The role of the Bolkonsky family in the work
The Bolkonsky family plays an important role in the novel War and Peace. The main problems of the great writer’s work are inextricably linked with them. The text traces the stories of several families. The main attention is paid to the Bolkonskys, Rostovs and Kuragins. The author's sympathies are with the Rostovs and Bolkonskys. There is a big difference between them. The relationship between the Rostovs is sensual and emotional. The Bolkonskys are guided by reason and expediency. But it is in these families that Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy’s favorite heroes are brought up. Members of the Bolkonsky family are prominent representatives of people of “peace and light.” Their destinies are closely intertwined with life paths the rest of the characters in the work. They take an active part in the development storyline narratives. Psychological problems, issues of morality, morality, and family foundations are reflected in the depiction of these characters.
Characteristics of relationships
The Bolkonskys belong to an ancient princely family and live on the Bald Mountains estate, located not far from the capital. Each of the family members is an extraordinary personality, endowed with strong character and remarkable abilities.
Head of the family
Old Prince Nikolai Andreevich, his son Andrei Nikolaevich and Princess Marya Nikolaevna are members of the Bolkonsky family in the novel “War and Peace”.
The head of the family is the old Prince Bolkonsky. This is a person with a strong character and an established worldview. A successful military career, honors and respect remained in the distant past for him. On the pages of the book we see an old man who has withdrawn from military service and government affairs, secluded himself on his estate. Despite the blows of fate, he is full of strength and energy. An old man's day is scheduled minute by minute. In his routine there is a place for both mental and physical labor. Nikolai Andreevich draws up plans for military campaigns, works in a carpentry workshop, and is engaged in arranging the estate. He is of sound mind and good physical fitness, does not recognize idleness for himself and forces all household members to live by his rules. It is especially difficult for the daughter, who is forced to study natural sciences and endure her father’s difficult temper.
The proud and unyielding character of the old prince causes a lot of trouble for those around him, and his integrity, honesty and intelligence inspire respect.
Prince Andrey
We meet Andrei Bolkonsky in the first chapter of the work. He appears among the guests of Anna Pavlovna Scherer's social salon and immediately attracts everyone's attention. The young man stands out from the general background not only with his appearance, but also with his behavior. We understand that the people around him cause irritation and even anger. He dislikes false masks, lies, hypocrisy and empty talk secular society. A sincere, kind smile appears on the hero’s face only when he sees Pierre Bezukhov. Andrei Bolkonsky is young, handsome, educated, but dissatisfied with his existence on this earth. He doesn't love his beautiful wife and is dissatisfied with his career. Throughout the development of the storyline, the image of the hero is revealed to the reader in all its depth.
At the beginning of the novel, Andrei is a man who dreams of becoming like Napoleon. Therefore, he decides to leave his pregnant wife, his bored way of life, and goes to military service. He dreams of heroic deeds, glory and popular love. The high sky of Austerlitz changes his worldview and adjusts his plans for life. He is constantly searching for himself. Feats and serious wounds, love and betrayal, disappointments and victories fill the life of one of Tolstoy’s favorite heroes. As a result, the young prince finds the true meaning of life in serving the Fatherland and protecting his homeland. The hero's fate is tragic. He dies from a serious wound without realizing his dream.
Princess Marya
Andrei Bolkonsky's sister, Princess Marya, is one of the brightest and touching images narratives. Living next to her father, she is patient and submissive. Thoughts about her husband, her family and children seem like pipe dreams to her. Marya is unattractive: “an ugly, weak body and thin face", unsure of herself and lonely. The only remarkable thing about her appearance was her “large, deep, radiant” eyes: “She sees her purpose in serving the Lord. Deep faith gives strength, is an outlet in its difficult life situation. “I don’t wish for another life, and I can’t wish for it, because I don’t know another life,” the heroine says about herself.
The timid and soft Princess Marya is equally kind to everyone, sincere and spiritually rich. For the sake of her loved ones, the girl is ready to make sacrifices and take decisive actions. At the end of the novel, we see the heroine as the happy wife of Nikolai Rostov and a caring mother. Fate rewards her for her devotion, love and patience.
Family traits
In the novel War and Peace, the Bolkonsky house is an example of truly aristocratic foundations. Restraint reigns in relationships, although all family members sincerely love each other. The Spartan way of existence does not allow you to express your feelings and experiences, whine, or complain about life. No one is allowed to violate the strict rules of conduct.
The Bolkonskys in the novel “War and Peace” personify the best features of the noble class that is fading into history. Once upon a time, representatives of this class were the basis of the state; they devoted their lives to serving the Fatherland, just like the representatives of this noble family.
Each of the Bolkonsky family has its own unique character traits. But there is something in common that unites these people. They are distinguished by family pride, honesty, patriotism, nobility, and a high intellectual level of development. Betrayal, meanness, cowardice have no place in the souls of these heroes. The characteristics of the Bolkonsky family develop gradually throughout the narrative.
The concept of a classic
Testing the strength of family ties, the writer takes his characters through a series of tests: love, war and social life. Representatives of the Bolkonsky family successfully cope with difficulties thanks to the support of their relatives.
According to the great writer, the chapters devoted to describing the life of the Bolkonsky family play a huge role in ideological content novel "War and Peace". They are people of “light”, worthy of deep respect. Image family life favorite characters helps the classic to reflect the “family thought”, to build his work in the genre of a family chronicle.
Work test
However, there is one family whose unique morals and traditions and homely atmosphere are immediately noticeable. This is how the Bolkonsky family is represented. She lives her own closed life, which sets her apart from others. Why did this happen? In fact, the Bolkonsky family is a hereditary military, and military affairs implies subordination, rigor, precision and toughness. Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky is such a “purebred” military man. It defines the spirit of the family. Life experience tempered not only his body, but also his soul, and put strict military rules into him. The entire routine of his day is planned minute by minute and carried out with amazing precision: “... the main condition for activity is order, but order in his life is brought to the utmost degree of accuracy. His appearances at the table took place under the same unchanging conditions, and not only in one hour, but also in a minute.” And God forbid anyone to break this routine, which is the main law of Nikolai Andreevich’s existence. For example, during the arrival of Prince Andrei and his wife, the son does not immediately go to his father, but waits until his time of rest is over, because he is already accustomed to this.
The old prince is constantly engaged in physical and mental labor: “He himself was constantly busy either writing his memoirs, or calculations from higher mathematics, or turning snuff boxes on a machine, or working in the garden and observing buildings that did not stop...” The reader is practically does not see Nikolai Andreevich idle. Even when his son leaves for military service, he continues to work, although he worries that Prince Andrei may die: “When Prince Andrei entered the office, the old prince, wearing old man’s glasses and in his white robe, in which he did not receive anyone except son, sat at the table and wrote.”
The elder Bolkonsky is not a tyrant, he is simply demanding not only of himself, but also of everyone around him. It can also be said that he led an ascetic lifestyle and, by his example, forced his loved ones to do the same. The prince aroused fear and respect in people who communicated with him in one way or another. Although he was retired and no longer had any significance in state affairs, every head of the province where the Bolkonsky estate was located considered it his duty to come to him and express his respect.
It would probably be wrong to think that the old prince was insensitive and hard-hearted, no, he was simply not used to showing his feelings and weaknesses even to his family. Firstly, he himself was brought up this way from childhood, and secondly, service in the army taught him another lesson: he saw how weak-willed people Those who had high morals lost to those who were firm and focused.
Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky has two children in his family - Marya and Andrey. Their mother died early. All the main upbringing of the children fell on the father. Since the father has always been an ideal for children, many of his traits passed from him to the children. They grew up in an environment that was not conducive to laughter, fun, or jokes. Their father interacted with them as if they were adults, kept a tight rein on them, and did not particularly dote on them or cherish them.
Princess Marya adopted more masculine traits character than it should have been, because Nikolai Andreevich did not stand on ceremony with her and raised her on an equal basis with his son. She has the same rigidity, although expressed in a weaker form, along with deep moral principles; Marya Nikolaevna is not like other secular women. It contains real human values that do not depend on time and environment, fashion and popular theories. Marya Nikolaevna did not appear at balls and in A.P. Sherer’s drawing room, because her father considered all this nonsense and stupidity, a useless waste of time.
Salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherrer
The A.P. Sherrer salon is the place where the cream of St. Petersburg society gathers. (26, 43) Among the guests of Anna Scherrer's salon there are many central characters: Andrei Bolkonsky with his wife, Pierre Bezukhov, the Kuragin family, etc. . The meaning of her life lies in the maintenance of her salon. One of the first guests she greets Prince Vasily Kuragin. Their conversation gradually moves from discussing the horrific actions of the Antichrist-Napoleon and secular gossip to intimate topics. Anna Pavlovna tells the prince that it would be nice to marry his son Anatoly, “a restless fool.” The woman immediately suggests a suitable candidate - her relative Princess Bolkonskaya, who lives with her stingy but rich father. On the way out, an elderly lady approached Prince Vasily - Drubetskaya Anna Mikhailovna. The woman, trying to use her former charm, asks the man to place her son Boris in the guard. During a conversation about politics, Pierre speaks about the revolution as a great cause, going against the other guests who consider Napoleon's actions horrifying. The young man was unable to fully defend his opinion, but Andrei Bolkonsky supported him.. Guests gather in separate circles, where, as a rule, someone is the center of attention, and Anna Pavlovna walks between them and special attention devotes time to the circle where the conversation fades away. The lady has a sense of humor, intelligence, she presents new “faces” to her guests to make her evening more interesting: “this evening Anna Pavlovna served her guests first the Viscount, then the Abbot, like something supernaturally refined.” “Being an enthusiast became her social position.” Different people visit the Scherer salon. Here Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. (61) He will soon go to fight with Bonaparte. He is not interested in anything at all in Anna Pavlovna’s living room and he comes there to accompany his wife, who cannot travel to big light due to pregnancy, but attends small parties.
In the house of Count Bezukhov 366
A soulless, selfish atmosphere reigns in the house of the dying Count Bezukhov. We see what is happening through the eyes of the naive Pierre. The young man does not understand what caused the increased attention to his modest person, what worries his relatives, which is why there are scandals and even fights near his father’s deathbed. Those around him are little concerned about the count's condition. It is important for them not to miss the chance to grab a piece of a rich inheritance. Count Bezukhov suffered a sixth stroke, after which the doctors announced that there was no longer any hope of recovery - most likely, the patient would die at night. Prince Vasily learns from Princess Ekaterina Semyonovna that the letter in which the Count asks to adopt Pierre is in the Count's mosaic briefcase under his pillow. Pierre and Anna Mikhailovna arrive at Bezukhov's house. Heading to the dying man’s room, Pierre does not understand why he is going there and whether he should show up in his father’s chambers at all. During the unction, Counts Vasily and Catherine quietly take away the briefcase with papers. Seeing the dying Bezukhov, Pierre finally realized how close his father was to death. In the reception room, Anna Mikhailovna notices that the princess is hiding something and is trying to take the briefcase from Catherine. At the height of the quarrel, the middle princess reported that the count had died. Everyone is saddened by Bezukhov's death. The next morning, Anna Mikhailovna tells Pierre that his father promised to help Boris and she hopes that the count’s will will be carried out.
Name day at the Rostovs
The Rostovs celebrate the name day of their mother and youngest daughter - the two Natalias. (175) Women gossip about the illness of Count Bezukhov and the behavior of his son Pierre. The young man got involved in bad company: his last revelry led to Pierre being expelled from St. Petersburg to Moscow. The women are wondering who will become the heir to Bezukhov's wealth: (183) Pierre or the direct heir of the count - Prince Vasily. The old Count Rostov says that Nikolai, their eldest son, is going to leave the university and his parents, deciding to go to war with a friend. Nikolai replies that he really feels drawn to military service.
Natasha (195) (“a dark-eyed, big-mouthed, ugly, but lively girl, with her childish open shoulders”), accidentally seeing the kiss of Sonya (the count’s niece) and Nikolai, calls Boris (Drubetskaya’s son) and kisses him herself. Boris confesses his love to the girl, and they agree on a wedding when she turns 16. Vera(217), seeing them cooing Sonya(204) with Nikolai and Natasha with Boris(200), reprimands that it is bad to run after a young man, and tries in every possible way to offend young people. This upsets everyone, and they leave, but Vera remains satisfied. Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskaya tells Rostova that Prince Vasily got her son into the guard, but she doesn’t even have money for uniforms for her son. Drubetskaya hopes only for mercy godfather Boris - Count Kirill Vladimirovich Bezukhov and decides to hang him right now. Anna Mikhailovna asks her son to “be as nice as you know how to be” towards the count, but he believes that this will be like humiliation. Holiday at the Rostovs. While they are waiting for Natasha's godmother, Marya Dmitrievna Akhrosimova, a sharp and straightforward woman, in Rostov's office, Countess Shinshin's cousin and the selfish guards officer Berg argue about the advantages and benefits of serving in the cavalry over the infantry. Shinshin makes fun of Berg. Pierre arrived just before dinner, feels awkward, sits in the middle of the living room, preventing the guests from walking, is embarrassed and cannot carry on a conversation, constantly as if looking for someone in the crowd. At this time, everyone is assessing how such a lout could participate in the bear business, which the gossips were gossiping about. At dinner, the men talked about the war with Napoleon and about the manifesto by which this war was declared. The colonel claims that only through war can the security of the empire be preserved, Shinshin does not agree, then the colonel turns to Nikolai Rostov for support. The young man agrees with the opinion that “Russians must die or win,” but understands the awkwardness of his remark.
To the Bolkonsky estate Bald Mountains
The estate of Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky, a strict man who considered “idleness and superstition” to be the main human vices, was located in Bald Mountains. He raised his daughter Marya himself and was demanding and harsh with everyone around him, so everyone was afraid of him and obeyed him. Andrei Bolkonsky and his wife Lisa come to the estate to Nikolai Bolkonsky. Andrei, telling his father about the upcoming military campaign, is met with obvious discontent in response. The elder Bolkonsky is against Russia's desire to participate in the war. He believes that Bonaparte is “an insignificant Frenchman who was successful only because there were no longer Potemkins and Suvorovs.” Andrei does not agree with his father, because Napoleon is his ideal. Angry at his son’s stubbornness, the old prince shouts at him to go to his Bonaparte. Andrei is getting ready to leave. The man is tormented by mixed feelings. Marya, Andrei’s sister, asks his brother to put on “an old icon of the savior with a black face in a silver robe on a silver chain of fine workmanship” and blesses him with the image. Andrei asks the old prince to take care of his wife Lisa. Nikolai Andreevich, although he seems strict, betrays the letter of recommendation to Kutuzov. At the same time, saying goodbye to his son, he gets upset. Having said a cold goodbye to Lisa, Andrei leaves.
Austerlitz planting
The beginning of the Battle of Austerlitz. At 5 am the movement of Russian columns began. stood heavy fog and smoke from fires, behind which one could not see those around him or the direction. There is chaos in the movement. Due to the shift of the Austrians to the right, there was great confusion. Kutuzov becomes the head of the 4th column and leads it. Before the battle, the emperor asks Kutuzov why the battle has not yet begun, to which the old commander-in-chief replies: “That’s why I’m not starting, sir. We are not at the parade and not on Tsaritsyn Meadow.” Before the start of the battle, Bolkonsky was firmly convinced that “today was the day of his Toulon.” Through the dissipating fog, the Russians see French troops much closer than expected, break the formation and flee from the enemy. Kutuzov orders them to be stopped and Prince Andrei runs forward, leading the battalion behind him. On the right flank, commanded by Bagration, at 9 o’clock nothing has yet begun, so the commander sends Rostov to the commander-in-chief for orders to begin military operations. Rostov, advancing along the Russian front, does not believe that the enemy is already practically in their rear. Near the village of Praca, Rostov finds only upset crowds of Russians. Beyond the village of Gostieradek, Rostov finally saw the sovereign, but did not dare to approach him. At this time, Captain Tol, seeing the pale Alexander, helps him cross the ditch, for which the emperor shakes his hand. Rostov regrets his indecision and goes to Kutuzov’s headquarters. At the fifth hour in the Battle of Austerlitz, the Russians lost on all counts. The Russians are retreating. At the Augest dam they are overtaken by French artillery cannonade. The soldiers are trying to advance by walking over the dead. Dolokhov jumps from the dam onto the ice, others run after him, but the ice cannot stand it, everyone drowns. The wounded Bolkonsky lies on Pratsenskaya Mountain, bleeding and, without noticing it, quietly groaning, in the evening he falls into oblivion. Waking up from burning pain, he felt alive again, thinking that “he knew nothing, nothing until now.” Suddenly, the tramp of approaching French is heard, among them Napoleon. Bonaparte praises his soldiers, looking at the dead and wounded. Seeing Bolkonsky, he says that his death is wonderful, while for Andrei all this did not matter: “His head was burning; he felt that he was emanating blood, and he saw above him the distant, high and eternal sky. He knew that it was Napoleon - his hero, but at that moment Napoleon seemed to him such a small, insignificant person in comparison with what was now happening between his soul and this high, endless sky with clouds running across it. Bonaparte notices that Bolkonsky is alive and orders him to be taken to the dressing station. Together with the other wounded, the man remains in the care of the local population. In his delirium, he sees quiet pictures of life and happiness in the Bald Mountains, which is destroyed by little Napoleon. The doctor claims that Bolkonsky's delirium will end rather death than recovery.
Discipline: Russian language and literature
Job type: Abstract
Topic: The Bolkonsky family in the novel "War and Peace"
Atamanov. 10 "A"
The Bolkonsky family in the novel “””””””\"War and Peace\".
The novel “War and Peace” is the largest work of world literature. It alone combines a beautiful image historical events, the “Dialectics of the Soul” is superbly depicted, with
shown with great accuracy historical figures, and finally, several perfectly described different families. In general, the entire novel proceeds along several parallel storylines,
intertwined one way or another. This means there are several main characters in the novel. Namely: Pierre Bezukhov, Natasha Rostova, Andrei Bolkonsky. Pierre's family is not very large: his sisters, his daughters
father and his wife, whom he never loved. The Rostov family is much larger, but that is not what interests us, we are interested in the family of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. She smaller family Rostov, but this
does not diminish the interest of the reader and the author in it. On the contrary, the life of this family is described even more and better than a similar description concerning the Rostovs. The first time we encounter
the Bolkonsky family in in full force at the end of the first part of the first volume, when everyone in Bald Mountains, on the Bolkonskys’ main estate, is awaiting the arrival of Prince Andrei and his wife. From now on
a lot becomes clear, and one might say almost everything, about this family, about all their members. Starting with the old prince and ending with mlle Bourienne. Before starting to describe family members,
It should be said that everyone in the Bolkonsky family is special in their own way. If we draw a parallel with the Rostovs, we can immediately say: this is absolutely different people. Rostov - simple
nobles, good-natured father, kind mother, generous son, carefree children. Here everything is completely different. The dictator-father is a submissive daughter, a fearful daughter-in-law, and an independent son. This
an overview of the whole family, which gives some insight into the Bolkonskys. You can figuratively imagine the Bolkonskys as a triangle, at the top of which is their father, Prince Nikolai Andreevich
Bolkonsky, on the other peak Andrei, and not the third, Princess Marya Bolkonskaya with Lisa, the wife of Prince Andrei. These are three fronts, three completely opposite groups (if you can call it that
one or two people) per family.
Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky bore the rank of general-in-chief, that is, the same as Kutuzov had at that time, with whom he was very close.
I know him well. Despite the lifting of the ban on leaving the village, which he received from the new Emperor Alexander, he had no intention of leaving anywhere, since his Bald Mountains were his
a real empire, and he was their emperor, moreover, an autocratic dictator. “With the people around him, from his daughter to his servants, the prince was harsh and invariably demanding, and therefore,
being cruel, he aroused in himself fear and respect, which the most cruel person could not easily achieve.” But despite this attitude of the prince towards the others there was such a person,
architect Mikhail Ivanovich, who always dined with him, and whom the prince respected, despite his simple origin. He “said that all people are equal, and more than once inspired his daughter
that Mikhaila Ivanovich is no worse than you and me. At table, the prince most often addressed the dumb Mikhail Ivanovich.” This is undoubtedly more than strange if you look at his attitude
to his daughter and servants. The same thing was observed later, when the prince swore that he would marry mlle Bourienne, in response to Prince Andrei’s request for a blessing for his wedding with Natasha Rostova. This
It seemed absurd, but the prince really began to bring the Frenchwoman closer to him. Marya began to suffer even more at that time. Timid, quiet, not bringing anyone, even the most disgusting
the cockroach is evil, dies, which no one needed, even Prince Andrei suffers greatly, despite the fact that he did not love his wife as much as he would later love Natasha; "about two hours after
At this point, Prince Andrei entered his father’s office with quiet steps. The old man already knew everything. He stood right at the door, and as soon as it opened, the old man silently, with his senile, hard hands, like a vice,
grabbed his son’s neck and sobbed like a child.” This open...
Pick up fileIn the novel “War and Peace”, the depiction of historical events, the “dialectics of the soul” is combined with descriptions of several completely different families and their destinies.
In the Bolkonsky family, everyone is an individual.
Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky bore the rank of general-in-chief, that is, the same as Kutuzov had at that time, with whom he was very familiar. Despite the lifting of the ban on leaving the village, which he received from the new Emperor Alexander, he had no intention of leaving anywhere, since the Bald Mountains were his real empire, and he was an emperor in them, moreover, an autocratic dictator. “With the people around him, from his daughter to his servants, the prince was harsh and invariably demanding, and therefore, without being cruel, he aroused in himself fear and respect, which the most cruel person could not easily achieve.” But there was such a person, the architect Mikhail Ivanovich, who always dined with him and whom the prince respected, despite his simple origin. He repeatedly impressed upon his daughter that Mikhaila Ivanovich was no worse than them. “At table, the prince most often turned to the dumb Mikhail Ivanovich.” This is undoubtedly more than strange if you pay attention to his attitude towards his daughter and servants.
The same thing was observed later, when the prince swore that he would marry mlle Bourienne in response to Prince Andrei’s request for a blessing for his wedding with Natasha Rostova. This seemed absurd, but the prince really began to bring the Frenchwoman closer to him. Marya began to suffer even more at that time.
Timid, quiet, having brought no harm to anyone, the wife of Prince Andrei dies. “Two hours later, Prince Andrei entered his father’s office with quiet steps. The old man already knew everything. He stood right at the door, and as soon as it opened, the old man silently, with his senile, hard hands, like a vice, grabbed his son’s neck and sobbed like a child.” Even he, the stern Prince Bolkonsky, managed to become very attached to the little princess. After her death, Marya was left without a good friend, which Princess Bolkonskaya managed to become for her. And then the process of separation begins with both Mlle Bourienne and Julie Kuragina. Only at the very end does she find the long-awaited happiness - Nikolai Rostov.
By 1812, life in the Bolkonsky family became almost unbearable for Princess Marya, the prince became even more grumpy and picky towards his daughter. Princess Marya is devout, and the prince completely denied idleness and religion. These two integral details of that time were prohibited in the empire of Prince Bol-konsky; for him, holidays were replaced by work at the machine, and faith was replaced by comprehending the heights of mathematics. He wanted to make Princess Marya the same, but he did not succeed, which is why frequent quarrels occurred. And so in 1812, when Napoleon was on the outskirts of Smolensk, and therefore the Bald Mountains, the prince dies and before his death asks for forgiveness from his daughter. Thus ends the history of the empire, the great Lysogorsk empire of Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky.
Prince Andrei is one of the main characters of the novel. A man of honor, independent, patriotic, good friend and an adviser - this is how he is throughout the novel, from the first meeting with Pierre in St. Petersburg to the explosion of a cannonball on the Borodino field and his death. At the same time, Prince Andrei goes through contradictions, like his father: his desire for glory was a mistake.
The turning point comes after Austerlitz, when he says that “he will not fight, even if the French stand near the Bald Mountains.” The sky of Austerlitz is the first peak on the path of Prince Andrei. The episode is written with extraordinary skill and subtle psychologism: “... the clouds crawl in a different way, so the high, endless sky. How come I haven’t seen this high sky before? And how happy I am that I finally recognized him. Yes! Everything is empty, everything is deception, except this endless sky. There is nothing, nothing but him. But even that is not there, there is nothing but silence, tranquility. And thank God!..”
Nature changed the life of Prince Andrei, and after that he began to lead a completely different lifestyle: he settled on the Bogucharovo estate and took up purely economic affairs. And again everything was changed by the beauty of the surrounding world - Prince Andrei saw an old oak tree: “There was an oak tree on the edge of the road. Probably ten times older than the birch trees that made up the forest, it was ten times thicker and twice as tall as each birch tree. It was a huge oak tree, two girths wide, with branches that had apparently been broken off long ago and with broken bark... only he alone did not want to submit to the charm of spring and did not want to see either spring or the sun. “Spring, and love, and happiness! - it was as if this oak tree was speaking. “And how can you not get tired of the same stupid and senseless deception!..” And then, returning, Prince Andrei saw the new life of this oak tree and decided that it was time for him to start new life: “The old oak tree, completely transformed, spread out like a tent of lush, dark greenery, was thrilled, slightly swaying in the rays of the evening sun... No, life is not over at thirty-one...” Andrei Bolkonsky is a searching hero, changing and therefore positive in L.N. Tolstoy. He reaches his last peak on the Borodino field, and the author compares as equal magnitudes the apotheosis of the spirit of Prince Andrei and the victory of the entire Russian people, of which Bolkonsky felt himself a part in the battle.
And the old prince, and Andrei, and Marya Bolkonsky - each of them is interesting to the author in his own way, each represents a certain type, but they are united by a special spirituality, the bearers of which in the novel are only a few heroes. And we can say that the Bolkonsky family is a separate, spiritual center of the novel “War and Peace.”