolkonsky.
Marriage to Lisa Meinen
For the first time we meet Bolkonsky in Anna Pavlovna Sherer. He appears here as bored and tired of everything secular society guest. In his internal state, he resembles a classic Byronic hero who does not see the point in social life, but continues to live this life out of habit, while experiencing internal torment from moral dissatisfaction.
At the beginning of the novel, Bolkonsky appears before readers as a 27-year-old young man married to Kutuzov’s niece, Lisa Meinen. His wife is pregnant with their first child and is due to give birth soon. Apparently, family life did not bring happiness to Prince Andrei - he treats his wife rather coolly, and even tells Pierre Bezukhov that getting married is destructive for a person.
During this period, the reader sees the development of two different hypostases of Bolkonsky’s life - secular, associated with the arrangement of family life and military - Prince Andrei is at military service and is an adjutant under General Kutuzov.
Battle of Austerlitz
Prince Andrei is full of desire to become significant person in the military field, he places great hopes on the military events of 1805-1809. - according to Bolkonsky, this will help him lose the feeling of the meaninglessness of life. However, the very first wound significantly sobers him up - Bolkonsky reconsiders his priorities in life and comes to the conclusion that he will be able to fully realize himself in family life. Having fallen on the battlefield, Prince Andrei notices the beauty of the sky and wonders why he had never looked at the sky before and not noticed its uniqueness.
Bolkonsky was not lucky - after being wounded, he became a prisoner of war of the French army, but then he has the opportunity to return to his homeland.
Having recovered from his wound, Bolkonsky goes to his father’s estate, where his pregnant wife is. Since there was no information about Prince Andrei, and everyone considered him dead, his appearance was a complete surprise. Bolkonsky arrives home just in time - he finds his wife giving birth and her death. The child managed to survive - it was a boy. Prince Andrei was depressed and saddened by this event - he regrets that he had a cool relationship with his wife. Until the end of his days, he remembered the frozen expression on her dead face, which seemed to ask: “Why did this happen to me?”
Life after wife's death
The sad consequences of the Battle of Austerlitz and the death of his wife were the reasons why Bolkonsky decided to refuse military service. While most of his compatriots were called up to the front, Bolkonsky specifically tried to make sure that he would not end up on the battlefield again. To this end, under the guidance of his father, he begins activities as a militia collector.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with the history of moral transformation.
At this moment there is a famous fragment of contemplation Bolkonsky oak, who, in contrast to the entire green forest, argued the opposite - the blackened oak trunk suggested the finitude of life. In fact, in symbolic image This oak embodied the internal state of Prince Andrei, who also looked devastated. After some time, Bolkonsky again had to drive along the same road, and he saw that his seemingly dead oak tree had found the strength to live. From this moment, Bolkonsky's moral restoration begins.
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He does not stay in the position of militia collector and soon receives a new appointment - work in the commission for drafting laws. Thanks to his acquaintance with Speransky and Arakcheev, he is appointed to the position of head of the department.
At first, this work captivates Bolkonsky, but gradually his interest is lost and he soon begins to miss life on the estate. His work on the commission seems to Bolkonsky to be idle nonsense. Prince Andrei increasingly catches himself thinking that this work is aimless and useless.
It is likely that during the same period, Bolkonsky’s internal torment led Prince Andrei to the Masonic lodge, but judging by the fact that Tolstoy did not develop this part of Bolkonsky’s relationship with society, the Masonic lodge did not spread and influence the path of life.
Meeting with Natasha Rostova
At the New Year's ball in 1811, he sees Natasha Rostova. After meeting the girl, Prince Andrei realizes that his life is not over and he should not dwell on Lisa’s death. Bolkonsky's heart is filled with love in Natalya. Prince Andrei feels natural in Natalya’s company - he can easily find a topic of conversation with her. When communicating with a girl, Bolkonsky behaves at ease, he likes the fact that Natalya accepts him for who he is, Andrey does not need to pretend or play along. Natalya was also captivated by Bolkonsky; she found him attractive both externally and internally.
Without thinking twice, Bolkonsky proposes to the girl. Since Bolkonsky’s position in society was impeccable, and besides, his financial situation was stable, the Rostovs agree to the marriage.
The only person, who was extremely dissatisfied with the engagement that took place, was the father of Prince Andrei - he persuades his son to go abroad for treatment and only after that deal with the affairs of marriage.
Prince Andrei gives in and leaves. This event became fatal in Bolkonsky’s life - during his absence, Natalya fell in love with the rake Anatoly Kuragin and even attempted to escape with the rowdy.
He learns about this from a letter from Natalya herself. Such behavior unpleasantly struck Prince Andrei, and his engagement to Rostova was terminated. However, his feelings towards the girl did not fade away - he still continued to love her passionately until the end of his days.
Return to military service
To numb the pain and take revenge on Kuragin, Bolkonsky returns to the military field. General Kutuzov, who has always treated Bolkonsky favorably, invites Prince Andrei to go with him to Turkey. Bolkonsky accepts the offer, but Russian troops do not stay in the Moldavian direction for long - with the beginning of the military events of 1812, the transfer of troops to Western Front, and Bolkonsky asks Kutuzov to send him to the front line.
Prince Andrei becomes commander of the Jaeger regiment. Bolkonsky demonstrates himself as a commander the best way: He treats his subordinates with care and enjoys significant authority with them. His colleagues call him “our prince” and are very proud of him. Such changes in him were realized thanks to Bolkonsky’s refusal of individualism and his merging with the people.
Bolkonsky's regiment became one of the military units that took part in military events against Napoleon, in particular during the Battle of Borodino.
Wounded in the Battle of Borodino and its consequences
During the battle, Bolkonsky is seriously wounded in the stomach. The injury received causes Bolkonsky to reassess and realize many of life’s dogmas. Colleagues bring their commander to the dressing station; on the nearby operating table he sees his enemy, Anatoly Kuragin, and finds the strength to forgive him. Kuragin looks very pitiful and depressed - the doctors amputated his leg. Looking at Anatole’s emotions and his pain, anger and desire for revenge, which has been devouring Bolkonsky all this time, recedes and is replaced by compassion - Prince Andrei feels sorry for Kuragin.
Then Bolkonsky falls into unconsciousness and remains in this state for 7 days. Bolkonsky regains consciousness already in the Rostovs’ house. Together with other wounded, he was evacuated from Moscow.
Natalya at this moment becomes his angel. During the same period, Bolkonsky’s relationship with Natasha Rostova also takes on a new meaning, but for Andrei it’s all too late - his wound leaves him no hope of recovery. However, this did not prevent them from finding short-term harmony and happiness. Rostova constantly cares for the wounded Bolkonsky, the girl realizes that she still loves Prince Andrei, because of this, her feeling of guilt towards Bolkonsky only intensifies. Prince Andrei, despite the severity of his wound, tries to look as usual - he jokes a lot and reads. Oddly enough, of all the possible books, Bolkonsky asked for the Gospel, probably because after the “meeting” with Kuragin at the dressing station, Bolkonsky began to realize Christian values and was able to love the people close to him with true love. Despite all efforts, Prince Andrei still dies. This event had a tragic impact on Rostova’s life - the girl often remembered Bolkonsky and went over in her memory all the moments spent with this man.
Thus, the life path of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky once again confirms Tolstoy’s position - life good people always full of tragedy and quest.
Life path Andrei Bolkonsky in the novel “War and Peace”: life story, path of quest, main stages of biography
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