The image of Pierre Bezukhov in the novel “War and Peace”. Essay based on Tolstoy's novel - War and Peace. Pierre Bezukhov, by his character and by his make-up, is predominantly an emotional person. Character traits his is a mind prone to “dreamy philosophizing”, free-thinking, absent-mindedness, weakness of will, lack of initiative. This does not mean that Prince Andrei is not capable of experiencing deep feelings, and Pierre is a weak thinker; both are complex natures. The terms “intellectual” and “emotional” mean in this case the predominant features of the spiritual forces of these extraordinary individuals. Pierre stands out sharply from the crowd of people in the Scherer salon, where we first meet him. This is “a massive, fat young man with a cropped head, glasses, light trousers in the fashion of that time, a high frill and a brown tailcoat.” His look is “intelligent and at the same time timid, observant and natural.” His main feature is the search for “calmness, agreement with oneself.” Pierre's entire life path is a constant search for the meaning of life, a search for a life that would be in harmony with the needs of his heart and would bring him moral satisfaction. In this he is similar to Andrei Bolkonsky.
Pierre's path, like the path of Prince Andrei, this is the way to the people. Even during the period of his passion for Freemasonry, he decides to devote his energies to the improvement of the peasants. He considers it necessary to set his serfs free; he is thinking about establishing hospitals, orphanages and schools in his villages. True, the cunning manager deceives Pierre and only creates the appearance of reforms. But Pierre is sincerely confident that his peasants are now living well. His real rapprochement with the common people begins in captivity, when he meets the soldiers and Karataev. Pierre begins to feel the desire to become simpler, to completely merge with the people. The lordly life, the social salons, the luxury of the tomyaga do not satisfy Pierre. He painfully feels his isolation from
Images of Natasha and Princess Marie in the novel "War and Peace". But Natasha and Princess Marya also have common features.. Both of them are patriots. Natasha did not hesitate to sacrifice the wealth of the Moscow Rostov house to save the wounded. And Princess Marya abandons the estate to the mercy of fate as the French approach. When the homeland is in danger, family traits awaken in it - pride, courage, firmness. This is what happened in Bogucharovo, when her French companion invited her to stay on the estate and trust the mercy of the French general, the mercy of the enemies of Russia, her homeland. And “although it didn’t matter to Princess Marya no matter where she stayed and no matter what happened to her, at the same time she felt like a representative of her late father and Prince Andrei. She involuntarily thought with their thoughts and felt them with their feelings.” And there is one more feature that makes Natasha and Princess Marya similar. Princess Marya marries Nikolai Rostov, and Tolstoy, drawing them family life, speaks of the happiness that she, like Natasha, found in the family. This is how Tolstoy solves the question of the purpose of a woman, limiting her interests to the framework of family life.
Let us recall another episode of Nikolai Rostov’s meeting with Sonya, when he, having arrived on vacation, does not know how to behave with his beloved girl. “He kissed her hand and called her you - Sonya, but their eyes, having met, said “you” to each other and kissed tenderly.”
Tolstoy's favorite heroes are people with a complex spiritual world. In revealing such characters, Tolstoy resorts to various techniques: direct characterization from the author, self-characterization of the hero, internal dialogues and reflections, etc. Internal monologues and internal dialogues allow the author to discover the innermost thoughts and moods of the characters, which can be conveyed in another way ( for example, using direct author's characteristics) would be difficult without violating the laws of artistic realism. Tolstoy resorts to such monologues and dialogues very often. An example of an “internal monologue” with elements of dialogue can be the reflections of the wounded Prince Andrei in Chapter XXXII of the third volume of the novel. Here is another example of an “inner monologue” - the reflections of Natasha, childishly and spontaneously reasoning about herself: “What a charm this Natasha is!” - she said again to herself in the words of some third collective male person. “She is good, has a voice, is young, and she doesn’t bother anyone, just leave her alone” (Chapter XXIII of the second volume).
The image of Andrei Bolkonsky. External world with his things and phenomena is also skillfully used by Tolstoy to characterize the heroes. Thus, describing Natasha’s mood after the unexpected departure of Andrei Bolkonsky (before the matchmaking), Tolstoy reports that Natasha completely calmed down and “put on that old dress that she was especially known for the gaiety it brought in the morning.” Tolstoy is a brilliant landscape painter. He will note the young “green sticky leaves” of the birch, and the bush turning green somewhere, and the “juicy, dark green of the oak,” and the moonlight bursting into the room, and the freshness of the spring night. Let us remember the wonderfully described hunt in Otradnoye. Both people, animals, and nature appear here as indicators of the powerful force of life, its plethora. The landscape performs in the novel various functions. The most common feature of Tolstoy's landscape is the correspondence of this landscape to the mood of the hero. The disappointment and gloomy mood of Prince Andrei after the break with Natasha paints the surrounding landscape in gloomy tones. “He looked at the strip of birch trees, with their motionless yellow, green and white bark, glistening in the sun. “To die... so that they would kill me, tomorrow, so that I wouldn’t exist... so that all this would happen, but I wouldn’t exist...” He is tormented by terrible premonitions and painful thoughts about death. And these birches with their light and shadow, and these curly clouds, and this smoke from the fires - all this around was transformed for him and seemed something terrible and threatening. And the poetry of Natasha’s nature, on the contrary, is revealed against the backdrop of a spring moonlit night in Otradnoye. In other cases, the landscape directly affects a person, enlightening and making him wise. Prince Andrei, wounded at Austerlitz, looks at the sky and thinks: “Yes! Everything is empty, everything is deception, except this endless sky.” The oak tree, which Prince Andrei meets twice on his way, reveals to him the “meaning of life” in completely different ways: in one case it seems to Prince Andrei the personification of hopelessness, in the other - a symbol of joyful faith in happiness.
Finally, Tolstoy uses landscape as a means of characterizing the real situation. Let us just remember the heavy fog that spread like a continuous milky-white sea over the outskirts of Austerlitz. Thanks to this fog, which covered the French positions, the Russian and Austrian troops were put in a worse position, since they did not see the enemy and unexpectedly came face to face with him. Napoleon, standing at a height where it was completely light, could accurately lead his troops.
The image of Napoleon in the novel "War and Peace". Napoleon confronts in the novel Napoleon. Tolstoy debunks this commander and outstanding historical figure. Drawing the appearance of Napoleon, the author of the novel says that it was “ small man” with an “unpleasantly feigned smile” on his face, with “fat breasts,” a “round belly,” and “fat spoons of short legs.” Tolstoy shows Napoleon as a narcissistic and arrogant ruler of France, intoxicated with success, blinded by glory, attributing to his personality a driving role in the course of historical events. Even in small scenes, in the slightest gestures, one can feel, according to Tolstoy, the insane pride of Napoleon, his acting, the conceit of a man accustomed to believing that every movement of his hand scatters happiness or sows grief among thousands of people. The servility of those around him raised him to such a height that he truly believed in his ability to change the course of history and influence the destinies of nations.
In contrast to Kutuzov, who does not attach decisive importance to his personal will, Napoleon puts himself, his personality above all else, and considers himself a superman. “Only what happened in his soul was of interest to him. Everything that was outside of him did not matter to him, because everything in the world, as it seemed to him, depended only on his will.” The word "I" - favorite word Napoleon. Napoleon emphasizes selfishness, individualism and rationality - traits that are absent in Kutuzov, the people's commander, who thinks not about his own glory, but about the glory and freedom of the fatherland. Revealing ideological content novel, we have already noted the originality of Tolstoy's interpretation of individual themes of the novel. Thus, we have already said that Tolstoy, going against the revolutionary peasant democracy, obscures in the novel the severity of class contradictions between the peasantry and the landowners; revealing, for example, the restless thoughts of Pierre Bezukhov about the plight of the serf slaves, he at the same time paints pictures of the idyllic relationships between landowners and peasants on the Rostov estate and house. We also noted the features of idealization in the image of Karataev, the originality of the interpretation of the role of the individual in history, etc.
How can these features of the novel be explained? Their source must be sought in Tolstoy’s worldview, which reflected the contradictions of his time. Tolstoy was great artist. His novel “War and Peace” is one of greatest masterpieces world art, a brilliant work in which the breadth of epic scope was combined with an amazing depth of penetration into the spiritual life of people. But Tolstoy lived in Russia in a transitional era, in an era of disruption of the social and economic foundations of life, when the country was moving from a feudal-serf system to capitalist forms of life, violently protesting, in the words of Lenin, “against all class domination.” Tolstoy, landowner and aristocrat , found a way out for himself in the transition to the position of the patriarchal peasantry. Belinsky, in his articles about Tolstoy, revealed with remarkable depth all the contradictions that affected Tolstoy’s worldview and work in connection with his transition to the position of the patriarchal peasantry. These contradictions could not help but be reflected in the artistic structure of the novel War and Peace. Tolstoy, the great realist and Protestant, ultimately defeated Tolstoy, the religious philosopher, and created a work that has no equal in world literature. But reading the novel, we still cannot help but feel the contradictions in the worldview of its author.
The image of Kutuzov in the novel "War and Peace". In the novel, Tolstoy ridicules the cult of “great personalities” created by bourgeois historians. He correctly believes that the course of history is decided by the masses. But his assessment of the role of the masses takes on a religious overtones. He comes to the recognition of fatalism, arguing that all historical events are predetermined from above. Tolstoy makes the commander Kutuzov the exponent of his views in the novel. The basis of his view is the consciousness that the creator of history and historical events is the people, and not individuals (heroes), and that all sorts of rationalistically constructed theories, no matter how good they may seem, are nothing compared to the force that is the mood, the spirit of the masses.
"Long years of military experience“, Tolstoy writes about Kutuzov, “he knew and with his senile mind understood that it was impossible for one person to lead hundreds of thousands of people fighting death, and he knew that the fate of the battle is not decided by the orders of the commander-in-chief, not by the place where the troops stand, not by the number guns and killed people, and that elusive force called the spirit of the army, and he watched over this force and led it, as far as it was in his power.” Tolstoy also attributed to Kutuzov his erroneous fatalistic view of history, according to which the outcome of historical events was predetermined. Andrei Bolkonsky says about Kutuzov: “He won’t come up with anything, won’t do anything, but he will listen to everything, remember everything, put everything in its place, won’t interfere with anything useful and won’t allow anything harmful. He understands that there is something stronger and more significant than his will - this is the inevitable course of events - and he knows how to see them, knows how to understand their meaning and, in view of this meaning, knows how to renounce participation in these events, from his personal will aimed at other..."
Denying the role of personality in history, Tolstoy sought to make Kutuzov only a wise observer of historical events, only a passive contemplator of them. This, of course, was Tolstoy's mistake. It inevitably had to lead to a contradictory assessment of Kutuzov. And so it happened. The novel features a commander who extremely accurately assesses the course of military events and unerringly directs them. With the help of a well-thought-out plan of counter-offensives, Kutuzov destroys Napoleon and his army. Consequently, in a number of essential features, Kutuzov is shown historically correctly in the novel: he has great strategic skill, spends long nights thinking through the campaign plan, acts as an active figure, hiding enormous volitional tension behind external calm. This is how the realist artist overcame the philosophy of fatalism. Carrier folk spirit and the people's will, Kutuzov deeply and correctly understood the course of things, in the midst of events he gave them the correct assessment, which was confirmed later. Thus, he correctly assessed the significance of the Battle of Borodino, saying that it was a victory. As a commander, Kutuzov stands above Napoleon. To wage a people's war, such as the war of 1812, such a commander was needed, says Tolstoy. With the expulsion of the French, Kutuzov's mission was completed. Transferring the war to Europe required a different commander in chief. “The representative of the Russian people, after the enemy was destroyed, Russia was liberated and placed on the highest level of its glory, the Russian person, as a Russian, had nothing more to do. The representative of the people's war had no choice but death. And he died."
Portraying Kutuzov as people's commander, as the embodiment of people's thoughts, will and feelings. Tolstoy never falls into schematism. Kutuzov - living face. We get this impression primarily because Tolstoy clearly, vividly paints us a portrait of Kutuzov - his figure, gait and gestures, facial expressions, his eyes, now glowing with a pleasant, affectionate smile, now taking on a mocking expression. Tolstoy gives it to us either in the perception of persons of different character and social status, or draws it from himself, delving into the psychological analysis of his hero. What makes Kutuzov deeply human and alive are scenes and episodes depicting the commander in conversations with people close and pleasant to him, such as Bolkonsky, Denisov, Bagration, his behavior at military councils, in the battles of Austerlitz and Borodino. Kutuzov's speech is diverse in its lexical composition and syntactic structure. He is fluent in high society speech when speaking or writing to the tsar, generals and other representatives of aristocratic society. “I say only one thing, General,” says Kutuzov with a pleasant elegance of expressions and intonations, forcing you to listen carefully to every leisurely spoken word. “I only say one thing, General, that if the matter depended on my personal desire, then the will of His Majesty Emperor Franz would have been completed long ago." But he also has an excellent command of simple folk language. “Here’s what, brothers. I know it’s difficult for us, but what can we do! Be patient: there’s not long left... We’ll see the guests out, then we’ll rest,” he told the soldiers, meeting them on the road from Krasny to Dobroye. And in a letter to the old man Bolkonsky, he reveals archaic features of the clerical style of this era: “I flatter myself and you with hope that your son is alive, for otherwise, among the officers found on the battlefield, about whom the list was submitted to me through parliamentarians, he would was named."
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy in his epic novel “War and Peace” provided a wide system of images. His world is not limited to a few noble families: real historical characters mixed with fictional ones, major and minor. This symbiosis is sometimes so confusing and unusual that it is extremely difficult to determine which heroes perform a more or less important function.
The novel features representatives of eight noble families, almost all of them are central to the narrative.
Rostov family
This family is represented by Count Ilya Andreevich, his wife Natalya, their four children together and their pupil Sonya.
The head of the family, Ilya Andreevich, is a sweet and good-natured person. He has always been wealthy, so he does not know how to save; he is often deceived by friends and relatives for selfish purposes. The Count is not a selfish person, he is ready to help everyone. Over time, his attitude, reinforced by his addiction to card game, became disastrous for his entire family. Due to the father's squandering, the family has been on the brink of poverty for a long time. The Count dies at the end of the novel, after the wedding of Natalia and Pierre, a natural death.
Countess Natalya is very similar to her husband. She, like him, is alien to the concept of self-interest and the race for money. She is ready to help people who find themselves in difficult situation, she is overwhelmed with feelings of patriotism. The Countess had to endure many sorrows and troubles. This state of affairs is associated not only with unexpected poverty, but also with the death of their children. Of the thirteen born, only four survived, and later the war took another one - the youngest.
Count and Countess Rostov, like most of the characters in the novel, have their own prototypes. They were the writer’s grandfather and grandmother – Ilya Andreevich and Pelageya Nikolaevna.
The Rostovs' eldest child's name is Vera. This is an unusual girl, unlike all the other family members. She is rude and callous at heart. This attitude applies not only to strangers, but also to close relatives. The rest of the Rostov children subsequently make fun of her and even come up with a nickname for her. The prototype of Vera was Elizaveta Bers, daughter-in-law of L. Tolstoy.
The next oldest child is Nikolai. His image is depicted in the novel with love. Nikolai is a noble man. He approaches any activity responsibly. Tries to be guided by the principles of morality and honor. Nikolai is very similar to his parents - kind, sweet, purposeful. After the disaster he experienced, he was constantly concerned about not being in a similar situation again. Nikolai takes part in military events, he is repeatedly awarded, but still he leaves military service after the war with Napoleon - his family needs him.
Nikolai marries Maria Bolkonskaya, they have three children - Andrei, Natasha, Mitya - and a fourth is expected.
The younger sister of Nikolai and Vera, Natalya, is the same in character and temperament as her parents. She is sincere and trusting, and this almost destroys her - Fyodor Dolokhov fools the girl and persuades her to escape. These plans were not destined to come true, but Natalya's engagement to Andrei Bolkonsky was terminated, and Natalya fell into deep depression. Subsequently, she became the wife of Pierre Bezukhov. The woman stopped watching her figure; those around her began to speak of her as an unpleasant woman. The prototypes of Natalya were Tolstoy’s wife, Sofya Andreevna, and her sister, Tatyana Andreevna.
The Rostovs' youngest child was Petya. He was the same as all the Rostovs: noble, honest and kind. All these qualities were enhanced by youthful maximalism. Petya was a sweet eccentric to whom all pranks were forgiven. Fate was extremely unfavorable for Petya - he, like his brother, went to the front and died there very young and young.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with the summary of the second part of the first volume of the novel by L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace”.
Another child was raised in the Rostov family - Sonya. The girl was related to the Rostovs; after the death of her parents, they took her in and treated her like their own child. Sonya was in love with Nikolai Rostov for a long time; this fact did not allow her to get married on time.
Presumably she remained alone until the end of her days. Its prototype was L. Tolstoy’s aunt, Tatyana Alexandrovna, in whose house the writer was brought up after the death of his parents.
We meet all the Rostovs at the very beginning of the novel - they all actively act throughout the entire narrative. In the “Epilogue” we learn about the further continuation of their family.
Bezukhov family
The Bezukhov family is not represented in such a large number as the Rostov family. The head of the family is Kirill Vladimirovich. The name of his wife is not known. We know that she belonged to the Kuragin family, but it is unclear who exactly she was to them. Count Bezukhov has no children born in marriage - all his children are illegitimate. The eldest of them, Pierre, was officially named by his father as heir to the estate.
After such a statement by the count, the image of Pierre Bezukhov begins to actively appear in the public sphere. Pierre himself does not impose his company on others, but he is a prominent groom - the heir to unimaginable wealth, so they want to see him always and everywhere. Nothing is known about Pierre's mother, but this does not become a reason for indignation and ridicule. Pierre received a decent education abroad and returned home full of utopian ideas, his vision of the world is too idealistic and divorced from reality, so all the time he faces unimaginable disappointments - in social activities, personal life, family harmony. His first wife was Elena Kuragina, a minx and a fidgety woman. This marriage brought a lot of suffering to Pierre. The death of his wife saved him from the unbearable - he did not have the power to leave Elena or change her, but he also could not come to terms with such an attitude towards his person. The second marriage - with Natasha Rostova - became more successful. They had four children - three girls and a boy.
Princes Kuragin
The Kuragin family is persistently associated with greed, debauchery and deceit. The reason for this was the children of Vasily Sergeevich and Alina - Anatol and Elena.
Prince Vasily was not a bad person, he had a number of positive qualities, but his desire for enrichment and gentleness of character towards his son brought all the positive aspects to naught.
Like any father, Prince Vasily wanted to provide a comfortable future for his children; one of the options was an advantageous marriage. This position is not only in the best possible way affected the reputation of the entire family, but also later played a tragic role in the lives of Elena and Anatole.
Little is known about Princess Alina. At the time of the story, she was a rather ugly woman. Her distinguishing feature was her hostility towards her daughter Elena out of envy.
Vasily Sergeevich and Princess Alina had two sons and a daughter.
Anatole became the cause of all the family’s troubles. He led the life of a spendthrift and a rake - debts and rowdy behavior were a natural pastime for him. This behavior left an extremely negative imprint on the family’s reputation and financial situation.
Anatole was noticed to be amorously attracted to his sister Elena. Possibility of occurrence Serious relationships between brother and sister were suppressed by Prince Vasily, but, apparently, they still took place after Elena’s marriage.
The Kuragins' daughter Elena had incredible beauty, like her brother Anatoly. She skillfully flirted and after marriage had affairs with many men, ignoring her husband Pierre Bezukhov.
Their brother Hippolytus was completely different from them in appearance - he was extremely unpleasant in appearance. In terms of the composition of his mind, he was not much different from his brother and sister. He was too stupid - this was noted not only by those around him, but also by his father. Still, Ippolit was not hopeless - he knew foreign languages well and worked at the embassy.
Princes Bolkonsky
The Bolkonsky family occupies far last place in society - they are rich and influential.
The family includes Prince Nikolai Andreevich, a man of the old school and unique morals. He is quite rude in his interactions with his family, but still not devoid of sensuality and tenderness - he is kind to his grandson and daughter, in a peculiar way, but still, he loves his son, but he is not very good at showing the sincerity of his feelings.
Nothing is known about the prince's wife; even her name is not mentioned in the text. The Bolkonskys’ marriage produced two children – son Andrei and daughter Marya.
Andrei Bolkonsky is somewhat similar in character to his father - he is hot-tempered, proud and a little rude. He is distinguished by his attractive appearance and natural charm. At the beginning of the novel, Andrei is successfully married to Lisa Meinen - the couple gives birth to a son, Nikolenka, but his mother dies the night after giving birth.
After some time, Andrei becomes Natalya Rostova’s fiancé, but there was no need to have a wedding - Anatol Kuragin translated all the plans, which earned him personal hostility and exceptional hatred from Andrei.
Prince Andrei takes part in the military events of 1812, is seriously wounded on the battlefield and dies in the hospital.
Maria Bolkonskaya - Andrei's sister - is deprived of such pride and stubbornness as her brother, which allows her, not without difficulty, but still to get along with her father, who is not distinguished by an easy-going character. Kind and meek, she understands that she is not indifferent to her father, so she does not hold a grudge against him for his nagging and rudeness. The girl is raising her nephew. Outwardly, Marya does not look like her brother - she is very ugly, but this does not prevent her from marrying Nikolai Rostov and living happy life.
Lisa Bolkonskaya (Meinen) was the wife of Prince Andrei. She was an attractive woman. Her inner world was not inferior to her appearance - she was sweet and pleasant, loved to do needlework. Unfortunately, her fate did not work out in the best way - childbirth turned out to be too difficult for her - she dies, giving life to her son Nikolenka.
Nikolenka lost his mother early, but the boy’s troubles did not stop there - at the age of 7 he lost his father. Despite everything, he is characterized by the cheerfulness inherent in all children - he grows up as an intelligent and inquisitive boy. The image of his father becomes key for him - Nikolenka wants to live in such a way that his father can be proud of him.
Mademoiselle Burien also belongs to the Bolkonsky family. Despite the fact that she is just a hangout companion, her importance in the context of the family is quite significant. First of all, it consists of pseudo friendship with Princess Maria. Mademoiselle often acts meanly towards Maria and takes advantage of the girl’s favor towards her person.
Karagin family
Tolstoy does not talk much about the Karagin family - the reader gets acquainted with only two representatives of this family - Marya Lvovna and her daughter Julie.
Marya Lvovna first appears before readers in the first volume of the novel, and her daughter also begins to act in the first volume of the first part of War and Peace. Julie has an extremely unpleasant appearance, she is in love with Nikolai Rostov, but the young man does not pay any attention to her. Her enormous wealth does not help the situation either. Boris Drubetskoy actively draws attention to her material component; the girl understands that the young man is being nice to her only because of money, but does not show it - for her, this is actually the only way not to remain an old maid.
Princes Drubetsky
The Drubetsky family is not particularly active in the social sphere, therefore Tolstoy avoids a detailed description of the family members and focuses readers’ attention only on actively current characters– Anna Mikhailovna and her son Boris.
Princess Drubetskaya belongs to an old family, but now her family is going through difficult times. better times– Poverty became the Drubetskys’ constant companion. This state of affairs gave rise to a sense of prudence and self-interest in the representatives of this family. Anna Mikhailovna tries to benefit as much as possible from her friendship with the Rostovs - she lives with them for a long time.
Her son, Boris, was Nikolai Rostov's friend for some time. As they grew older, their views on life values and principles began to differ greatly, which led to distance in communication.
Boris begins to show more and more selfishness and the desire to get rich at any cost. He is ready to marry for money and successfully does so, taking advantage of the unenviable position of Julie Karagina
Dolokhov family
Representatives of the Dolokhov family are also not all active in society. Fedor stands out brightly among everyone. He is the son of Marya Ivanovna and best friend Anatoly Kuragin. In his behavior, he also did not go far from his friend: carousing and an idle way of life are a common occurrence for him. In addition, he is famous for his love affair with Pierre Bezukhov’s wife, Elena. Distinctive feature What separates Dolokhov from Kuragin is his affection for his mother and sister.
Historical figures in the novel "War and Peace"
Since Tolstoy’s novel takes place against the backdrop of historical events associated with the war against Napoleon in 1812, it is impossible to do without at least partial mention of real-life characters.
Alexander I
The activities of Emperor Alexander I are most actively described in the novel. This is not surprising, because the main events take place on the territory of the Russian Empire. First we learn about the positive and liberal aspirations of the emperor, he is an “angel in the flesh.” The peak of its popularity falls during the period of Napoleon's defeat in the war. It was at this time that Alexander’s authority reached incredible heights. The Emperor could easily make changes and improve the lives of his subjects, but he doesn't. As a result, such an attitude and inactivity become the reason for the emergence of the Decembrist movement.
Napoleon I Bonaparte
On the other side of the barricade in the events of 1812 is Napoleon. Since many Russian aristocrats received their education abroad, and French was everyday life for them, the attitude of the nobles towards this character at the beginning of the novel was positive and bordered on admiration. Then disappointment occurs - their idol from the category of ideals becomes the main villain. Connotations such as egocentrism, lies, and pretense are actively used with the image of Napoleon.
Mikhail Speransky
This character is important not only in Tolstoy's novel, but also during the real era of Emperor Alexander.
His family could not boast of antiquity and significance - he is the son of a priest, but still he managed to become the secretary of Alexander I. He is not a particularly pleasant person, but everyone notes his importance in the context of events in the country.
In addition, the novel features historical characters of lesser importance than the emperors. These are the great commanders Barclay de Tolly, Mikhail Kutuzov and Pyotr Bagration. Their activities and the revelation of the image take place on the battlefield - Tolstoy tries to describe the military part of the story as realistically and captivatingly as possible, therefore these characters are described not only as great and unsurpassed, but also in the role ordinary people who are subject to doubts, mistakes and negative character traits.
Other characters
Among the other characters, the name of Anna Scherer should be highlighted. She is the “owner” of a secular salon - the elite of society meet here. Guests are rarely left to their own devices. Anna Mikhailovna always strives to provide for her visitors interesting interlocutors, she often pimps - this arouses her special interest.
Characteristics of the heroes of the novel “War and Peace”: images of the characters
4.2 (84%) 5 votes), French invasion of Russia, Battle of Borodino and capture of Moscow, entry allied forces in Paris; the end of the novel is dated to 1820. The author re-read many historical books and memoirs of contemporaries; he understood that the task of the artist does not coincide with the task of the historian and, without striving for complete accuracy, he wanted to create the spirit of the era, the originality of its life, the picturesqueness of its style.
Lev Tolstoy. War and Peace. The main characters and themes of the novel
Of course, Tolstoy's historical figures are somewhat modernized: they often speak and think like the author's contemporaries. But this renewal is inevitable when creative perception historian of the process as a continuous, vital flow. Otherwise it won't work piece of art, but dead archeology. The author did not invent anything - he only chose what seemed to him the most revealing. “Everywhere,” writes Tolstoy, “where historical figures speak and act in my novel, I did not invent, but used materials from which I formed a whole library of books during my work.”
For “family chronicles” placed within the historical framework of the Napoleonic wars, he used family memoirs, letters, diaries, and unpublished notes. The complexity and richness of the “human world” depicted in the novel can only be compared with the gallery of portraits of the multi-volume “ Human Comedy» Balzac. Tolstoy gives more than 70 detailed characteristics, outlines with a few strokes many minor persons - and they all live, do not merge with each other, and remain in memory. One sharply captured detail determines a person’s figure, his character and behavior. In the reception room of the dying Count Bezukhov, one of the heirs, Prince Vasily, walks on tiptoe in confusion. “He couldn’t walk on tiptoes and awkwardly bounced his whole body.” And in this bouncing the whole nature of the dignified and powerful prince is reflected.
In Tolstoy, the external feature acquires a deep psychological and symbolic resonance. He has incomparable visual acuity, brilliant observation, almost clairvoyance. By one turn of the head or movement of the fingers, he guesses the person. Every feeling, even the most fleeting, is immediately embodied for him in a bodily sign; Movement, posture, gesture, expression of the eyes, line of the shoulders, trembling of the lips are read by him as a symbol of the soul. Hence the impression of mental and physical integrity and completeness that his heroes produce. In the art of creating living people with flesh and blood, breathing, moving, casting shadows, Tolstoy has no equal.
Princess Marya
At the center of the action of the novel are two noble families - the Bolkonskys and the Rostovs. The elder Prince Bolkonsky, general-in-chief of Catherine's time, a Voltairian and an intelligent gentleman, lives on the Bald Mountains estate with his daughter Marya, ugly and no longer young. Her father loves her passionately, but he raises her harshly and torments her with algebra lessons. Princess Marya "with the beautiful radiant eyes", with a shy smile - an image of high spiritual beauty. She meekly bears the cross of her life, prays, accepts “God’s people” and dreams of becoming a pilgrim... “All the complex laws of humanity were concentrated for her in one simple and clear law of love and self-sacrifice, taught to her by the One Who lovingly suffered for humanity when He Himself He is God. What did she care about the justice or injustice of other people? She had to suffer and love herself, and she did it.”
And yet she is sometimes worried about the hope of personal happiness; she wants to have a family, children. When this hope comes true and she marries Nikolai Rostov, her soul continues to strive for “infinite, eternal perfection.”
Prince Andrei Bolkonsky
Princess Marya's brother, Prince Andrei, does not look like his sister. This is a strong, intelligent, proud and disappointed man, feeling his superiority over those around him, burdened by his chirping, frivolous wife and looking for practically useful activities. He collaborates with Speransky in the commission for drafting laws, but soon gets tired of this abstract desk work. He is overcome by a thirst for glory, he sets out on the campaign of 1805 and, like Napoleon, awaits his “Toulon” - exaltation, greatness, “human love.” But instead of Toulon, the Austerlitz field awaits him, on which he lies wounded and looks into the bottomless sky. “Everything is empty,” he thinks, “everything is a deception, except this endless sky. There is nothing, nothing, except him. But even that is not there, there is nothing but silence, calmness.”
Andrey Bolkonsky
Returning to Russia, he settles on his estate and plunges into the “melancholy of life.” The death of his wife and the betrayal of Natasha Rostova, who seemed to him the ideal of girlish charm and purity, plunge him into dark despair. And only slowly dying from a wound received in the Battle of Borodino, in the face of death, does he find that “truth of life” that he has always so unsuccessfully sought: “Love is life,” he thinks. – Everything, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Love is God, and to die means for me, a particle of love, to return to the common and eternal source.”
Nikolay Rostov
Complex relationships connect the Bolkonsky family with the Rostov family. Nikolai Rostov is an integral, spontaneous nature, like Eroshka in “Cossacks” or brother Volodya in “Childhood”. He lives without questions or doubts, he has a “common sense of mediocrity.” Direct, noble, brave, cheerful, he is surprisingly attractive, despite his limitations. Of course, he does not understand the mystical soul of his wife Marya, but he knows how to create a happy family and raise kind and honest children.
Natasha Rostova
His sister Natasha Rostova is one of the most charming female images Tolstoy. She enters the lives of each of us as a beloved and close friend. Her lively, joyful and spiritual face emits a radiance that illuminates everything around her. When she appears, everyone becomes happy, everyone starts smiling. Natasha is full of such excess vitality, such a “talent for life” that her whims, frivolous hobbies, selfishness of youth and thirst for “the pleasures of life” - everything seems charming.
She is constantly on the move, intoxicated with joy, inspired by feeling; she does not reason, “does not deign to be smart,” as Pierre says about her, but the clairvoyance of the heart replaces her mind. She immediately “sees” a person and accurately identifies him. When her fiancé Andrei Bolkonsky leaves for war, Natasha becomes interested in the brilliant and empty Anatoly Kuragin. But the break with Prince Andrei and then his death turn her whole soul upside down. Her noble and truthful nature cannot forgive herself for this guilt. Natasha falls into hopeless despair and wants to die. At this time, news comes about the death of her younger brother Petya in the war. Natasha forgets about her grief and selflessly looks after her mother - and this saves her.
“Natasha thought,” writes Tolstoy, “that her life was over. But suddenly love for her mother showed her that the essence of her life - love - was still alive in her. Love has awakened and life has awakened.” Finally, she marries Pierre Bezukhov and turns into a child-loving mother and devoted wife: she gives up all the “pleasures of life” that she loved so passionately before, and devotes herself wholeheartedly to her new, complex responsibilities. For Tolstoy, Natasha is life itself, instinctive, mysterious and holy in her natural wisdom.
Pierre Bezukhov
The ideological and compositional center of the novel is Count Pierre Bezukhov. All the complex and numerous lines of action coming from the two “family chronicles” - the Bolkonskys and the Rostovs - are drawn towards him; he clearly enjoys the author's greatest sympathy and is closest to him in his spiritual makeup. Pierre belongs to the “seeking” people, reminds Nikolenka, Nekhlyudova, Venison, but most of all Tolstoy himself. Not only the external events of life pass before us, but also the consistent history of his spiritual development.
The path of quest of Pierre Bezukhov
Pierre was brought up in an atmosphere of Rousseau's ideas, he lives by feeling and is prone to “dreamy philosophizing.” He is looking for the “truth”, but due to weakness of will he continues to lead an empty social life, go on carousing, play cards, go to balls; an absurd marriage to the soulless beauty Helen Kuragina, a breakup with her and a duel with ex-friend Dolokhov makes a profound revolution in it. He's interested in Freemasonry, thinks to find in him “inner peace and agreement with oneself.” But disappointment soon sets in: the philanthropic activities of the Freemasons seem insufficient to him, their passion for uniforms and magnificent ceremonies outrages him. Moral stupor and panicky fear of life come over him.
The “tangled and terrible knot of life” strangles him. And here on the Borodino field he meets the Russian people - a new world opens up to him. The spiritual crisis was prepared by stunning impressions that suddenly fell upon him: he sees the fire of Moscow, is captured, spends several days awaiting the death sentence, and is present at the execution. And then he meets “Russian, kind, round Karataev.” Joyful and bright, he saves Pierre from spiritual death and leads him to God.
“Before, he sought God for the goals that he set for himself,” writes Tolstoy, and suddenly he learned in his captivity, not in words, not by reasoning, but by direct feeling, what his nanny had long ago told him; that God is here, here, everywhere. In captivity, he learned that God in Karataev is greater, infinite and incomprehensible than in the Architect of the Universe recognized by the Freemasons.”
Religious inspiration covers Pierre, all questions and doubts disappear, he no longer thinks about the “meaning of life,” for the meaning has already been found: love of God and selfless service to people. The novel ends with a picture of the complete happiness of Pierre, who married Natasha Rostova and became a devoted husband and loving father.
Platon Karataev
The soldier Platon Karataev, a meeting with whom in Moscow occupied by the French produced a revolution in the truth-seeking Pierre Bezukhov, was conceived by the author as a parallel to “ folk hero» Kutuzov; he is also a person without personality, passively surrendering to events. This is how Pierre sees him, that is, the author himself, but to the reader he seems different. It is not impersonality, but the extraordinary originality of his personality that strikes us. His apt words, jokes and sayings, his constant activity, his bright cheerfulness of spirit and sense of beauty (“good-naturedness”), his active love for his neighbors, humility, cheerfulness and religiosity are formed in our imagination not into the image of an impersonal “part of the whole”, but into the amazingly complete face of the people's righteous man.
Platon Karataev is the same “ great Christian”, like the holy fool Grisha in “Childhood”. Tolstoy intuitively sensed its spiritual originality, but his rationalistic explanation skimmed the surface of this mystical soul.
Alexey Durnovo talks about the prototypes of the heroes of the famous epic by Leo Tolstoy.
Prince Andrei Bolkonsky
Nikolay Tuchkov
One of those characters whose image is more fictional than borrowed from specific people. Like unattainable moral ideal, Prince Andrei, of course, could not have a specific prototype. Nevertheless, in the facts of the character’s biography one can find many similarities, for example, with Nikolai Tuchkov.
Nikolai Rostov and Princess Marya are the writer’s parents
He, just like Prince Andrei, received a mortal wound in the Battle of Borodino, from which he died in Yaroslavl three weeks later. The scene of the wounding of Prince Andrei at the Battle of Austerlitz was probably borrowed from the biography of Staff Captain Fyodor (Ferdinand) Tiesenhausen. He died with a banner in his hands when he led a Little Russian grenadier regiment against enemy bayonets in that very battle. It is possible that Tolstoy gave the image of Prince Andrei the features of his brother, Sergei. At least this applies to the story of the failed marriage of Bolkonsky and Natasha Rostova. Sergei Tolstoy was engaged to Tatyana Bers, but the marriage, postponed for a year, never took place. Either because of the inappropriate behavior of the bride, or because the groom had a gypsy wife with whom he did not want to part.
Natasha Rostova
Sofya Tolstaya - the writer's wife
Natasha has two prototypes at once, the already mentioned Tatyana Bers and her sister, Sophia Bers. Here it should be noted that Sophia is none other than the wife of Leo Tolstoy. Tatyana Bers married Senator Alexander Kuzminsky in 1867. She spent most of her childhood in the writer's family and managed to become friends with the author of War and Peace, even though she was almost 20 years younger than him. Moreover, under the influence of Tolstoy, Kuzminskaya herself took up literary creativity. It seems that every person who went to school knows about Sofya Andreevna Tolstaya. She actually rewrote War and Peace, a novel whose main character had many features in common with the author’s wife.
Rostov
Ilya Andreevich Tolstoy - the writer’s grandfather
The surname Rostov was formed by replacing the first and last letters in the surname Tolstoy. “R” instead of “t”, “v” instead of “th”, well, minus “l”. Thus, the family, which occupies an important place in the novel, acquired a new name. The Rostovs are the Tolstoys, or rather the writer’s paternal relatives. There is even a coincidence in names, as in the case of the old Count Rostov.
Even Tolstoy did not hide the fact that Vasily Denisov is Denis Davydov
The writer’s grandfather, Ilya Andreevich Tolstoy, is hiding under this name. This man, in fact, led a rather lavish lifestyle and spent enormous sums on entertainment. And yet, this is not the good-natured Ilya Andreevich Rostov from War and Peace. Count Tolstoy was the governor of Kazan and a well-known bribe-taker throughout Russia. He was removed from his post after auditors discovered the theft of almost 15 thousand rubles from the provincial treasury. Tolstoy explained the loss of money as a “lack of knowledge.”
Nikolai Rostov is the father of the writer Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy. The prototype and the hero of “War and Peace” have more than enough similarities. Nikolai Tolstoy served in the hussars and went through everything Napoleonic wars, including the Patriotic War of 1812. It is believed that the descriptions of war scenes with the participation of Nikolai Rostov were taken by the writer from his father’s memoirs. Moreover, Tolstoy Sr. completed the financial ruin of the family with constant losses at cards and debts, and to correct the situation he married the ugly and reserved princess Maria Volkonskaya, who was four years older than him.
Princess Marya
Leo Tolstoy's mother Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya, by the way, is also the full namesake of the book heroine. Unlike Princess Marya, she had no problems with the sciences, in particular with mathematics and geometry. She lived for 30 years with her father in Yasnaya Polyana (Bald Mountains from the novel), but never got married, although she was a very enviable bride. The fact is that the old prince, in fact, had a monstrous character, and his daughter was a closed woman and personally rejected several suitors.
Dolokhov's prototype probably ate its own orangutan
Princess Volkonskaya even had a companion - Miss Hanessen, who was somewhat similar to Mademoiselle Bourrienne from the novel. After the death of her father, the daughter began to literally give away property, after which her relatives intervened and arranged Maria Nikolaevna’s marriage to Nikolai Tolstoy. Judging by the memoirs of contemporaries, the marriage of convenience turned out to be very happy, but short-lived. Maria Volkonskaya died eight years after the wedding, having given birth to her husband four children.
Old Prince Bolkonsky
Nikolai Volkonsky, who left the royal service to raise his only daughter
Nikolai Sergeevich Volkonsky is an infantry general who distinguished himself in several battles and received the nickname “Prussian King” from his colleagues. His character is very similar to the old prince: proud, self-willed, but not cruel. Left service after the accession of Paul I, retired to Yasnaya Polyana and began raising his daughter.
The prototype of Ilya Rostov is Tolstoy’s grandfather, who ruined his career
He spent all his days improving his farm and teaching his daughter languages and sciences. An important difference from the character from the book: Prince Nikolai survived the War of 1812 very well, and died only nine years later, slightly short of seventy.
Sonya
Tatiana Ergolskaya - second cousin Nikolai Tolstoy, who was brought up in his father’s house. In their youth they had an affair that never ended in marriage. Not only Nikolai’s parents, but also Ergolskaya herself opposed the wedding. IN last time She rejected a marriage proposal from her cousin in 1836. The widowed Tolstoy asked Ergolskaya's hand in marriage so that she could become his wife and replace the mother of his five children. Ergolskaya refused, but after the death of Nikolai Tolstoy she really began raising his sons and daughter, devoting the rest of her life to them.
Dolokhov
Fyodor Tolstoy-American
Dolokhov also has several prototypes. Among them, for example, is Lieutenant General and partisan Ivan Dorokhov, the hero of several major campaigns, including the War of 1812. However, if we talk about character, Dolokhov has more similarities with Fyodor Ivanovich Tolstoy the American, a famous brethren, gambler and lover of women in his time. It must be said that Tolstoy is not the only writer who included the American in his works. Fyodor Ivanovich is also considered the prototype of Zaretsky, Lensky’s second from Eugene Onegin. Tolstoy received his nickname after he made a trip to America, during which he was thrown off a ship and ate his own monkey.
Kuragins
Alexey Borisovich Kurakin
In this case, it is difficult to talk about family, because the images of Prince Vasily, Anatole and Helen are borrowed from several people who are not related. Kuragin Sr. is undoubtedly Alexey Borisovich Kurakin, a prominent courtier during the reign of Paul I and Alexander I, who made a brilliant career at court and made a fortune.
Prototypes of Helen - Bagration's wife and mistress of Pushkin's classmate
He had three children, exactly like Prince Vasily, of whom his daughter caused him the most trouble. Alexandra Alekseevna really had a scandalous reputation; her divorce from her husband made a lot of noise in the world. Prince Kurakin, in one of his letters, even called his daughter the main burden of his old age. Looks like a character from War and Peace, doesn't it? Although, Vasily Kuragin expressed himself a little differently.
Anatol Kuragin, apparently, has no prototype, except for Anatoly Lvovich Shostak, who at one time seduced Tatyana Bers.
Ekaterina Skavronskaya-Bagration
As for Helen, her image was taken from several women at once. In addition to some similarities with Alexandra Kurakina, she has much in common with Ekaterina Skvaronskaya (Bagration’s wife), who was known for her careless behavior not only in Russia, but also in Europe. In her homeland she was called the “Wandering Princess,” and in Austria she was known as the mistress of Clemens Metternich, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Empire. From him, Ekaterina Skavronskaya gave birth - of course, out of wedlock - a daughter, Clementina. Perhaps it was “The Wandering Princess” that contributed to Austria’s entry into the anti-Napoleonic coalition. Another woman from whom Tolstoy could have borrowed Helen’s features is Nadezhda Akinfova. She was born in 1840 and was very famous in St. Petersburg and Moscow as a woman of scandalous reputation and wild disposition. She gained wide popularity thanks to her affair with Chancellor Alexander Gorchakov, a classmate of Pushkin. He, by the way, was 40 years older than Akinfova, whose husband was the chancellor’s great-nephew.
Vasily Denisov
Denis Davydov
Every schoolchild knows that the prototype of Vasily Denisov was Denis Davydov. Tolstoy himself admitted this.
Julie Karagina
There is an opinion that Julie Karagina is Varvara Aleksandrovna Lanskaya. She is known exclusively for the fact that she conducted a long correspondence with her friend Maria Volkova. Using these letters, Tolstoy studied the history of the War of 1812. Moreover, they were almost completely included in War and Peace under the guise of correspondence between Princess Marya and Julie Karagina.
Pierre Bezukhov
Peter Vyazemsky
Alas, Pierre does not have any obvious or even approximate prototype. This character has similarities both with Tolstoy himself and with many historical figures who lived during the times of the writer and during the Patriotic War. There is, for example, interesting story about how the historian and poet Pyotr Vyazemsky went to the site of the Borodino battle. Allegedly, this incident formed the basis of the story about how Pierre traveled to Borodino. But Vyazemsky was a military man at that time, and arrived on the battlefield not due to an internal call, but due to official duties.
Didn't just write wonderful work“War and Peace”, but also showed Russian life over several decades. Researchers of Tolstoy’s work have calculated that the writer depicted more than 600 characters on the pages of his novel. Moreover, each of these characters has a clear and apt description of the writer. This allows the reader to draw a detailed portrait of each character.
The system of characters in the novel "War and Peace"
Of course, the main character of Tolstoy’s work is the people. According to the author, this is the best thing that the Russian nation has. According to the novel, people are treated not only simple people who have nothing, but also nobles who live not for themselves, but for others. But the people in the novel are contrasted with aristocrats:
- Kuragins.
- Visitors to the salon Anna Scherer.
From the description you can immediately determine that everything these heroes are negative characters novel. Their life is soulless and mechanical, they commit artificial and lifeless actions, are incapable of compassion, and selfish. These heroes cannot change even under the influence of life.
Lev Nikolaevich portrays his positive characters in a completely different way. Their actions are guided by their hearts. These positive actors include:
- Kutuzova.
- Natasha Rostova.
- Platon Karataev.
- Alpatych.
- Officer Timokhin.
- Officer Tushin.
- Pierre Bezukhov.
- Andrey Bolkonsky.
All these heroes able to empathize, develop and change. But it was the War of 1812, the trials it brought, that makes it possible to understand which camp the characters in Tolstoy’s novel belong to.
Peter Rostov - the central character of the novel
Count Peter Rostov is youngest child in the family, Natasha's brother. At the beginning of the novel, the reader sees him as just a child. So, in 1805 he was only 9 years old. And if at this age the writer only notices that he is fat, then to the description of Peter at the age of 13 is added the fact that the teenager turns out to be handsome and cheerful.
At the age of 16, Peter goes to war, although he should have gone to university, and soon becomes a real man, an officer. He is a patriot and worries about the fate of his Fatherland. Petya spoke excellent French and could feel sorry for the captive French boy. Going to war, Petya dreams of doing something heroic.
And despite the fact that his parents at first did not want to let him go to serve, and then found a place where it was safer, he still joined the active army with his friend. As soon as he was appointed assistant general, he was immediately taken prisoner. Having decided to take part in the battle with the French, helping Dolokhov, Petya dies, having been wounded in the head.
Natasha Rostova will name her only son after him, who will never be able to forget her brother, with whom she was so close.
Minor male characters
There are many minor characters in the novel War and Peace. Among them, the following heroes stand out:
- Drubetskoy Boris.
- Dolokhov.
Tall and blond Boris Drubetsky was brought up in the Rostov family and was in love with Natasha. His mother, Princess Drubetskaya, was a distant relative of the Rostov family. He is proud and dreams of a military career.
Having entered the guard thanks to the efforts of his mother, he also took part in the military campaign of 1805. The writer’s characterization of him is unflattering, since Boris tries to make only “useful” acquaintances. So, he is ready to spend all the money to become known as a rich man. He becomes the husband of Julie Kuragina, since she is rich.
Guard officer Dolokhov - bright minor character novel. At the beginning of the novel, Fyodor Ivanovich is 25 years old. He was born to a respectable lady, Marya Ivanovna, belonging to a poor noble family. Women liked the officer of the Semenovsky regiment because he was handsome: of average height, with curly hair and blue eyes. Dolokhov's firm voice and cold gaze harmoniously combined with his education and intelligence. Despite the fact that Dolokhov is a gambler and loves a carousing life, he is still respected in society.
Fathers of the Rostov and Bolkonsky families
General Bolkonsky has been retired for a long time. He is rich and respected in society. He performed his service during the reign of Catherine II, so Kutuzov is his good comrade. But the character of the father of the Bolkonsky family is difficult. Nikolai Andreevich happens not only strict, but also harsh. He monitors his health and values order in everything.
Count Ilya Andreevich Rostov is a positive and bright hero of the novel. His wife is Anna Mikhailovna Shinshina. Ilya Andreevich is raising five children. He is rich and cheerful, kind and self-confident by nature. The old prince is very trusting and is easy to deceive.
Ilya Andreevich is a sympathetic person, a patriot. He receives wounded soldiers in his home. But he did not monitor the family’s condition at all, so he becomes the culprit of ruin. The prince dies in 1813, trying to survive the tragedies of his children.
Minor female characters
In the work of L.N. Tolstoy there are many secondary characters who allow us to understand the events that the author describes. In the work "War and Peace" female characters are represented by the following heroines:
- Sonya Rostova.
- Julie Kuragina.
- Vera Rostova.
Sonya Rostova is Natasha Rostova’s second cousin, main character novel "War and Peace". Sofya Alexandrovna is an orphan and homeless. Readers first see her at the beginning of the novel. Then, in 1805, she was barely 15 years old. Sonya looked beautiful: her waist was thin and miniature, her large and thick black braid wrapped around her head twice. Even the look, soft and withdrawn, was captivating.
The older the girl got, the more beautiful she looked. And at 22, according to Tolstoy’s description, she was somewhat like a cat: smooth, flexible and soft. She was in love with Nikolenka Rostov. She even denies her love to her “brilliant” groom Dolokhov. Sonya knew how to read skillfully in front of different audiences. She usually read in a thin voice and very diligently.
But Nikolai chose to marry Marya Bolkonskaya. And the thrifty and patient Sonya, who so skillfully led household, stayed to live in the house of the young Rostov family, helping them. At the end of the novel, the writer shows her at the age of 30, but she is also not married, but is busy with the Rostov children and caring for the sick princess.
Julie Kuragina is a minor heroine of the novel. It is known that after the death of her brothers in the war, remaining with her mother, the girl becomes a rich heiress. At the beginning of the novel, Julie is already 20 years old and the reader learns that she is from a decent noble family. She was raised by virtuous parents, and in general Julie had known the Rostov family since childhood.
Julie had no special external characteristics. The girl was chubby and ugly. But she dressed fashionably and tried to always smile. Because of her red face, badly powdered, and wet eyes, no one wanted to marry her. Julie is a little naive and very stupid. She tries not to miss a single ball or theatrical production.
By the way, Countess Rostova dreamed of marrying Nikolai favorably to Julie. But for the sake of money, Boris Drubetskoy marries her, who hates Julie and hopes to see her very rarely after the wedding.
Another minor female character in Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" is Vera Rostova. This is the eldest and unloved daughter of Princess Rostova. After marriage she became Vera Berg. At the beginning of the novel, she was 20 years old, and the girl was four years older than her sister Natasha. Vera is a beautiful, intelligent, well-mannered and educated girl with a pleasant voice. Both Natasha and Nikolai thought that she was too correct and somehow insensitive, as if she had no heart at all.