“I tried to write the history of the people,” words of L.N. Tolstoy about his novel “War and Peace”. This is not just a phrase: great writer really depicted in the work not so much individual heroes, but the entire people as a whole. “People's thought” defines in the novel and philosophical views Tolstoy, and the depiction of historical events, specific historical figures, and a moral assessment of the actions of the heroes.
“War and Peace,” as Yu.V. rightly noted. Lebedev, “this is a book about different phases in the historical life of Russia.” At the beginning of the novel "War and Peace" there is a disunity between people at the family, state and national levels. Tolstoy shows the tragic consequences of such confusion in the family spheres of the Rostovs - Bolkonskys and in the events of the war of 1805, lost by the Russians. Then another historical stage Russia opens, according to Tolstoy, in 1812, when the unity of people, “people's thought,” triumphs. “War and Peace” is a multi-part and integral narrative about how the principles of selfishness and disunity lead to disaster, but are met with opposition from the elements of “peace” and “unity” rising from the depths people's Russia" Tolstoy called for “leaving kings, ministers and generals alone,” and studying the history of peoples, “infinitesimal elements,” since they play a decisive role in the development of mankind. What force moves nations? Who is the creator of history - the individual or the people? The writer asks such questions at the beginning of the novel and tries to answer them throughout the course of the narrative.
The great Russian writer argues in the novel with the cult of the outstanding woman, which was very widespread at that time in Russia and abroad. historical figure. This cult relied heavily on the teachings German philosopher Hegel. According to Hegel, the closest guides of the World Mind, which determines the destinies of peoples and states, are great people who are the first to guess what is given to understand only to them and is not given to the mass of people, the passive material of history, to understand. These views of Hegel were directly reflected in the inhumane theory of Rodion Raskolnikov (“Crime and Punishment”), who divided all people into “lords” and “trembling creatures.” Leo Tolstoy, like Dostoevsky, “saw in this teaching something godless and inhuman, fundamentally contrary to Russian moral ideal. In Tolstoy it is not an exceptional personality, but people’s life as a whole turns out to be the most sensitive organism that responds to hidden meaning historical movement. The calling of a great man lies in the ability to listen to the will of the majority, to the “collective subject” of history, to the life of the people.”
Therefore, the writer’s attention is drawn primarily to the life of the people: peasants, soldiers, officers - those who form the very basis of it. Tolstoy “poeticizes in “War and Peace” the people as a whole spiritual unity of people, based on strong, age-old cultural traditions... The greatness of a person is determined by the depth of his connection with the organic life of the people.”
Leo Tolstoy shows on the pages of the novel that the historical process does not depend on whim or bad mood one man. It is impossible to predict or change the direction of historical events, since they depend on everyone and no one in particular.
We can say that the will of the commander does not affect the outcome of the battle, because no commander can lead tens and hundreds of thousands of people, but it is the soldiers themselves (i.e., the people) who decide the fate of the battle. “The fate of the battle is decided not by the orders of the commander-in-chief, not by the place where the troops stand, not by the number of guns and killed people, but by that elusive force called the spirit of the army,” writes Tolstoy. That's why Napoleon didn't lose battle of Borodino or Kutuzov won it, and the Russian people won this battle, because the “spirit” of the Russian army was immeasurably higher than the French.
Tolstoy writes that Kutuzov was able to “guess so correctly the meaning folk meaning events", i.e. “guess” the entire pattern of historical events. And the source of this brilliant insight was that “national feeling” that the great commander carried in his soul. It is the understanding of the people's character historical processes allowed Kutuzov, according to Tolstoy, to win not only the Battle of Borodino, but the entire military campaign and fulfill its destiny - to save Russia from the Napoleonic invasion.
Tolstoy notes that it was not only the Russian army that opposed Napoleon. “The feeling of revenge that lay in the soul of every person” and the entire Russian people gave rise to partisan warfare. “The partisans destroyed the great army piece by piece. There were small, prefabricated parties, on foot and on horseback, there were peasant and landowner parties, unknown to anyone. The head of the party was a sexton who took several hundred prisoners a month. There was the elder Vasilisa, who killed a hundred French.” The “club of the people’s war” rose and fell on the heads of the French until the entire invasion was destroyed.
This people's war arose soon after the Russian troops abandoned Smolensk and continued until the very end of hostilities on Russian territory. Napoleon was not expected gala reception with the keys to surrendered cities, and fires and peasant pitchforks. “The hidden warmth of patriotism” was in the soul not only of such people’s representatives as the merchant Ferapontov or Tikhon Shcherbaty, but also in the soul of Natasha Rostova, Petya, Andrei Bolkonsky, PRINCESS Marya, Pierre Bezukhov, Denisov, Dolokhov. All of them, in a moment of terrible trial, turned out to be spiritually close to the people and together with them ensured victory in the War of 1812.
And in conclusion, I would like to emphasize once again that Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” is not an ordinary novel, but an epic novel, which reflected human destinies and the people’s fate, which became the main object of study for the writer in this great work.
Lessons No. 13-14
“People's Thought” in the novel by L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace".
Guerrilla warfare in the novel. Platon Karataev and Tikhon Shcherbaty.
Goals:
educational:
nurturing a love for thoughtful reading of works of Russian literature, careful attention to words;
upbringingactive life position, civic duty and patriotism on the example of the people's feat in the Patriotic War of 1812;
educational:
creating conditions for the formation of ideas about L. N. Tolstoy’s glorification of the heroism of the people in the Patriotic War of 1812;
generalization and systematization of knowledge obtained during the study of the epic novel by L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace” on the topic of the lesson;
developing:
improving skills in working with text, the ability to analyze what you read;
providing an opportunity for disclosure creative potential students;
developing the ability to search for information in sources of various types;
formation own position on the issues discussed.
Lesson type: a lesson in the integrated application of knowledge.
Lesson type: workshop lesson.
Methodical techniques: conversation on issues, retelling the text, expressive reading of the text, watching episodes from feature film, student messages.
Predicted result:
know artistic text ; history pages on the topic of the lesson;
be able toindependently find material on the topic and systematize it.
Equipment: notebooks, literary text, computer, multimedia, presentation, feature film.
During the classes
I. Organizational stage.
II. Motivation for learning activities. Goal setting.
The teacher's word.
Tolstoy believed that a work can be good only when the writer loves his main idea. In War and Peace, Tolstoy, as he admitted, loved “people's thought.” It lies not only and not so much in the depiction of the people themselves, their way of life, life, but in the fact that every positive hero The novel ultimately connects its fate with the fate of the nation. By the word “people” Tolstoy understood the entire patriotic population of Russia, including the peasantry, the urban poor, the nobility, and the merchant class.
Discussion of the topic and objectives of the lesson.
III . Improving knowledge, skills and abilities.
The teacher's word.
On the pages of the novel, Tolstoy says that until now all history was written as the history of individuals, as a rule, monarchs, and no one thought about what is the driving force of history. According to Tolstoy, this is the so-called “swarm principle”, the spirit and will of not one person, but the nation as a whole, and how strong the spirit and will of the people are, so probable are certain historical events. In the Patriotic War of 1812, according to Tolstoy, two wills collided: the will of the French soldiers and the will of the entire Russian people. This war was fair for the Russians, they fought for their Motherland, so their spirit and will to win turned out to be stronger than the French spirit and will.
“I tried to write the history of the people,” said Tolstoy.
There are more than a hundred crowd scenes in the novel, and over two hundred named people from the people act in it.
Text analysis.
When did Tolstoy first depict the mass patriotism of the Russian people?
Tell us the scene of leaving Smolensk. (View an episode from the film).
The scene of the abandonment of Smolensk reflects the reaction of the people to the events that took place. Tolstoy shows the manifestation of the “hidden warmth of patriotism” of the Russian people. The merchant Feropontov, who at first spared three rubles for the cart, now, when the city is being surrendered, shouts to the soldiers: “Get everything, guys! Don't let the devils get you! Russya has decided!.. I’ll set it on fire myself. I decided...” Along with Feropontov, the author depicts the unanimity of the two soldiers who set fire to the merchant’s house, people from the crowd, looking at the fire with amazed and joyful faces. Tolstoy will write that the partisan war began with the enemy’s entry into Smolensk.
The teacher's word.
Why did residents leave Moscow?
“They went because for the Russian people there could be no question: whether it would be good or bad under the rule of the French in Moscow. It was impossible to be under French rule: that was the worst thing.”
What is unique about the war that Napoleon waged in Russia?
Previously, in all wars, the victory of one army over another automatically entailed the enslavement of the people of the defeated army.
In Russia, “the French won a victory near Moscow, Moscow was taken, but Russia did not cease to exist, but the 600,000-strong army ceased to exist, then Napoleonic France.” This fact proves “that the power that decides the fate of peoples lies not in the conquerors, not even in armies and battles, but in something else.”
Why, despite the victory of the battle, did the victorious army cease to exist?
The hostility of the population to the conquering army and the reluctance to submit to it decide, according to Tolstoy, the fate of the war.
Tolstoy writes: “... the club of the people’s war rose with all its formidable and majestic strength and, without asking anyone’s tastes and rules, with stupid simplicity... without understanding anything, it rose, fell and nailed the French until they died the whole invasion." These words contain Tolstoy’s pride and his admiration for the people’s power, which he loved precisely aselemental force.
How does Tolstoy feel about this method of warfare?
“And it is good for that people,” wrote Lev Nikolaevich, “who... in a moment of trial, without asking how others acted according to the rules in similar cases, with simplicity and ease lifts the first club that comes across and nails it until in his soul the feeling of insult and revenge cannot be replaced by contempt and pity.” He praises the “club of people’s war” and considers guerrilla warfare an expression of just people’s hatred of the enemy.
What was, according to Tolstoy, historical role partisan?
“The partisans destroyed the great army piece by piece. They picked up those fallen leaves that spontaneously fell from the withered tree - the French army, and sometimes shook this tree,” writes the author. Tolstoy talks about the audacity of the Russian partisans, especially the men, who “climbed among the French” and believed “that now everything was possible.”
The guerrilla war with the French took folk character. She brought with her new methods of struggle, “overturning Napoleon’s aggressive strategy.”
What partisan units does the writer talk about?
“There were parties... small, prefabricated, on foot and on horseback, there were peasants and landowners, unknown to anyone. There was a sexton as the head of the party, who took several hundred prisoners a month. There was the elder Vasilisa, who killed hundreds of French.” The author draws a closer-up view of the partisan detachments of Denisov and Dolokhov.
When was the first partisan detachment founded?
Who especially stands out in the partisan detachment?
Tikhon Shcherbaty.
Analysis of the image of Tikhon Shcherbatov. (Message “Peasant-partisan Tikhon Shcherbaty”).
Peasant Tikhon Shcherbaty is the most useful and brave man in the detachment.
Watch the episode “First meeting with Tikhon.”
Read the description of the hero's appearance.
Does he know the feeling of pity for the French?
No, when he talks about how he killed the Frenchman, “his whole face stretched into a shining, stupid smile.” Many critics see in Tikhon Shcherbat the personification of Tolstoy’s thought about the club of the people’s war, which also “with stupid simplicity” nailed the French. For Tolstoy, stupid is not always an antonym to the word smart - we already had to talk about this. A fool is not a reasoner, but an actor. This is how Tikhon appears before us.
How did he get to the partisans?
Even before he joined Denisov’s detachment, he was killing the French.
Does he feel hatred for the French, does he understand the patriotic nature of his actions?
“We don’t do anything bad to the French.... We just played around with the guys out of pleasure.Miroderov It’s as if they beat about two dozen, otherwise we didn’t do anything bad...” He kills only marauders, seeing in them something in common with world-eaters. He has no conscious patriotism. But, as Tolstoy argues in his philosophical digressions, unconscious actions brought the greatest benefit. “Tikhon Shcherbaty was one of the most the right people in the party,” writes Tolstoy. So, indeed, Tikhon Shcherbat is the personification of the thought of the “stupid simplicity” of the club of the people’s war. .
Who does Tolstoy compare Tikhon to?
With a wolf. Tikhon’s weapons “consisted of a blunderbuss... a pike and an ax, which he wielded like a wolf wields its teeth, equally easily tearing out fleas from wool and biting through thick bones.”
What do the partisans call Tikhon?
“...The gelding is a hefty one.” He was instructed to “do something especially difficult and disgusting - turn a cart out of the mud with your shoulder, pull a horse out of a swamp by the tail, skin it, climb into the very middle of the French, walk 50 miles a day.” So, everything that is beyond the power of a person or that is disgusting and disgusting to a person is entrusted to Tikhon, the “wolf”, the “gelding”.
The teacher's word.
Tikhon Shcherbat embodies the best typical character traits of a peasant avenger, strong, courageous, energetic and savvy. Tikhon's favorite weapon is an ax, which he “mastered like a wolf wields its teeth.” For him, the French are enemies who must be destroyed. And he hunts down the French day and night.
An ineradicable sense of humor, the ability to joke under any circumstances, resourcefulness and daring distinguish Tikhon Shcherbaty among the partisans of the detachment.
Analysis of the image of Platon Karataev. (Message about Platon Karataev).
What is Pierre's first impression of Platon Karataev?
In it, “Pierre felt something pleasant, soothing and round.”
What had such an effect on Pierre?
“Round, spores, movements that followed one after another without slowing down,” “even the smell of this man.” The most important thing here is Plato’s busyness, the completeness of all his movements, the coherence of these movements (“while one hand was hanging the string, the other was already beginning to unwind the other leg”).
What is Karataev’s manner of speech?
Its language is folk. “Eh, falcon, don’t worry,” he said with that tenderly melodious caress with which old Russian women speak; “well, it will be, it will be”; “potatoes are important”; “they didn’t think - they guessed”; “I went out to mow myself”; “Christians” (instead of peasants); “We thought grief, but joy.” Another feature of his speech is its saturation with proverbs and sayings: “Where there is justice, there is untruth”; “Moscow is the mother of cities”; “The worm gnaws at the cabbage, but before that you disappear”; “Not by our mind, but by God’s judgment”; “A wife is for advice, a mother-in-law is for greetings, but nothing is dearer than your own mother”; “Rock is looking for his head”; “I lay down and curled up, stood up and shook myself.” And the third very important feature is his manner of communication with his interlocutor: he listened to others and talked about himself with equal interest and readiness. Before starting a conversation with Pierre, he “stared straight at him.” He immediately began asking Pierre about life. For the first time, someone became interested not in the prisoner who “refused to give his name,” but in the man, Pierre Bezukhov. Plato's voice is affectionate.
Read the description of Karataev’s appearance.
“...The whole figure of Plato, in his French overcoat belted with a rope, in a cap and bast shoes, was round. The head was completely round, the back, chest, shoulders, even the arms that he wore as if always going to hug something, were round; a pleasant smile and big brown eyes were round.”
What is the essence of Karataev’s “round” attitude to reality?
“...His life, as he himself looked at it, had no meaning as a separate life. It made sense only as a part of the whole...” The absence of everything personal, awareness of oneself only as a particle of the whole - this has already been said about Kutuzov. Kutuzov and Karataev equally express Tolstoy’s idea that truth lies in the renunciation of one’s “I” and in its complete subordination to the “common.”
How did he become a soldier?
He became a soldier illegally, but it turned out that his brother’s extended family benefited from this: “My brother should have gone, if it weren’t for my sin. And the younger brother has five kids..." All of Karataev’s proverbs boil down to the belief in the inevitability of doing what is destined to happen, and this inevitable is the best. Yes, “the worm gnaws at the cabbage, but before that you disappear.” These are his thoughts about the war with the French. The French invasion eats into Russia like a worm into cabbage. But Karataev is sure that the worm will disappear before the cabbage. This is the belief in the inevitability of God's judgment. Immediately in response to Pierre’s request to clarify what “the worm is worse than the cabbage...” means, Plato replies: “I say: not by our mind, but by God’s judgment.” This saying contains the basis of Karataevism and the core of the philosophy that Tolstoy the thinker wanted to preach in War and Peace. How less people thinks so much the better. The mind cannot influence the course of life. Everything will happen according to God's will. If we accept this philosophy as true (it is called quietism), then we will not have to suffer because there is so much evil in the world. You just need to give up the idea of changing anything in the world. Tolstoy wants to prove this, but, as we saw earlier and as we will see later, life refutes this philosophy and Tolstoy himself cannot remain consistently true to his theory.
How did this Karataev philosophy influence Pierre?
He felt “that the previously destroyed world was now moving in his soul with new beauty, on some new unshakable foundations.”
How did Platon Karataev treat people?
“...He loved and lived lovingly with everything that life brought him to, and especially with a person - not with some famous person, but with those people who were before his eyes. He loved his mongrel, he loved his comrades, the French, he loved Pierre, who was his neighbor...” This is how Tolstoy expressed the foundations of his worldview.
The teacher's word.
The image of Platon Karataev shows a different type of Russian peasant. With his humanity, kindness, simplicity, indifference to hardships, and a sense of collectivism, this inconspicuous “round” man was able to return to Pierre Bezukhov, who was in captivity, faith in people, goodness, love, and justice. His spiritual qualities are contrasted with the arrogance, selfishness and careerism of the highest St. Petersburg society. Platon Karataev remained the most precious memory for Pierre, “the personification of everything Russian, good and round.”
Conclusion.
In the images of Tikhon Shcherbaty and Platon Karataev, Tolstoy concentrated the main qualities of the Russian people, who appear in the novel in the person of soldiers, partisans, servants, peasants, and the urban poor. Both heroes are dear to the writer’s heart: Plato as the embodiment of “everything Russian, good and round,” all those qualities (patriarchalism, kindness, humility, non-resistance, religiosity) that the writer highly valued among the Russian peasantry; Tikhon is the embodiment of a heroic people who rose up to fight, but only at a critical, exceptional time for the country (the Patriotic War of 1812).
IV . Information about homework.
1. Reading the text.
Petya Rostov in a partisan detachment.
Individual task. Retelling of the episode “Peter and the French Drummer.”
Individual task. Retelling of the episode “Petya in Intelligence.”
Individual task. Retelling of the episode “The Death of Petya.”
V . Summarizing.
VI . Reflection.
Introduction
“The subject of history is the life of peoples and humanity,” this is how L.N. Tolstoy begins the second part of the epilogue of the epic novel “War and Peace.” He further asks the question: “What force moves nations?” Reflecting on these “theories,” Tolstoy comes to the conclusion that: “The life of peoples does not fit into the lives of a few people, because the connection between these several people and nations has not been found...” In other words, Tolstoy says that the role of the people in history is undeniable, and the eternal truth that history is made by the people was proven by him in his novel. “People's thought” in Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” is indeed one of the main themes of the epic novel.
The people in the novel "War and Peace"
Many readers understand the word “people” not quite the way Tolstoy understands it. Lev Nikolaevich means by “people” not only soldiers, peasants, men, not only that “huge mass” driven by some force. For Tolstoy, the “people” included officers, generals, and the nobility. This is Kutuzov, and Bolkonsky, and the Rostovs, and Bezukhov - this is all of humanity, embraced by one thought, one deed, one purpose. All the main characters of Tolstoy's novel are directly connected with their people and are inseparable from them.
Heroes of the novel and “folk thought”
The fates of the beloved heroes of Tolstoy’s novel are connected with the life of the people. “People's thought” in “War and Peace” runs like a red thread through the life of Pierre Bezukhov. While in captivity, Pierre learned his truth of life. Platon Karataev, a peasant peasant, opened it to Bezukhov: “In captivity, in a booth, Pierre learned not with his mind, but with his whole being, with his life, that man was created for happiness, that happiness is in himself, in the satisfaction of natural human needs, that all misfortune occurs not from lack, but from excess.” The French offered Pierre to transfer from a soldier's booth to an officer's, but he refused, remaining faithful to those with whom he suffered his fate. And for a long time afterwards he recalled this month of captivity with ecstasy, as “a complete peace of mind, oh perfect inner freedom which he experienced only at this time.”
Andrei Bolkonsky also felt his people at the Battle of Austerlitz. Grabbing the flagpole and rushing forward, he did not think that the soldiers would follow him. And they, seeing Bolkonsky with a banner and hearing: “Guys, go ahead!” rushed at the enemy behind their leader. The unity of officers and ordinary soldiers confirms that the people are not divided into ranks and titles, the people are united, and Andrei Bolkonsky understood this.
Natasha Rostova, leaving Moscow, dumps her family property on the ground and gives away her carts for the wounded. This decision comes to her immediately, without thinking, which suggests that the heroine does not separate herself from the people. Another episode that speaks of the true Russian spirit of Rostova, in which L. Tolstoy himself admires his beloved heroine: “Where, how, when did she suck into herself from the Russian air that she breathed - this countess, raised by a French governess - this spirit, where she got these techniques from... But these spirits and techniques were the same, inimitable, unstudied, Russian.”
And Captain Tushin, who sacrificed own life for the sake of victory, for the sake of Russia. Captain Timokhin, who rushed at the Frenchman with “one skewer.” Denisov, Nikolai Rostov, Petya Rostov and many other Russian people who stood with the people and knew true patriotism.
Tolstoy created collective image people - a united, invincible people, when not only soldiers, troops, but also militias fight. Civilians help not with weapons, but with their own methods: men burn hay so as not to take it to Moscow, people leave the city only because they do not want to obey Napoleon. This is what “folk thought” is and how it is revealed in the novel. Tolstoy makes it clear that the Russian people are strong in a single thought - not to surrender to the enemy. A sense of patriotism is important for all Russian people.
Platon Karataev and Tikhon Shcherbaty
The novel also shows the partisan movement. A prominent representative here was Tikhon Shcherbaty, who fought the French with all his disobedience, dexterity, and cunning. His active work brings success to the Russians. Denisov is proud of his partisan detachment thanks to Tikhon.
Opposite to the image of Tikhon Shcherbaty is the image of Platon Karataev. Kind, wise, with his worldly philosophy, he calms Pierre and helps him survive captivity. Plato's speech is filled with Russian proverbs, which emphasizes his nationality.
Kutuzov and the people
The only commander-in-chief of the army who never separated himself and the people was Kutuzov. “He knew not with his mind or science, but with his whole Russian being, he knew and felt what every Russian soldier felt...” The disunity of the Russian army in the alliance with Austria, the deception of the Austrian army, when the allies abandoned the Russians in battles, were unbearable pain for Kutuzov. To Napoleon’s letter about peace, Kutuzov replied: “I would be damned if they looked at me as the first instigator of any deal: such is the will of our people” (italics by L.N. Tolstoy). Kutuzov did not write on his own behalf, he expressed the opinion of the entire people, all Russian people.
The image of Kutuzov is contrasted with the image of Napoleon, who was very far from his people. He was only interested in personal interest in the struggle for power. An empire of worldwide submission to Bonaparte - and an abyss in the interests of the people. As a result, the war of 1812 was lost, the French fled, and Napoleon was the first to leave Moscow. He abandoned his army, abandoned his people.
conclusions
In his novel War and Peace, Tolstoy shows that people's power is invincible. And in every Russian person there is “simplicity, goodness and truth.” True patriotism does not measure everyone by rank, does not build a career, does not seek fame. At the beginning of the third volume, Tolstoy writes: “There are two sides of life in every person: personal life, which is the more free the more abstract its interests are, and spontaneous, swarm life, where a person inevitably fulfills the laws prescribed to him.” Laws of honor, conscience, general culture, general history.
This essay on the topic “People's Thought” in the novel “War and Peace” reveals only a small part of what the author wanted to tell us. The people live in the novel in every chapter, in every line.
Work test
Tolstoy managed to reflect all aspects of life in Russia in the 19th century in his epic War and Peace. Popular thought in the novel is illuminated especially brightly. The image of a people in general is one of the main and meaning-forming ones. Moreover, it is national character is the subject of depiction in the novel. But it can only be understood from a description of the everyday life of the people, their view of humanity and the world, moral assessments, misconceptions and prejudices.
Image of the people
Tolstoy included in the concept of “people” not only soldiers and men, but also the noble class, which had a similar view of spiritual values and the world. It was this idea that the author based the epic “War and Peace”. Folk thought in the novel is therefore embodied through all people united by language, history, culture and territory.
From this point of view, Tolstoy is an innovator, since before him in Russian literature there was always a clear boundary between the peasant class and the nobility. In order to illustrate his idea, the writer turned to very harsh times for all of Russia - the Patriotic War of 1812.
The only confrontation is the fight the best people the noble class, united with people from the people, with military and bureaucratic circles, unable to perform feats or make sacrifices for the defense of the Fatherland.
Depicting the life of ordinary soldiers
Pictures of people's lives in peace and war time are widely represented in Tolstoy's epic War and Peace. Popular thought in the novel, however, manifested itself most clearly during Patriotic War, when all residents of Russia were required to demonstrate resilience, generosity and patriotism.
Despite this, descriptions of folk scenes appear already in the first two volumes of the novel. This is an image of Russian soldiers when they participated in foreign campaigns, fulfilling their duty to the allies. For ordinary soldiers who came from the people, such campaigns are incomprehensible - why defend not your own land?
Tolstoy paints terrible pictures. The army is starving because the allies it supports are not supplying provisions. Unable to watch the soldiers suffer, officer Denisov decides to recapture food from another regiment, which has a detrimental effect on his career. This act reveals the spiritual qualities of a Russian person.
“War and Peace”: popular thought in the novel
As noted above, the fate of Tolstoy’s heroes from among the best nobles is always connected with folk life. Therefore, “folk thought” runs through the entire work like a red thread. Thus, Pierre Bezukhov, having been captured, learns the truth of life, which is revealed to him by an ordinary peasant man. And it lies in the fact that a person is unhappy only when there is a surplus in his life. You need little to be happy.
On the Field of Austerlitz, Andrei Bolkonsky feels his connection with the people. He grabs the flagpole, not hoping that they will follow him. But the soldiers, seeing the standard bearer, rush into battle. The unity of ordinary soldiers and officers gives the army unprecedented strength.
The house in the novel "War and Peace" is of great importance. But we're talking about not about decoration and furniture. The image of the house embodies family values. Moreover, all of Russia is home, all the people are one big family. That is why Natasha Rostova throws her property off the carts and gives them to the wounded.
It is in this unity that Tolstoy sees the true strength of the people. The force that was able to win the War of 1812.
Images of people from the people
Even on the first pages of the novel, the writer creates images of individual soldiers. This is Denisov’s orderly Lavrushka with his roguish disposition, and the merry fellow Sidorov, hilariously imitating the French, and Lazarev, who received an order from Napoleon himself.
However, the house in the novel “War and Peace” occupies key place, therefore most of the heroes from among common people can be found in descriptions of peacetime. Here another one arises serious problem 19th century - the hardships of serfdom. Tolstoy depicts how old prince Bolkonsky, deciding to punish the bartender Philip, who forgot the owner’s orders, gave him up as a soldier. And Pierre’s attempt to make life easier for his serfs ended in nothing, since the manager deceived the count.
People's labor
The epic “War and Peace” raises many problems characteristic of Tolstoy’s work. The topic of labor, as one of the main ones for the writer, was no exception. Labor is inextricably linked with people's life. Moreover, Tolstoy uses it to characterize characters, as he gives it great importance. Idleness in the writer’s understanding speaks of a morally weak, insignificant and unworthy person.
But work is not just a duty, it is a pleasure. Thus, the arriving Danila, participating in the hunt, devotes himself to this task to the end, he shows himself to be a real expert and, in a fit of excitement, even shouts at Count Rostov.
The old valet Tikhon has become so familiar with his position that he understands his master without words. And the servant Anisya is praised by Tolstoy for her homeliness, playfulness and good nature. For her, the owners’ house is not a foreign and hostile place, but a native and close one. A woman treats her work with love.
Russian people and war
However quiet life ended and the war began. All the images in the novel “War and Peace” are also transformed. All heroes, both low and high class, are united by a single feeling of “inner warmth of patriotism.” This feeling is becoming national trait Russian people. It made him capable of self-sacrifice. The same self-sacrifice that decided the outcome of the war and so amazed the French soldiers.
Another difference between Russian troops and the French is that they do not play war. For the Russian people, this is a great tragedy in which nothing good can come. Unknown to Russian soldiers is the pleasure of battle or the joy of the upcoming war. But at the same time, everyone is ready to give their life. There is no cowardice here, the soldiers are ready to die, because their duty is to defend their homeland. Only the one who “feels less sorry for himself” can win - this is how Andrei Bolkonsky expressed the popular thought.
Peasant sentiments in the epic
The theme of the people sounds piercingly and vividly in the novel “War and Peace”. At the same time, Tolstoy does not try to idealize the people. The writer depicts scenes indicating the spontaneity and inconsistency of peasant sentiments. Good example This is due to the Bogucharov riot, when the peasants, having read the French leaflets, refused to let Princess Marya out of the estate. Men are capable of the same self-interest as nobles like Berg, who are eager to receive ranks thanks to the war. The French promised money, and now they have obeyed them. However, when Nikolai Rostov ordered to stop the outrages and bind the instigators, the peasants obediently carried out his orders.
On the other hand, when the French began to advance, the people left their homes, destroying their acquired property so that it would not go to the enemies.
People power
Nevertheless, the epic “War and Peace” revealed the best folk qualities. The essence of the work is precisely to depict the true strength of the Russian people.
In the fight against the French, the Russians, despite everything, were able to maintain high moral qualities. Tolstoy saw the greatness of a nation not in the fact that it can conquer neighboring peoples with the help of weapons, but in the fact that even in the most cruel times it can preserve justice, humanity and a merciful attitude towards the enemy. An example of this is the episode of the rescue of the French captain Rambal.
and Platon Karataev
If you analyze the novel “War and Peace” chapter by chapter, these two heroes will definitely attract your attention. Tolstoy, including them in the narrative, wanted to show the interconnected and at the same time opposite sides of the national Russian character. Let's compare these characters:
Platon Karataev is a complacent and dreamy soldier who is accustomed to resignedly obeying fate.
Tikhon Shcherbaty is an intelligent, decisive, courageous and active peasant who will never resign himself to fate and will actively resist it. He himself became a soldier and became famous for killing the most Frenchmen.
These characters embodied two sides: humility, long-suffering on the one hand and an uncontrollable desire to fight on the other.
It is believed that Shcherbatov’s principle was most clearly manifested in the novel, however, Karataev’s wisdom and patience did not stand aside.
conclusions
Thus, the people are the main active force in War and Peace. According to Tolstoy's philosophy, one person cannot change history; only the strength and desire of the people are capable of this. Therefore, Napoleon, who decided to reshape the world, lost to the power of an entire nation.
“The subject of history is the life of peoples and humanity,” this is how L.N. Tolstoy begins the second part of the epilogue of the epic novel “War and Peace.” He further asks the question: “What force moves nations?” Reflecting on these “theories,” Tolstoy comes to the conclusion that: “The life of peoples does not fit into the lives of a few people, because the connection between these several people and nations has not been found...” In other words, Tolstoy says that the role of the people in history is undeniable, and the eternal truth that history is made by the people was proven by him in his novel. “People's thought” in Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” is indeed one of the main themes of the epic novel.
The people in the novel "War and Peace"
Many readers understand the word “people” not quite the way Tolstoy understands it. Lev Nikolaevich means by “people” not only soldiers, peasants, men, not only that “huge mass” driven by some force. For Tolstoy, the “people” included officers, generals, and the nobility. This is Kutuzov, and Bolkonsky, and the Rostovs, and Bezukhov - this is all of humanity, embraced by one thought, one deed, one purpose.
All the main characters of Tolstoy's novel are directly connected with their people and are inseparable from them.
Heroes of the novel and “folk thought”
The fates of the beloved heroes of Tolstoy’s novel are connected with the life of the people. “People's thought” in “War and Peace” runs like a red thread through the life of Pierre Bezukhov. While in captivity, Pierre learned his truth of life. Platon Karataev, a peasant peasant, opened it to Bezukhov: “In captivity, in a booth, Pierre learned not with his mind, but with his whole being, with his life, that man was created for happiness, that happiness is in himself, in the satisfaction of natural human needs, that all misfortune occurs not from lack, but from excess.” The French offered Pierre to transfer from a soldier's booth to an officer's, but he refused, remaining faithful to those with whom he suffered his fate. And for a long time afterwards he recalled with rapture this month of captivity as “complete peace of mind, complete inner freedom, which he experienced only at this time.”
Andrei Bolkonsky also felt his people at the Battle of Austerlitz. Grabbing the flagpole and rushing forward, he did not think that the soldiers would follow him. And they, seeing Bolkonsky with a banner and hearing: “Guys, go ahead!” rushed at the enemy behind their leader. The unity of officers and ordinary soldiers confirms that the people are not divided into ranks and titles, the people are united, and Andrei Bolkonsky understood this.
Natasha Rostova, leaving Moscow, dumps her family property on the ground and gives away her carts for the wounded. This decision comes to her immediately, without thinking, which suggests that the heroine does not separate herself from the people. Another episode that speaks of the true Russian spirit of Rostova, in which L. Tolstoy himself admires his beloved heroine: “Where, how, when did she suck into herself from the Russian air that she breathed - this countess, raised by a French governess - this spirit, where she got these techniques from... But these spirits and techniques were the same, inimitable, unstudied, Russian.”
And Captain Tushin, who sacrificed his own life for the sake of victory, for the sake of Russia. Captain Timokhin, who rushed at the Frenchman with “one skewer.” Denisov, Nikolai Rostov, Petya Rostov and many other Russian people who stood with the people and knew true patriotism.
Tolstoy created a collective image of a people - a united, invincible people, when not only soldiers and troops fight, but also militias. Civilians help not with weapons, but with their own methods: men burn hay so as not to take it to Moscow, people leave the city only because they do not want to obey Napoleon. This is what “folk thought” is and how it is revealed in the novel. Tolstoy makes it clear that the Russian people are strong in a single thought - not to surrender to the enemy. A sense of patriotism is important for all Russian people.
Platon Karataev and Tikhon Shcherbaty
The novel also shows the partisan movement. A prominent representative here was Tikhon Shcherbaty, who fought the French with all his disobedience, dexterity, and cunning. His active work brings success to the Russians. Denisov is proud of his partisan detachment thanks to Tikhon.
Opposite to the image of Tikhon Shcherbaty is the image of Platon Karataev. Kind, wise, with his worldly philosophy, he calms Pierre and helps him survive captivity. Plato's speech is filled with Russian proverbs, which emphasizes his nationality.
Kutuzov and the people
The only commander-in-chief of the army who never separated himself and the people was Kutuzov. “He knew not with his mind or science, but with his whole Russian being, he knew and felt what every Russian soldier felt...” The disunity of the Russian army in the alliance with Austria, the deception of the Austrian army, when the allies abandoned the Russians in battles, were unbearable pain for Kutuzov. To Napoleon’s letter about peace, Kutuzov replied: “I would be damned if they looked at me as the first instigator of any deal: such is the will of our people” (italics by L.N. Tolstoy). Kutuzov did not write on his own behalf, he expressed the opinion of the entire people, all Russian people.
The image of Kutuzov is contrasted with the image of Napoleon, who was very far from his people. He was only interested in personal interest in the struggle for power. An empire of worldwide submission to Bonaparte - and an abyss in the interests of the people. As a result, the war of 1812 was lost, the French fled, and Napoleon was the first to leave Moscow. He abandoned his army, abandoned his people.
conclusions
In his novel War and Peace, Tolstoy shows that people's power is invincible. And in every Russian person there is “simplicity, goodness and truth.” True patriotism does not measure everyone by rank, does not build a career, does not seek fame. At the beginning of the third volume, Tolstoy writes: “There are two sides of life in every person: personal life, which is the more free the more abstract its interests are, and spontaneous, swarm life, where a person inevitably fulfills the laws prescribed to him.” Laws of honor, conscience, common culture, common history.
This essay on the topic “People's Thought” in the novel “War and Peace” reveals only a small part of what the author wanted to tell us. The people live in the novel in every chapter, in every line.
“People's thought” in the novel “War and Peace” by Tolstoy - essay on the topic |
