“Yes, a new happiness was revealed to me, integral to man... Happiness that is outside of material forces, outside of material external phenomena on a person, the happiness of one soul, the happiness of love! Every person can understand it, but only God could recognize and prescribe it” (L. N. Tolstoy)
The characters of the great epic novel “War and Peace” by Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy can be divided into two categories: “heroes off the path” and “heroes on the path.”
The former are distinguished by the absence of internal character dynamics and have a stable life position. Such heroes include the flighty Anatoly Kuragin, the brilliant secular Helen, Platon Karataev, the representative of the people's worldview, the great strategist Kutuzov.
Heroes of the second category are constantly in a moral quest, their internal values are constantly evolving. Representatives of the “heroes on the road” are Pierre Bezukhov, Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky.
The internal development of the last hero can be roughly divided into five stages. I will consider each of them in detail in my essay. ABOUT
At the beginning of the novel, Prince Andrei appears to us as a rather cold and sarcastic person. He is disappointed in marriage and in social life, his goal is to achieve glory in the military field. Bolkonsky's idol is the brilliant cruel commander, the enemy of Russia, Napoleon.
During the Austrian campaign, the prince showed true heroism and sympathized with the Russian soldiers, but did not experience complete spiritual unity with them. A turning point in Bolkonsky’s consciousness occurred during the Battle of Austerlitz. The fearless prince, in order to inspire the army, took the banner and ran ahead of the soldiers. Bolkonsky paid terribly for his courage - he was wounded. Looking at the sky, the prince realized the falsity of his ideals. He was also disappointed in Napoleon: the idol seemed petty and insignificant to him. The second stage of the prince’s life is marked by the death of his wife, the desire to live for himself, raising a small son, taking care of the farm and the peasant question. Bolkonsky is disappointed in serving in the active army, he is dissolved in Bogucharov. His soul is dark and empty...
The third period begins with an acquaintance with Natasha Rostova, who brought everyday joy and spiritual renewal into the prince’s life. Bolkonsky now wants to live for the people, he works in the Speransky commission with the goal of changing the legal status of the peasants. All promising initiatives collapsed. Prince Andrei became disillusioned with Speransky. He considered Natasha's passion for Anatole a betrayal...
It was one thousand eight hundred and twelve... Bolkonsky began the fourth period of his life with the decision to return to the army as a regiment commander. His attitude is patriotic, he believes in victory and in Kutuzov.
The last period of the prince’s life is the most tragic, at the same time it is the peak of the evolution of Bolkonsky’s personality. During the battle on the Borodino field, the prince was mortally wounded. On the operating table, he felt spiritual unity with the people and forgave everyone. The moment of waiting for death and returning to childhood was the ideal state of the human soul. Bolkonsky's true path was told by Pierre to the little prince Andrei. Bezukhov was sure that Bolkonsky would ideologically be on the side of the Decembrists...
The meaning of spiritual quest is that heroes are capable of spiritual evolution, which, according to Tolstoy, is the most important criterion for the moral assessment of a person. The characters are looking for the meaning of life (finding deep spiritual connections with other people) and personal happiness. Tolstoy shows this process in its dialectical inconsistency (disappointment, gaining and losing happiness). At the same time, the heroes retain their own face and dignity. The common and main thing in the spiritual quests of Pierre and Andrey is that in the end both come to a rapprochement with the people.
- Stages of Andrei Bolkonsky's spiritual quest.
- Orientation to the ideas of Napoleon, a brilliant commander, a super-personality (conversation with Pierre in the Scherer salon, departure to the active army, military operations of 1805).
- Wound at Austerlitz, crisis in consciousness (the sky of Austerlitz, Napoleon walking around the battlefield).
- The death of a wife and the birth of a child, the decision to “live for yourself and your loved ones.”
- Meeting with Pierre, conversation at the crossing, transformations on the estate.
- Meeting with Natasha in Otradnoye (rebirth to a new life, allegorically depicted in the image of old Drb).
- Communication with Speransky, love for Natasha, awareness of the meaninglessness of “state” activities.
- Breakup with Natasha, spiritual crisis.
- Borodino. The final turning point in consciousness, rapprochement with the people (the soldiers of the regiment call him “our prince”).
- Before his death, Bolkonsky accepts God (forgives the enemy, asks for the Gospel), a feeling of universal love, harmony with life.
- Stages of spiritual quest by Pierre Bezukhov.
- Focus on the ideas of Napoleon, the “social contract” of Rousseau, the ideas of the French Revolution.
- Receiving an inheritance, marrying Helen, spiritual crisis, duel with Dolokhov.
- Freemasonry. A trip to Kyiv and his southern estates, an unsuccessful attempt to introduce reforms and ease the lot of the peasants.
- Dissatisfaction with the activities of the Freemasons, a break with the St. Petersburg Freemasons.
- A distracted, meaningless life, a spiritual crisis, which is interrupted by a flaring feeling for Natasha.
- Organization of the militia, Borodino, Raevsky’s battery, reflections on the role of the people in the war.
- Pierre's dream about the conjugation of worlds after Borodin (Bazdeev tells him about the need to “connect all” knowledge about the world, Pierre tries to understand the meaning of these words and finds what he is looking for: “not to connect, but to conjugate”).
- Refusal to leave Moscow, intention to kill Napoleon and save the Fatherland at the cost of his own life. A girl saved during a fire, a woman saved from abuse.
- Captivity. The unjust trial of Davout, communication with Platon Karataev, spiritual revival.
- Marriage with Natasha, spiritual harmony.
- The end of the 10s. Indignation, protest against the social system, a call to “unite good people” (conversation with Nikolai about the intention to create a legal or secret society). The threshold of Decembrism (Initially, the novel was conceived by Tolstoy as a narrative about contemporary reality. However, having realized that the origins of the contemporary liberation movement lie in Decembrism, Tolstoy begins a novel about the Decembrists. Reflecting on the reasons for the emergence of Decembrism, Tolstoy comes to the conclusion that they lie in the spiritual uplift that the Russian people experienced during the Patriotic War of 12).
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy loves the people he describes in various works, not for any special merits, but truly for their inner consciousness and perception of the world, for their moral qualities and foundations. So, Lev Nikolaevich considers the constant desire for self-improvement to be one of the most important attributes of a person’s inner world. Everything would seem simple, but the author is not content with just the pursuit of moral ideals - he is interested in the path chosen to achieve this goal.
The world famous novel by L.N. Tolstoy's "War and Peace" is a very problematic work that highlights the difficulties of the social, political and family spheres of life. Among this, the writer identifies the basis - the search for the meaning of life and simple human well-being. In the novel “War and Peace” there are two overlapping characters - Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky, who are self-improving individuals, and whom Tolstoy closely observes, noting their ups and downs.
Pierre Bezukhov in the novel initially leads the reckless social life of an idle reveler. Pierre is so subject to someone else's will that he allows himself to be robbed to the skin and married to Helen Kuragina, who almost ruined Pierre's life by entangling him in a web of lies and falsehood.
The duel with Dolokhov leaves a deep moral shock and evokes hatred of secular pathos and pretense. This condition pushes Pierre to join the ranks of Freemasonry. But, after a while, he becomes disappointed in this too.
After a mental crisis, Pierre is again filled with patriotism and participates in the War of 1812. The turning point in Bezukhov’s quest was a visit to the Battle of Borodino, and the meeting with Platon Karataev, a soldier who does not complain about anything, is kind to those around him and meek, brings something new to Pierre Bezukhov’s worldview towards the common people. The final destination of Bezukhov’s quest becomes the camp of the Decembrists, where he finds himself.
Glory is what young Bolkonsky dreams of, and only for this he goes to the army. However, these youthful thoughts about dignity, valor, glory and other sublime things quickly evaporate when he visits the Field of Austerlitz. Lying on the ground and bleeding, Bolkonsky understands that fame is not the final goal of existence. This disappointment is followed by another: his idol - Napoleon - “falls” in Bolkonsky’s eyes and appears to him as a petty little man.
After these incidents, Bolkonsky decides to devote his life to a child left without a mother. Andrey, being in a depressed state, will retire to his estate. However, this is tantamount to a small death for him, so Andrei again throws himself into the cycle of life.
Arriving in St. Petersburg, he works with Speransky, but not for long. The War of 1812 caused fundamental changes in the hero's life. He takes part in the battle and feels like a necessary person here. He becomes close to the people and knows that the fate of the Motherland depends on him.
A. Bolkonsky completed his spiritual quest before his death, when he stopped being afraid of it and realized that life was given for love of one’s neighbor.
Both of these heroes strived for moral self-improvement, both started from scratch, and both reached a truth that is as old as the world: “You have to live, you have to love, you have to believe.”
Option 1 (Plan)
I. The desire for the highest truth is the goal of the spiritual quest of the main characters of the novel. The complexity and inconsistency of the character of Prince Andrei predetermine the difficulty of the hero’s quest in life and the painfulness of his moral insight.
P. Spiritual quest of Andrei Bolkonsky:
1. Search for a true, worthy cause:
a) dissatisfaction with secular society;
6) disappointment in family life;
c) the dream of a feat, the desire for glory;
d) the desire to gain self-confidence in military service.
2. Participation in the War of 1805:
a) a sense of military duty, brought up by the father;
b) rejection of the laws of the world among military officers;
c) the desire to experience the fate of Napoleon on oneself;
d) meeting with a true hero (Tushin’s feat in the Battle of Shengraben returns Prince Andrei to reality);
e) the meaninglessness of Prince Andrei’s feat during the Battle of Austerlitz;
f) the sky of Austerlitz (renunciation of ambitious illusions, disappointment in one’s idol, understanding of life as something more than the desire for personal glory).
3. The death of his wife and the birth of his son will help Bolkonsky understand what he sacrificed for the sake of his own selfish aspirations.
4. Withdrawal into oneself, renunciation of active life.
5. A conversation with Pierre about goodness, justice and truth is a landmark moment in the life quest of Prince Andrei.
6. Meeting with Natasha in Otradnoye(the desire to be reborn), the embodiment of Andrei Bolkonsky’s thoughts in the image of an oak tree - a symbol of “fading” and “rebirth”.
7. The desire to be useful in public service(awakened ambition), rapprochement and break with Speransky.
8. Love for Natasha, a sense of duty and responsibility to a loved one.
9. Destroying hopes for personal happiness(inability to understand and forgive a loved one, focus on oneself).
10. Participation in the War of 1812 is a decisive stage in Bolkonsky’s life:
a) return to the army, the desire to be useful to the Fatherland, merging with the fate of the people;
b) the death of his father and the loss of his home do not close Prince Andrei within himself;
c) the moral feat of Prince Andrei on the Borodin field - a feat of endurance and fortitude;
d) a mortal wound reveals to Bolkonsky the eternal truth - the need for love for people;
e) feeling of pity for Kuragin;
f) revival of love for Natasha;
g) death of Prince Andrei.
III. The fate of Andrei Bolkonsky is the path “from Napoleon to Kutuzov”, the path of a man who makes mistakes and is able to atone for his guilt, the path of a man striving for moral perfection.
Option 2 (Plan, quotes)
The path of moral quest of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky
I. Prince Andrei Bolkonsky in the light:
1) Dissatisfaction with life in the world (“... this life that I lead here, this life is not for me!”); book Andrei knows the price of light: lies, hypocrisy are its laws;
2) Bolkonsky is not satisfied with family life (“But if you want to know the truth... (to Prince Marya’s sister) do you want to know if I’m happy? No. Is she happy? No. Why is this? I don’t know...");
3) Friendship with Pierre Bezukhov (“You are dear to me, especially because you are the only living person among our whole world”);
4) Dreams of military glory, of your Toulon.
II. The War of 1805 in the fate of the prince. Andrey:
1) The changed mood and attitude of the book. Andrei (“...changed a lot during this time... he looked like a man... busy with something pleasant and interesting”);
2) Battle of Shengraben. Book Andrei dreams of glory: “... it occurred to him that it was he who was destined to lead the Russian army out of this situation, that here he was, that Toulon, who would lead him out of the ranks of unknown officers and open up the first path to glory for him!” The first doubts are that military glory is exactly what should be served: true heroes remain in the shadows;
3) Battle of Austerlitz:
a) dreams of glory on the eve of battle: “I want fame, I want to be known to people, I want to be loved by them”;
b) the feat of Bolkonsky;
c) the sky of Austerlitz - the collapse of Bolkonsky’s former dreams: the former aspirations for glory, for human Love are vanity and therefore insignificant. A person should look for something else in life. But what?
III. A period of spiritual crisis. Life for yourself.
Life in Bogucharovo (Bolkonsky’s world narrowed after the death of his wife and the birth of his son. Standing by his son’s crib, he thinks: “This is the only thing left for me now”);
2) the arrival of Pierre Bezukhov and the conversation with him on the ferry is a turning point in Prince Andrei’s mood and attitude: “The meeting with Pierre was for Prince Andrei the era... with which his new life began.”
3) “New Life” book. Andrey after meeting with Pierre (successful attempts to alleviate the situation of his peasants).
IV. Meeting with Natasha Rostova and love to her - the final revival of the book. Andrey to life:
1) First meeting with Natasha in Otradnoye (two meetings with an oak tree - a reflection of Prince Andrei’s two moods).
2) Thirst for active work, in the Speransky commission: “No, at 31, life did not end...”.
3) Meeting with Natasha at the big court ball (1810) and the impression Natasha made on the prince. Andrei (he loved to meet everything that did not have a secular imprint).
4) Disappointment in Speransky and the service: under the influence of love for Natasha, Bolkonsky’s worldview changes;
5) The whole meaning, the whole life for the book. Andrey - in love with Natasha (“The whole world is divided for me into two halves: one is she and there is all happiness, hope, light; the other half is everything where she is not there, there is all despondency and emptiness”).
6) Postponement of the wedding (at the request of the old Prince Bolkonsky) and the departure of the prince. Andrey abroad. Book error. Andrey: I thought a lot about my love and little about how Natasha feels.
7) Final break with Natasha. (“I said that a fallen woman must be forgiven, but I didn’t say that I could forgive. I can’t...”).
8) Prince Andrei is looking for a personal meeting with Anatole, because “having not given a new reason for the duel, Prince Andrei considered the challenge on his part to be compromising Countess Rostov.” Even offended, even humiliated, Prince Andrei cannot humiliate a woman.
V. The War of 1812 in the fate of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky.
1) Bolkonsky’s trip in search of Anatoly Kuragin, to St. Petersburg and to the Turkish army. His transfer to the Western Army to Barclay de Tolly.
2) A trip to Bald Mountains to see my father, a quarrel with him and departure to war.
3) Prince Andrei’s decision to serve not under the person of the sovereign, but in the army (“Forever lost himself in the court world, not asking to remain with the person of the sovereign, but asking permission to remain in the army”).
4) Andrei Bolkonsky on the eve of the Battle of Borodino; a meeting with Pierre and a conversation with him about the war, about the appointment of Kutuzov as commander-in-chief. Bolkonsky’s blood connection with the common people, with the soldiers (“He was completely devoted to the affairs of his regiment, he was caring about his people and officers and affectionate with them. In the regiment they called him OUR PRINCE, they were proud of him, they loved him”).
5) At the dressing station. Meeting with Anatoly Kuragin: there is no former hatred, “enthusiastic pity and love for this man filled his happy heart.” What is this? Or, as he himself thinks, that patient love for people was revealed to him. which his sister taught him!
6) Wounded prince. Andrey in the Rostov convoy. The prince's state of mind, his reconciliation with Natasha. The last moral struggle between life and death. (“That enthusiastic love for people, which he understood after being wounded, was replaced by indifference to them: to love everyone... meant not to love anyone, it meant not to live this earthly life”).
Option 3 (Plan, quotes)
The path of moral quest of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky
To live honestly, you have to rush, get confused, fight, make mistakes, start and quit... And calmness is spiritual meanness.
L.N. Tolstoy
Tolstoy's favorite heroes go through the most difficult moral quest, trying to find the truth, the truth of life, to find the real meaning of life and happiness.
We first meet Andrei Bolkonsky in the Scherer salon. Much in his behavior and appearance expresses deep disappointment in secular society, boredom from visiting living rooms, fatigue from empty and deceitful conversations. This is evidenced by his tired, bored look, the grimacing that spoiled his handsome face, the manner of squinting when looking at people. He contemptuously calls those gathered in the salon “stupid society.” Andrei is unhappy to realize that his wife Lisa cannot do without this idle circle of people. “Drawing rooms, gossip, balls, vanity, insignificance - this is a vicious circle from which I cannot escape.”
Only with his friend Pierre is he simple, natural, filled with friendly sympathy and heartfelt affection. Only to Pierre can he admit with all frankness and seriousness: “This life that I lead here, this life is not for me.” He experiences an irresistible thirst for real life. His sharp, analytical mind is attracted to her; broad requests push him to great achievements. Their opportunity, according to Andrei, is opened up for him by the army and participation in military campaigns. Although he could easily stay in St. Petersburg and serve as an aide-de-camp here, he goes to where military operations are taking place. The battles of 1805 were a way out of the deadlock for Bolkonsky.
Army service becomes one of the important stages in the quest of Tolstoy's hero. Here he is sharply separated from the numerous seekers of a quick career and high awards who could be met at headquarters. He does not look for reasons for promotion and awards, unlike many staff officers.
Bolkonsky acutely feels his responsibility for the fate of Russia. The Ulm defeat of the Austrians and the appearance of the defeated General Mack gives rise to disturbing thoughts in his soul about what obstacles stand in the way of the Russian army.
Military service changes the prince. He has lost all pretense and fatigue, the grimace of boredom has disappeared from his face, and energy is felt in his gait and movements. According to Tolstoy, Andrei “had the appearance of a man who does not have time to think about the impression he makes on others and is busy with something pleasant and interesting. His face expressed great satisfaction with himself and those around him.” Prince Andrei insists that he be sent to where it is especially difficult - to Bagration’s detachment, of which only one tenth can return after the battle. Bolkonsky’s actions are highly appreciated by commander Kutuzov, who singled him out as one of his best officers.
Prince Andrei is unusually ambitious. Tolstoy's hero dreams of such a personal feat that would glorify him. He cherishes the thought of glory, similar to that which Napoleon received in the French city of Toulon, which would lead him out of the ranks of unknown officers. During the Battle of Shengraben, Bolkonsky boldly circles positions under enemy bullets. He alone dared to go to Tushin's battery and did not leave until the guns were removed. Here, in the Battle of Shengraben, Bolkonsky was lucky enough to witness the heroism and courage shown by the artillerymen of Captain Tushin. In addition, he himself discovered military endurance and courage here, and then one of all the officers stood up to defend the little captain. Shengraben, however, has not yet become Bolkonsky’s Toulon.
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 at “the fidelity of his considerations, but no one undertakes to carry it out, and so he takes a regiment, a division... and alone wins” . 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...”
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, shallow and insignificant all his previous desires are. Dreams of glory, heroic deeds, the love of others, the genius of Napoleon - everything seems to him vain, 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 banner 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 Andrei goes into private life. 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. The disappointment in his ambitious plans was deep and difficult, because it was aggravated by personal misfortune - the death of his wife, before whom Prince Andrei felt guilty.
He isolates himself from life, takes care of only his household and his son in Bogucharovo, convincing himself that this is all that is left for him. He now intends to live only for himself, “without disturbing anyone, to live until death.”
But despite his attempts to escape from the worries of life, he is disturbed by reports of victories over Bonaparte at Preussisch-Eylau, since they were won precisely when he was not serving in the army; he is worried about Bilibin’s letter describing the campaign.
Tolstoy reveals pessimistic moods through the portrait of the hero. His gaze was “extinguished and dead”, devoid of a “joyful and cheerful shine”, “concentration and murder” were noticeable in it.
The socio-political views of Prince Andrei at this time had a pronounced noble-class character. Talking with Pierre, he expresses views that are sharply opposed to all his subsequent activities. The prince is skeptical about the need for innovation. He says this about 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.” Medical assistance, according to Prince Andrei, also does not need to be provided to the peasants, it only brings them harm. During this period, Andrei Bolkonsky is only concerned about the moral peace of the nobles, and not the well-being of the people, therefore, in his opinion, serfdom must be abolished for the sake of “preserving human dignity, peace of conscience, purity” of the nobles, and not for the sake of the “backs and foreheads” of the peasants, “ who, no matter how much you flog, no matter how much you hit, will all remain the same with their backs and foreheads.”
But Prince Andrei was not long in captivity of such views, which were so contrary to his honest and active nature.
His revival is shown by Tolstoy sequentially in a number of episodes (a meeting with Pierre, a description of Prince Andrei’s activities in the village, his perception of spring nature, a meeting with Natasha).
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.
In the next two years, which the prince lived in the village, he carried out significant anti-serfdom reforms on his estates. On one estate, he transferred three hundred peasants to free cultivators (this was the first experience in Russia), on others, he replaced corvee with quitrent. He organized medical care for the peasants and took care of their education. In Bogucharovo, the sexton taught literacy to peasant and courtyard children.
Prince Andrei's life in the village was filled with hard work. He closely followed all the external events of the world, read a lot, and was knowledgeable in the field of foreign and domestic politics much better than the people who came to the village from St. Petersburg. In addition, he “was at that time engaged in a critical analysis of the last two unfortunate campaigns and drawing up a project to change our military regulations and regulations” (Vol. II, Part III, Chapter I).
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. Natasha, by her very existence, her sincere love for the world, 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.
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 awakens. 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, poses, 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, the isolation from reality, feeling that work cannot make him happier and better, and cannot be useful to society, 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 it. 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 by social rules, moral norms, dogmas perceived by the soul, and his idealistic demands on 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.” “Your road is the road of honor,” Kutuzov will tell him. A 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. A new stage in his life began, which led to a rapprochement with the people.
A leading man of the era, a patriot, he condemns people who, wanting benefits only for themselves, “caught crosses, rubles and ranks.” All this “drone population” was concentrated in the main apartment and least of all thought about saving the Fatherland, so Prince Andrei went to serve in the regiment: “Prince Andrei lost himself forever in the court world, not asking to remain with the sovereign, but asking to serve in the army” ( vol.III, part I, chapter XI).
Together with his regiment, he walked from the western borders to the village of Borodino. At this time, his spiritual quests do not stop, which take on an increasingly pronounced democratic and patriotic character. 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.
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.
The spiritual quest of Prince Andrei was characteristic of the advanced nobility of the era of preparation for the Decembrist uprising. Subsequently, such quests led to the organization of secret societies in Russia, the activities of which ended with the uprising in December 1825.
And although Prince Andrei died before the organization of the first secret societies of the Decembrists, there is reason to assume that he would have been in their ranks.
When in 1820 Pierre became one of the organizers of secret societies and spoke with enthusiasm about their activities, Nikolenka (son of Prince Andrei) asked him:
“Uncle Pierre... you... no... If dad were alive... Would he agree with you?..
“I think so,” Pierre answered him. (Epilogue, part I, chapter XIV).
Option 4
Spiritual quest of Andrei Bolkonsky
The epic “War and Peace” grew out of Tolstoy’s idea to write the novel “Decemberists”. Tolstoy began to write his work, left it, returned to it again, until the Great French Revolution, the theme of which sounds from the first pages of the novel, and the Patriotic War of 1812 became the focus of his attention. The idea of writing a book about the Decembrist was absorbed by a broader idea - Tolstoy began to write about a world shaken by war. This is how the epic novel turned out, where the feat of the Russian people in the War of 1812 is shown on a historical scale. At the same time, “War and Peace” is also a “family chronicle”, showing a noble society represented by several generations. And finally, it describes the life of a young nobleman, his views and spiritual formation. Tolstoy endowed Andrei Bolkonsky with many of the traits that, according to the author, a Decembrist should have.
The novel shows the whole life of Prince Andrei. Probably every person at one time in his life thinks about the questions: “Who am I? Why do I live? What am I living for? Tolstoy's hero tries to answer these and many other questions on the pages of the novel. The author has sympathy for the young Prince Bolkonsky. This is confirmed by the fact that Tolstoy endowed Prince Andrei with many of his views and beliefs. Therefore, Bolkonsky is, as it were, a conductor of the author’s own ideas.
We meet Andrei Bolkonsky in Anna Scherer's salon. Even then we see that this is an extraordinary person. Prince Andrei is handsome, he is impeccably and fashionably dressed. He speaks excellent French, which at that time was considered a sign of education and culture. He even pronounces the last name Kutuzov with emphasis on the last syllable, like a Frenchman. Prince Andrei is a secular man. In this sense, he is subject to all the influences of fashion, not only in clothing, but also in behavior and lifestyle. Tolstoy draws our attention to his slow, quiet, senile step and boredom in his gaze. On his face we read superiority and self-confidence. He considers those around him to be inferior to himself, and therefore inferior, hence the boredom. We soon realize that all this is superficial. Seeing Pierre in the salon, Prince Andrei is transformed. He is glad to see his old friend and does not hide it. The prince's smile becomes "unexpectedly kind and pleasant." Despite the fact that Pierre is younger than Andrei, they talk as equals, and the conversation brings pleasure to both. By the time we meet him, Andrei is already a fully formed personality, but he will still face many challenges in life. Prince Andrei will have to go through war, injury, love, slow dying, and all this time the prince will get to know himself, look for that “moment of truth” through which the truth of life will be revealed to him.
In the meantime, Andrei Bolkonsky is looking for fame. It is in pursuit of glory that he goes to the War of 1805. Andrey longs to become a hero. In his dreams, he sees how the army finds itself in a dangerous situation and he single-handedly saves it. The prince’s idol and the object of his worship is Napoleon. It must be said that many young people of that time were captivated by the personality of Napoleon. Andrey wants to be like him and tries to imitate him in everything. In such high spirits, young Bolkonsky goes to war. We see Prince Andrei at the Battle of Austerlitz. He runs ahead of the attacking soldiers with a banner in his hands, then falls, wounded. The first thing Andrei sees after the fall is the sky. A high, endless sky with clouds running across it. It calls, beckons, and fascinates with its grandeur so much that Prince Andrey is even surprised when he discovers it for the first time. “How come I haven’t seen this high sky before? And how happy I am that I finally recognized him,” thinks Andrey. But at this moment another truth is revealed to the prince. Everything that he strived for, for which he lived, now seems like a trifle, not worthy of attention. He is no longer interested in the political life to which he aspired, nor does he need a military career, to which he recently wanted to devote himself entirely. His recent idol Napoleon seems small and insignificant. Prince Andrei begins to rethink life. His thoughts return to his home in Bald Mountains, where his father, wife, sisters and unborn child remained. The war turned out to be completely different from what Andrei imagined it to be. Intoxicated with a thirst for glory, he idealized military life. In fact, he had to face death and blood. The fierce battles and the embittered faces of the people showed him the real face of the war. All his dreams of military exploits now seem like child's play to him. Prince Andrei returns home. But another blow awaits him at home - the death of his wife. At one time, Prince Andrey lost some interest in her, and now he reads pain and reproach in her eyes. After the death of his wife, the prince withdraws into himself, even his little son does not bring him joy. In order to somehow occupy himself, he introduces innovations in his village. Pierre sees the spiritual state of Prince Bolkonsky, his depression and disappointment. “He was struck by the change that had occurred in Prince Andrei. The words were kind, there was a smile on his lips and face... but his gaze was dull, dead..." Pierre tries to bring Andrei back to life. True, a lot of time has passed since their last meeting and the friends have become somewhat distant from each other. Nevertheless, the conversation in Bogucharovo made Bolkonsky think about Pierre’s words “... if there is a God and there is a future life, then there is truth, there is virtue; and the highest happiness of a person lies in striving to achieve them,” “one must live, one must love, one must believe.” Despite the fact that these statements seemed controversial to Prince Andrei at the time, he realizes that Pierre was right. From this moment Andrei's revival to life begins.
On the way to Otradnoye, Prince Bolkonsky sees a huge oak tree “with broken... branches and broken bark overgrown with old sores,” which “stood like an old, angry and contemptuous monster between the smiling birch trees.” The oak is a symbol of Andrei's state of mind. This tree seems to say that there is neither spring nor happiness on earth, only deception remains. And Prince Andrei agrees with the oak tree: “... yes, he is right, this oak tree is right a thousand times... let others, young people, succumb to this deception again, but we know life - our life is over!”
In Otradnoye the prince saw Natasha. This little girl was full of happiness, energy, and cheerfulness. “And she doesn’t care about my existence!” - thought Prince Andrei. But he is already challenging fate. He understands that you can’t bury yourself alive in the village, you just need to be able to live, enjoy life the way Natasha does. And the symbolic oak tree, “all transformed, spreading out like a tent of lush, dark greenery, was thrilled, slightly swaying in the rays of the evening sun.” Natasha changed Andrei’s life in an instant, made him wake up from hibernation and believe in love again. Andrey says: “Not only... what is in me, it is necessary for everyone to know it... so that my life does not go on for me alone... so that it is reflected on everyone and so that they all live with me.”
But for now Bolkonsky leaves Natasha and leaves for St. Petersburg. There he met the leading people of his time, participated in drawing up transformative projects, in a word, plunged into the political life of the country. He spends more time in St. Petersburg than he initially expected, and upon returning, Andrei finds out that Natasha cheated on him, having become carried away by Anatoly Kuragin. Bolkonsky loves Natasha, but he is too proud and arrogant to forgive her for betraying her. Therefore, they are forced to part, each having an unhealed wound in their souls.
Prince Andrei meets Pierre again. Now just before the Battle of Borodino. Pierre feels that Andrei is not destined to live, and Andrei seems to understand this too. In the Battle of Borodino, Bolkonsky is again wounded. Now he is reaching for the ground. He envies grass and flowers, and not proud, domineering clouds. He himself now has nothing left of the pride that forced him to part with Natasha. For the first time, Prince Andrei thinks not about himself, but about others. It is now that the truth that Pierre told him about is revealed to him. He forgives Natasha. Moreover, he forgives Anatole too. Already on the verge of death, Andrei realizes that “a new happiness has been revealed to him, inalienable from a person... happiness that is outside of material forces, outside of material influences on a person, the happiness of one soul, the happiness of love! Every person can understand it, but only God could recognize and prescribe it.” Andrey meets Na-Tasha again. The minutes spent with her turn out to be the happiest for Andrei. Natasha brings him back to life once again. But, alas, he had very little time to live. “Prince Andrei died. But at the same moment as he died, Prince Andrei remembered that he was sleeping, and at the same moment as he died, he, making an effort on himself, woke up. From that moment “began for Prince Andrei, along with awakening from sleep, awakening from life.”
Thus, the novel shows two concepts about the happiness of Prince Andrei. At first, Andrei believes that one must live for oneself, that each person should live in his own way. There are two misfortunes in life: remorse and illness. And a person is happy only when these misfortunes are absent. And only at the end of his life Andrey realized true happiness - to live for others.
The spiritual quest of Andrei Bolkonsky in the novel by L. I. Tolstoy. In 1856, L. N. Tolstoy begins work on the novel “War and Peace” about a former Decembrist who returns with his family to Russia from abroad. But as the work progressed, the author pushed the action further into history, until he finally came to the conclusion that the origins of the Decembrist movement should be sought in the events of the War of 1812,
When all layers of Russian society united in the fight against the conquerors, the nobility and peasantry fought shoulder to shoulder for the liberation of their homeland. This is how the idea for the novel “War and Peace” arose. Initially, Tolstoy intended to write a classic family and love novel. But the work that came out of his pen after six years of painstaking work turned out to be much wider than these conventional frameworks. It became a detailed panorama of the entire Russian life, over the course of fifteen to twenty years. The author skillfully weaves the fates of individual characters into the overall picture of the historical process. But it is not external events that constitute the main content of this work. The main goal of the author is to show the spiritual evolution and spiritual quest of his characters, the formation of their personality. One of the main characters is Andrei Bolkonsky. At the beginning of the novel we observe his fascination with Napoleon. He is disappointed by the emptiness of secular life, its monotony and meaninglessness and is languishing with a thirst for activity. He has only been married for half a year, but is already deeply disappointed in family life and in his pretty doll - his wife, whom he treats politely but coldly, like a stranger. Looking for opportunities to apply his strength, the prince sends his pregnant wife to his father in order to go to the army, which causes her sincere resentment. Spoiled, accustomed to adoration and worship, the little princess is offended that her husband leaves her in this position, although she has the opportunity to brilliantly build a career through her uncle, becoming an aide-de-camp. But Prince Andrei dreams of a real military career, of glory. At that moment, he is seriously interested in Napoleon, whom he considers a great commander. He dreams of his Toulon, which will bring him glory and help him rise. He believes that he was born for heroism. In his dreams, he sees the army getting into a difficult situation, and he saves it and wins the war. But it should be noted that for Prince Andrei the desire for fame is not a selfish impulse, but, on the contrary, a noble need to serve society. It is she who forces Bolkonsky to pick up the falling banner and rush forward to meet the enemy. Here it is - his Toulon, the long-awaited moment of feat that he dreamed of. But, oddly enough, at this moment the hero does not feel any special elation; on the contrary, something small and secondary catches his eye. Then he falls wounded along with the banner and stops noticing anything around him. He will not even notice the praise of his yesterday's idol - Napoleon. He will only see the high sky above his head and will be amazed that he has not seen it before. And all his dreams and ambitious plans will seem empty and petty to Andrei Bolkonsky. Here, under the high sky of Austerlitz, the meaning of true values and true happiness will be revealed to him. The key to this happiness for him is his family - his wife, whose love will be reborn in his soul, and his future son. Now he considers his contempt and coldness towards his wife to be cruel and unfair. He returns with the firm intention of fixing everything. But he finds his wife near death and suffers heavily from the guilt before her, from the fact that “he offended a close and dear being, and you know that nothing can make up for it...”. After the death of his wife, Bolkonsky becomes convinced that his hopes for happiness are unrealistic and lives a quiet home life, filled with care for his son.
But gradually Andrei awakens to a new life. And he understands that “life is not over at thirty-one.” A new truth was revealed to him. He wants “that my life should not go on for me alone.” He again strives to live for others. And his meeting with Natasha Rostova played a role in his awakening. He first saw her in Otradnoye. And for some reason it hurt him that he was a complete stranger to this thin, black-eyed girl, and she didn’t care about his existence. And here he is again in St. Petersburg, in the center of preparation of civil reforms. Here his new meeting with Natasha takes place. And after it, he suddenly realizes that he is absolutely not interested in legislative activity, and things that seemed important just yesterday are empty and uninteresting. The revival of his hopes for happiness is associated with Natasha. But, despite all attempts at rapprochement, some kind of alienation will remain between him and Natasha. It is no coincidence that Princess Marya will not believe the news of her brother’s engagement, and the old prince will openly oppose this marriage and demand a postponement. And for the old Countess Rostova, Bolkonsky will be “a stranger and a terrible person for her”, despite the sincere desire to “love him like a son.” The groom will remain closed and mysterious to Natasha herself. And although this will give their relationship a special romance, the distance separating them will ultimately drive them in different directions. Natasha, in her quest for freedom, will cheat on her fiance, agreeing to run away with Anatoly, an empty and selfish man. Prince Andrei, who not so long ago instructed Pierre on the need to forgive a depraved woman incapable of sincere feelings, himself cannot forgive the hobbies of an inexperienced girl. The fact that Natasha easily exchanged him for an empty ass was the collapse of all illusions for him. This collapse is intensified by the outbreak of war, the French invasion of Russia and the destruction of his native nest. And now he is again in the ranks of the army, but he is still, as it were, outside the general mass.
At the moment of a mortal wound, when a grenade is hovering next to him, ready to explode, Prince Andrei feels a sharp surge of love for life. He looks at the grass and wormwood with envy. And then, recognizing his enemy Anatole in the bloody and sobbing wounded man, he will experience a feeling of compassion and even love for him. But this abstract Christian love for the enemy, in essence, means his farewell to life. Only another love can hold him back - earthly, worldly - love for a woman who is reborn in him after a new meeting with Natasha Rostova. But in this duel of feelings, ideally abstract Christian love wins, that is, it actually defeats death.
Despite all the attempts made, Andrei Bolkonsky was never able to overcome his alienation from life, could not merge with it, just as he could not flounder with the soldiers in a dirty pond. I didn’t want to become the same “human meat”. Prince Andrei does not die from a wound. According to all medical indicators, he should have lived. But, as Natasha sensitively notes with her heart: “...he is too good, he cannot, cannot live...”. The hero really cannot live because all his spiritual searches and tossing ultimately lead to nothing. Throughout his life, he consistently loses faith in what at that moment seems significant to him. In the end, the only truth of Christian love and forgiveness is revealed to him, which Princess Marya tried to teach him, and which now leads him further and further along the path to death.