This is the romantic and impulsive Natasha Rostova, the secular and vicious Helen, and, of course, Marya Bolkonskaya, whose characteristics will be presented in more detail.
Heroine's family
The characterization of Marya Bolkonskaya should begin with a description of her immediate environment, which influenced the formation of the character of the heroine. The princess lived constantly on the Bolkonsky estate, which was located in the Bald Mountains. Her father, Prince Nikolai, was involved in raising the girl.
He was a nobleman of Ekaterina, exiled by Paul the First, and since then has not traveled anywhere. He was a stern man, despotic, pedant. The prince often insulted his daughter, calling her a fool, or somehow pointing out her ugly appearance. In raising the princess, he placed great emphasis on exact sciences.
Despite excessive severity and contempt, he could not imagine his life without Princess Marya. The girl never thought that her father was treating her unfairly. She admired everything he did and found all his actions to be right. Such devoted love and worship were incomprehensible to her brother, Prince Andrei.
Unlike their father, the prince was gentle towards his sister and took pity on her. He knew about the despotic character of their father and could not understand how she lived in such a wilderness and was satisfied with everything. Andrei Nikolaevich admired the dedication of his sister, the way she took care of the prince.
Princess Marya loved her brother as much as she loved her father. The only thing that upset her was that Prince Andrei was not as religious as she would like. The girl loved all the people around her: both the “little princess” Elizaveta Bolkonskaya and her French companion. And she not only loved all the people close to her, she was always ready to protect them.
Marya Bolkonskaya had, like her father and brother, prudence and fortitude. But unlike them, she was more open and sincere to those around her; there was always more cordiality and warmth in her communication.
Appearance of the princess
In the characterization of Marya Bolkonskaya, it is necessary to give a description of her appearance. The princess was not a beauty; she had a thin, weak body. Her gait was always heavy because she had the habit of stepping on her heels first. Even her father believed that his daughter would only be able to marry because she was rich and of noble birth.
When Anatol Kuragin came to woo the Bolkonskys, Andrei Bolkonsky’s wife and a French woman tried to dress the princess in the latest fashion. But it didn’t turn out at all as they expected: the dress looked ridiculous and didn’t flatter the girl at all. And this was not due to the fact that the outfit was of the wrong style or color, the princess simply had an ugly figure.
Marya Bolkonskaya never had any illusions in terms of her appearance. And in other people, what they looked like didn't matter to her. Much more she valued the spiritual qualities of a person, the purity and nobility of his heart. That is why she liked Pierre Bezukhov.
In characterizing Marya Bolkonskaya, it should be noted that the most remarkable thing about her appearance was her eyes. They were extraordinarily beautiful, they seemed to glow from within. And it was precisely the spiritual beauty that the princess possessed that illuminated them. And sometimes these radiant eyes evoked more admiration than beauty.
The inner world of the heroine
IN brief description Marya Bolkonskaya needs to be emphasized that she was very selfless, kind and merciful to people. And this distinguishes her from the other heroes of the novel. Social entertainment was alien to her, she did not know how to flirt and valued people not for their beauty or their position in society.
Most of all she loved her nephew and religion. The princess often invited wanderers, pilgrims, and holy fools to her house. Sometimes the girl thought that her destiny was to one day leave their estate and go wandering and praying. But the earthly dream of family happiness and love prevented this dream from coming true.
Princess Marya was so unsure of herself that she considered herself unworthy of love. After an unsuccessful acquaintance with Anatole, the girl decided to completely devote her life to her father. But she could not completely give up thoughts about family. And this struggle - sublime and earthly feelings - is the basis of the heroine’s character. Princess Marya was the purest, most sublime creature in the novel.
Comparative characteristics of Natasha Rostova and Marya Bolkonskaya
It seems difficult to find more opposite characters in this novel than Marya Bolkonskaya and Natasha Rostova. But let's try to compare them anyway.
| Marya Bolkonskaya | Natasha Rostova |
| She was raised by her father, who often reproached her and was strict with her. She did not attend any balls, she lived according to the schedule drawn up by her father. | She was the favorite of the family, everyone admired and spoiled her. She had a cheerful and lively character, loved to dance and be the center of attention. |
| She was described as an ugly girl with a thin and weak body. But she had beautiful eyes that emitted a special light and made her image even more sublime. | At the beginning of the novel, she was 13 years old and not particularly beautiful. But no one noticed this, because she was a playful child. Therefore, Natasha became a graceful, pretty girl, distinguished from the St. Petersburg beauties by her freshness and unique charm. |
| Princess Marya was religious, kind, and patient. All her actions were distinguished by prudence. | Natasha was very emotional, always showed her feelings, and was a little spoiled. But at the same time, she had sensitivity and the ability to empathize. |
| I always dreamed of family happiness, but considered myself unworthy of it. Doesn't agree to marry Anatole. Finds happiness with Nikolai Rostov. | In her childhood she was in love with Boris Drubetsky. Then she met Prince Andrei, whose love she lost when she became interested in Anatoly Kuragin. Later she became disappointed in him. She became the wife of Pierre Bezukhov. |
| He tries to ensure that harmony always reigns in the family. For Marya, the spiritual education of her husband and children comes first. | For Natasha, Pierre comes first. Everything in the house is done the way he wants. Natasha is very jealous and adores her husband. |
Relations with Anatoly Kuragin
In characterizing the hero Marya Bolkonskaya, it should be noted that it was Anatole’s betrayal that revealed the selflessness of her nature. Of course, the princess liked this secular young man - after all, she had never met anyone or traveled abroad. But Marya did not overestimate herself; she understood that she was unlikely to be able to interest such a person.
But even after his flirtation with the Frenchwoman, the princess acted very nobly: she forgave them and even dreamed of arranging family happiness for them! Acquaintance with Kuragin showed the reader all the inner spiritual wealth that Princess Marya possessed.
Family life with Nikolai Rostov
In the description of Princess Marya Bolkonskaya, it is necessary to talk about how her later life with Rostov. For her, he became the embodiment of the dream of love and marriage. Having shown himself to be a true knight during their first meeting, he could not help but impress the princess.
Marya Bolkonskaya and Nikolai Rostov are getting married. Rostov loves his wife, although he does not show much tenderness. He admires her spirituality and sublimity, realizing that in this regard she surpasses him. Marya takes care of her beloved husband, trying to make him more elevated. In the same way, she raises their children, developing religiosity and kindness in them.
Princess Marya Bolkonskaya is a pure good character from the novel "War and Peace". Despite the fact that not everyone around her was able to discern her beautiful and sublime nature, she managed to start a family and become happy.
Another female image that attracted my attention in the novel by L.N. Tolstoy's "War and Peace", is Princess Marya. This heroine is so beautiful inside that her appearance doesn't matter. Her eyes emit such light that her face loses its ugliness.
Marya sincerely believes in God, she believes that only He has the right to forgive and have mercy. She scolds herself for unkind thoughts, for disobedience to her father, and tries to see only the good in others. She is proud and grateful, like her brother, but her pride does not offend her, because kindness, an integral part of her nature, softens this sometimes unpleasant feeling for others.
In my opinion, the image of Marya Bolkonskaya is the image of a guardian angel. She protects everyone for whom she feels even the slightest responsibility. Tolstoy believes that a person like Princess Marya deserves much more than an alliance with Anatoly Kuragin, who never understood what treasure he had lost; however, he had completely different moral values.
She lives by the naive worldview of church legend, which evokes the critical attitude of Prince Andrei and does not coincide with the views of Pierre Bezukhy and Tolstoy himself. At the time of the best state of his health and spirit, that is, before the crisis of his near-death experiences, Prince Andrei did not take Mary’s religious teachings seriously. It is only out of condescension towards his sister that he considers her religiosity. Taking the cross from her on the day of his departure for the army, Andrei jokingly remarks: “If he doesn’t break his neck by two pounds, then I’ll give you pleasure.” In his heavy thoughts on the Borodino field, Andrei doubts the dogmas of the church professed by Princess Marya, feeling their unconvincingness. “My father also built in Bald Mountains and thought that this was his place, his land, his air, his men, but Napoleon came and, not knowing about his existence, like a puppy from the road, pushed him and his Bald Mountains fell apart, and all his life. And Princess Marya says that this is a test sent from above. What is the purpose of a test when there is none and there will never be one? Never again! He's gone! So who is this testing for? As for Tolstoy’s own attitude towards the heroine, the very mood of the image of Marya should be taken into account, putting her mysticism in connection with the difficult circumstances of her personal life, which in turn gives a special psychological depth to the typification of this character. The novel hints to us at the reasons for Marya's religiosity. The heroine could become like this due to the severe mental torment that befell her and instilled in her the idea of suffering and self-sacrifice. Marya was ugly, she worried about it and suffered. Because of her appearance, she had to endure humiliation, the most terrible and insulting of which was the one she experienced during Anatoly Kuragin's matchmaking with her, when the groom arranged a date with her companion Burien at night.
It is no coincidence that it was after this scene that Princess Marya consciously seeks spiritual healing in religious feelings. “My calling is different,” Princess Marya thought to herself, “my calling is to be happy with a different kind of happiness, the happiness of love and self-sacrifice.”
Another reason for Marya’s internal suffering, which fed her mystical moods, was her father’s despotism, which cost her tears and moral self-flagellation. She often endured the insults of this capricious, capricious and evil-natured man. As a result, a person with the ideal of Christian morality, love and self-sacrifice was formed in her. Moreover, unlike Pierre, who saw active virtue in healing humanity from vice, Marya deliberately limits herself to personal self-improvement only, through love for people. This is how you can understand the author’s words: “What did she care about the justice or injustice of other people. She had to suffer and love herself, and that’s what she did.”
In the work “War and Peace,” the author, admiring the courage and resilience of the Russian people, extols Russian women. Princess Marya, who feels insulted at the mere thought that the French will be on her estate. Natasha, who was ready to leave home in what she was wearing, but give up all the carts for the wounded. But the author not only admires the woman. Tolstoy's attitude towards women is not clear. In the novel, he emphasizes that external beauty is not the main thing in a person. Spiritual world, inner beauty mean a lot more.
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In the novel L.N. Tolstoy has many female images, deprived of a pleasant appearance. This state of affairs has a negative impact on the owners of such a deficiency - they are ignored in society, they have every chance of remaining alone and not experiencing family happiness.
One of these characters is Marie Bolkonskaya.
Origin of Marie Bolkonskaya
Marya Bolkonskaya noble origin. Their family has ancient roots. Prince Rurik is their ancestor.
Their family is very rich.
Family of Marya Bolkonskaya
The Bolkonsky family is not as numerous as other families. The head of the family is Prince Nikolai, a former military man, a man of complex character and tough character.
Mother Maria is no longer alive.
In addition to the girl, the family also has one child - her older brother Andrei. He was successfully married to Princess Lisa Meinen, but this brother’s marriage ended in tragedy - his young wife did not survive after childbirth and died. The child was saved - Marya takes over the functions of the mother in raising the child. This action is not forced - the young girl enjoys taking care of her nephew.
Among the family members one can also count Mademoiselle Bourien, a lifelong companion.
Appearance of Princess Marie
Nature was extremely unfair with the young girl - her appearance wants to be much better. The characters speak about her like this: “she doesn’t need to spoil anything - they’re already ugly.”
Marie is short, she has too much thin face, her body was devoid of grace and beautiful forms. She was physically weak and extremely unattractive.
The only thing that was beautiful in her appearance was her eyes: deep, radiant and sincere. Her eyes “were so good that very often, despite the ugliness of the whole face, these eyes became more attractive than beauty.”
Marie's gait was also not like the light tread of women - her steps were heavy.
Those around her understood that Marie had no chance of marrying for love: “And who will take her out of love? Dull, awkward. They’ll take you for your connections, for your wealth.”
The princess is not stupid, she understands the true state of things and is aware of her physical flaws, but, like everyone else, she wants to be loved and happy.
The moral character of the princess
The inner world of Princess Marya Bolkonskaya is significantly different from her external appearance.
Marie was educated at home. Her father taught her the exact sciences, in particular mathematics and geometry. The girl also knows how to play the clavichord. She often indulges music lessons and can play for a long time: “one could hear the difficult passages of Dussek’s sonata repeated twenty times.”
The girl has a pure soul, she is full of noble aspirations. Those who communicate with her for some time note this fact. They are touched by the girl’s sincerity and kindness. Marie does not know how to deceive people and be disingenuous; prudence and coquetry are alien to her.
She has a calm disposition and has the ability to analyze the actions and words of others. This allows her to be in non-conflict relationships even with the most hot-tempered people. The princess first of all draws attention to inner world of a person, what is important to her is not the inner shell of a person, but his thoughts and moral character.
Marie is a deeply religious girl. Religion becomes her passion, in which she finds answers to many questions that interest her inquisitive mind:
“religion, and only religion, can, let alone console us, but save us from despair; Religion alone can explain to us what man cannot understand without its help.”
Marie often helps homeless people, she does this secretly from her father: “This comforting dream and hope were given to her by God’s people - holy fools and wanderers, who visited her secretly from the prince.”
Her nephew Nikolenka becomes her second passion - the girl gets sincere pleasure from playing and teaching the child. Communication with the child was her consolation and, in fact, the only joy in life.
Marie's attitude towards family members
Relations in the Bolkonsky family are strained and tense. First of all, this is due to the character and disposition of the old count. He is a quick-tempered and harsh person. He does not know how to control himself and often addresses his family in the rudest form. Marie continually endures mockery and unjustified remarks. “All the outbursts of his causeless anger mostly fell on Princess Marya. It was as if he was diligently looking for all her most painful places in order to morally torture her as cruelly as possible.”
She steadfastly endures all his insults. Marie does not think that her father hates her, she understands that he does not know how to express his love and care in any other way.
Marie's attitude towards high society
According to her status, Marie has every right to be active in aristocratic circles, but she does not do this. The girl has spent her whole life in the village, and she has no desire to change anything in this regard. It is likely that the encouragement of other norms of behavior played a role in this attitude - coquetry, often turning into a love affair, deception, lies, hypocrisy - all this is alien to Marie. Another reason for refusing to visit public places could quite possibly be the attitude towards the princess’s appearance. Naturally, the girl was not alien to love and affection; she wanted to create her own personal family, and in society she would have to notice the predominance of a person’s external qualities over his moral character. Marie would become lonely in such a world.
Willingness to be friendly
Marie does not shy away from communicating with people. She is willing to maintain friendly relations with them. For example, she actively communicates with Princess Julie Karagina. In fact, this is her only friend. Julie, like Marie, is also not endowed with a pretty face, so both girls are familiar with unpleasant feelings about the perception of appearance. The friends are sincere in their friendly impulses and are ready to support each other in any situation.
The second person with whom Marie shares feelings of friendship is Mademoiselle Bourien. The girl lives in the Bolkonskys’ house and is a companion. Their communication is radically different from their friendship with Julie. First of all, this concerns the attitude of Mademoiselle Bourrienne towards Marie. In her case, it's pseudo friendship. The girl is ready to deceive Marie for selfish purposes.
Marie Bolkonskaya and Anatol Kuragin
Naturally, marriage was the only way for Princess Marie to escape from home and end her miserable life of abuse. Therefore, when Anatol Kuragin comes with his father to woo the girl, she experiences anxiety.
“When thinking about marriage, Princess Marya dreamed of family happiness and children, but her main, strongest and hidden dream was earthly love.”
Anatole impresses her with his appearance - he is very handsome. To the girl he seems good person, but her father doesn’t think so - Nikolai Bolkonsky is not such a naive and gullible person as his daughter. It was not hidden from his gaze that Anatole did not experience not only love, nor even a feeling of sympathy for his daughter, nor the young man’s interest in the Bolkonskys’ maid.
He tells his daughter about this and makes her think that Anatole is not a match for her - he is only interested in money, but leaves the final choice to his daughter. Marie witnesses Anatole's tenderness with Mademoiselle Bourrienne and refuses young man.
Marriage to Nikolai Rostov
A new hope for personal happiness was kindled in Marie’s soul with the appearance of Nikolai Rostov in her life. Marriage to this man allowed the princess to develop morally and spiritually. She realized herself as a mother. The role of a teacher is close to Marie; she enjoys taking care of her children and even keeps a diary, where she writes down all kinds of information related to the stages of development and the characteristics of raising her children.
4.7 (93.85%) 13 votesThe epic novel "War and Peace" is one of the main assets of Russian literature. Princess Marya Bolkonskaya is one of the central female characters. She is a kind of opposite of Natasha Rostova, who grew up in an atmosphere of love and was used to expressing her feelings. The princess has a different character, which is no less interesting and complex than the other heroes of the work. Below is a description of Marya Bolkonskaya with quotes.
The heroine's appearance
In the characterization of Marya Bolkonskaya, it should be noted that the princess was not at all a beauty. On the contrary, there was nothing remarkable about her, and some even considered her ugly. Even the efforts of the little princess and her companion to make her a social beauty did not bring results.
The most beautiful thing about the princess’s appearance were her eyes: “...Rays of kind and timid light shone from her large eyes.” This inner light did it ugly face spiritual and sublime. And those around her no longer noticed her shortcomings - after all, “... in beautiful eyes there was both love and sadness..." Princess Marya had a special beauty - not external, but internal, which made her more beautiful.
Description of the heroine's personality
In the characterization of Marya Bolkonskaya, it should be noted that the princess was distinguished by her thoughtfulness and prudence. She is very kind, modest and calm. The princess almost immediately wins people over - “... with the meek and timid Princess Marya, despite the fact that he hardly knew them, he immediately felt like an old friend.” The girl always tried to find the good in those around her, even if they could not always appreciate her.
Princess Marya spent her entire life in the village, and she liked its quiet, measured and secluded life. She cares about her father, even though he is too strict with her. The princess finds consolation in religion and helps homeless wanderers. In the future, it is the meek and calm Marya who will be able to influence her too straightforward husband, Nikolai Rostov. She, as an exemplary wife, will devote a lot of time to raising children and will become an example of a meek and kind character for her husband.
Comparison with Natasha Rostova
Also in the description of Marya Bolkonskaya you can include a comparison with the main character novel by Natasha Rostova. The differences begin with her upbringing: the princess lived in the village, alone with her father, who was strict and often unfair to his daughter. Natasha's childhood and youth were spent in big family, in which she was everyone’s favorite and many pranks were forgiven.
Natasha was not a beauty either, but they found her charming and sweet. If Marya always tried to be guided by reason and was restrained in showing emotions, then Natasha was always spontaneous in expressing her feelings.
But the heroines also had a lot in common. They tried to see the good in people, and for them the most important thing was kindness in a person. Also, Marya and Natasha later devoted themselves to their family and loved their husbands very much.
Relationships with other heroes
The characterization of Marya Bolkonskaya can also describe her relationships with other heroes of the epic novel. The closest person to the princess was her older brother, Prince Andrei. He always took care of his sister, knowing the complex nature of their father.
Her closest friend was the frivolous Julie Karagina. Princess Marya knew Pierre Bezukhov from childhood and considered wonderful person. Most of all she loved her husband, children and nephew. The girl always tried to see the good in people, help them and support them.
In the characterization of Princess Marya Bolkonskaya, it should be noted that this character did not change much throughout the epic novel (like, for example, Natasha Rostova). All because she was already a mature person with strong beliefs and principles.
In his work, Tolstoy reflected the fates of many people. The novel deserves special attention female images. The image and characterization of Marya Bolkonskaya in the novel “War and Peace” fully corresponds to L.N. Tolstoy’s ideas about his mother, whom the author did not remember at all. Imagination drew a clear image of the one who would be one of the main heroines of the novel. The daughter of Prince Bolkonsky managed to overcome many trials on her way before becoming a happy wife and mother.
Appearance
Despite the fact that Marya Bolkonskaya is one of the author’s favorite characters, he decided not to reward her with beautiful appearance. You can't look at her without tears. The painful thinness, pallor of the skin, and the elongated shape of her face repelled everything about her."Poor girl, she's wicked as hell"
Kuragin thought about her.
The only thing that could attract the attention of men to her person was her eyes. They seemed to radiate from within, enveloping the interlocutor with warmth and softness. Big, inviting. You can drown in them, but they are too sad for such a young lady.
“In her beautiful eyes there was both love and sadness...”
Marya always seemed sad. Even the girl’s gait was like that of a man. Heavy, clumsy.
“She walked in with her heavy gait.”
Grace and sophistication were completely absent. Marya understood perfectly well that her chances of getting married were slim, but like any other girl she secretly dreamed of love and the person with whom she could walk, hand in hand, along the long road of fate.
Family
Marya is the daughter of Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky, an influential and wealthy man. There is a brother, Andrei Bolkonsky. Nikolai was a strict father and, while raising his daughter, did not make any concessions. His cruel methods in raising Marya left an imprint on her character. From the outside, one could mistake Bolkonskaya for a housekeeper, whose functions consisted of commands: bring, serve, put away. Left alone, she often shed tears into her pillow out of resentment and frustration. Despite her father's rude attitude, the girl loved him, accepting him for who he was. Who she has a relationship with is her brother. Andrei treated his sister with love. A warm relationship based on trust and respect was established between them. Andrey was widowed early. After the death of her wife, Marya took upon herself all the care of her beloved nephew.Character
Marya's character was angelic and meek. She led a secluded life. She didn’t attend balls, didn’t gossip with her friends, washing the bones of the people close to them. Communication with peers was replaced by a fanatical belief in religion. Books, “God’s people”, looking into their house for a glimpse, often became the cause of ridicule from their father and brother, who did not understand when Marya managed to become so religious.Love
Anatoly, the son of Vasily Kuragin, was unlucky and careless. Vasily believed that marrying Marya Bolkonskaya would benefit him. Naive, firmly believing in the sincerity of feelings, Marya saw in this guy the ideal of a man. The girl was already painting in her imagination pictures of a future, happy family, when it turned out that the Kuragins were driven only by calculation. They knew that Bolkonskaya had a good dowry and considered that she was a profitable match for Anatole. Anatole, not appreciating his father’s efforts, set his eyes on his companion Marie, thereby cutting off his brilliant future.The next man in Marya's life was Nikolai Rostov. He was able to appreciate not her appearance, but the rich inner world of the girl, her spiritual beauty. It didn't happen right away. Nikolai treated Marya with extraordinary trepidation, not yet realizing that he was truly in love. At some moments I was even afraid to approach her again. She seemed so unapproachable and serious.
Marya's dreams came true. With Nikolai she felt loved and desired. She accepted the marriage proposal without hesitation, which she never regretted. In their marriage to Rostov, they had several children. She was able to become faithful, reliable and loving wife capable of becoming a reliable support in difficult times. Nikolai met all her expectations from marriage, becoming a caring husband and a wonderful father.