Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy is the most widely known Russian writer, first of all, a folk writer. Let us consider the theme of the people in, perhaps, his greatest work - the novel “War and Peace”.
What are people for Tolstoy? These are not only peasants, not only nobles, not even just Russians. A people is people united with each other, united by a common thought, a common feeling, a common cause.
We can also trace the connection of the main characters with the people. Natasha Rostova herself, it is unclear when and where, absorbed the Russian spirit, was able to understand everything that was in every Russian person. And in the future, she only proves her connection with the people by freeing carts for the wounded, instead of saving the family’s property. Or Andrei Bolkonsky, who felt the people in his soldiers, led them with him and did not abandon them in favor of a more prestigious appointment.
We also see representatives of the people among the secondary characters.
This, of course, is Platon Karataev, met by Pierre, who opened the path to happiness for him, this is Kutuzov, who feels the spirit of the Russian army like no other, the merchant Ferapontov and others, who are ready to burn their property so that the French do not get it, these are many, many people, who are not indifferent to the fate of their country, their Motherland.
In the novel, Tolstoy repeatedly notes that, despite what is usually said about historical figures, particularly prominent people, rulers and generals, it is the people who are the main thing character history. And the Patriotic War of one thousand eight hundred and twelve showed this to the whole world. Because it was not the generals and rulers who won it - it was the Russian people who won it. The people who did not allow themselves to be captured, who resisted with all their might - organized partisan detachments, deprived the French of booty and simply, openly, fought with them.
It is not without reason that the theme of the people, Tolstoy’s favorite, sounds with all its might in this novel.
Image common people the author of War and Peace pays a lot of attention. The peasantry appears before us in the person of serfs, corvées and courtyard workers, and in the person of soldiers who retain their peasant traits, and in the person of partisans.
As Tolstoy's worldview changes, he is interested in different aspects of the external and inner life peasants, but he always draws them unusually truthfully and vividly. The crowd scenes with their diversity of behavior and relationships of individual characters are amazing in their skill; speech characteristics amaze with their life truth.
When describing the campaign of 1805 in Austria, Russian peasants appear as living people, dressed in soldiers' greatcoats, but without losing their special peasant appearance. They go to fight, not knowing exactly why, with whom and where. On a hike, people show their usual endurance, simplicity, good nature, cheerfulness - a sign of great physical and moral strength. Making a tedious transition, they exchange separate phrases among themselves. At the command of the captain, the songwriters ran forward, sang a song, and after that the soldier ran forward and began to dance. But the soldiers are shown in battle, in action, in hard work during the time mortal danger looming over Russia, and one immediately feels new feature folk character- perseverance and courage.
During the heroic battle of Shengraben, the battery that was left without cover continued to fire and was not taken by the French. Within an hour, seventeen out of forty servants were killed,” but the soldiers, led by their officer, continued to courageously fight against the superior forces of the enemy. Over the course of several years of work on War and Peace, Tolstoy’s interest in the peasantry increased and the nature of his portrayal changed somewhat. The plight of the people is becoming increasingly clearer. On Bezukhov’s estates and after his “reforms,” “the peasants continue to give with work and money everything that they give from others, that is, everything they can date.
The old Prince Bolkonsky orders his servant to be handed over to the soldiers because he mistakenly served coffee first to the prince’s daughter, and not to the French woman who was enjoying it. given time the old man's disposition. Such manifestations of lordly tyranny were not isolated
phenomena, as is clear from Andrei Bolkonsky’s conversation with Pierre during their trip to Bald Mountains. Describing the Rostovs' hunt, Tolstoy introduces something new, cameo person- landowner Ilagin, owner of a wonderful hunting dog, for which the “representable, courteous gentleman” “a year ago gave three families of servants to his neighbor.”
The discontent of the peasants is manifested repeatedly in War and Peace. The dissatisfaction of the peasants with their position, the awareness of the injustice of the existing system is emphasized by such a small episode. When the wounded Prince Andrei was brought to the dressing station and the doctor ordered him to be immediately carried into the tent, “a murmur arose in the crowd of waiting wounded.
“Apparently. and in the next world the gentlemen will live alone. – said one.”
The proximity of the French shook the lordly power. and men begin to talk openly about it. that they have been sick for a long time. The hatred of the peasants for the landowners was so great. as well as “the last stay of Prince Andrei in Bogucharovo. with his innovations hospitals. schools and relief of rent. – did not soften their morals, but... against. strengthened those character traits in them. which the old prince called savagery."
Princess Marya’s promises to give them bread and care in new places did not inspire confidence in them either. where she suggested they move.
However, the nobles do not feel calm either. The meaning of this concern is clearly expressed by Pierre. speaking in the epilogue to Nikolai Rostov. that it is necessary to prevent possible Pugachevism. But. despite his difficult situation. the peasants do not want to give up their homeland to the power of the French invaders and at the same time show boundless courage and fortitude. Mobilized men -
Before the Battle of Borodino, the militia put on clean shirts: they prepared for death. but not to retreat.
The expression of this simple and sincere. alien...
1867 L. M. Tolstoy finished work on the epoch-making novel of his work "". The author noted that in “War and Peace” he “loved the people’s thought,” poetizing the simplicity, kindness and morality of the Russian people. This “popular thought” is revealed by depicting the events of the Patriotic War of 1812. It is no coincidence that L. Tolstoy describes the war of 1812 only on the territory of Russia. The historian and realist artist L. Tolstoy showed that Patriotic War 1812 was a just war. In defense, the Russians raised their baton people's war, which punished the French until the invasion was stopped." The war radically changed the life of the entire Russian people.
The author introduces The novel contains many images of men, Soldiers, whose thoughts and considerations together make up the people's worldview. Force majeure the Russian people is fully felt in the heroism and patriotism of the residents of Moscow, forced to leave their hometown, their treasure, but not conquered in their souls; peasants refuse to sell food and hay to enemies and create partisan detachments. L. Tolstoy showed real heroes, persistent and firm in fulfilling their military duties, in the images of Tushin and Timokhin. The theme of the people's element is revealed more expressively in the depiction of guerrilla warfare. Tolstoy creates bright image partisan Tikhon Shcherbatov, who arbitrarily joined Denisov’s detachment and was “the most useful person in the squad." - a generalized image of the Russian peasant. In the novel, he appears on those pages where Pierre's stay in captivity is depicted. The meeting with Karataev changes a lot of things in Pierre's attitude towards life. Deep folk wisdom as if concentrated in the image of Plato. This is calm, sensible wisdom, without tricks and cruelty. From her, Pierre changes, begins to experience life in a new way, and is renewed in soul.
Hatred for the enemy representatives of all layers of Russian society felt equally, and the patriotism and closeness to the people most inherent in Tolstoy’s favorite heroes -,. The simple Russian woman Vasilisa, the merchant Feropontov, and the family of Count Rostov feel unity in their desire to help the country. The spiritual strength that the Russian people showed in the Patriotic War of 1812 is the same strength that supported their activity as a talented Russian and commander. He was elected commander-in-chief “against the will of the sovereign and in accordance with the will of the people.” This is why, Tolstoy believes, he was able to fulfill his great historical mission, since each person is worth something not on his own, but only when he is part of his people. Thanks to unity, high patriotic enthusiasm and moral strength, the Russian people won the war.
"People's Thought" – main idea novel "War and Peace". Tolstoy knew that simple life people, with their “personal” destinies, vicissitudes, and joy constitute the fate and history of the country. “I tried to write the history of the people,” said Tolstoy, of the people in the broad sense of the word. Therefore, “people's thought” plays a huge role for the author, affirming the place of the people as a decisive force in history.
The author of War and Peace pays a lot of attention to the depiction of ordinary people. The peasantry appears before us in the person of serfs, corvées and courtyard workers, and in the person of soldiers who retain their peasant traits, and in the person of partisans. As Tolstoy's worldview changes, he is interested in different aspects of the external and internal life of the peasants, but he always draws them unusually truthfully and vividly. The crowd scenes with their diversity of behavior and relationships of individual characters are amazing in their skill; speech characteristics amaze with their life truth.
When describing the campaign of 1805 in Austria, Russian peasants appear as living people, dressed in soldiers' greatcoats, but without losing their special peasant appearance. They go to fight, not knowing exactly why, with whom and where. On a hike, people show their usual endurance, simplicity, good nature, and cheerfulness - a sign of great physical and moral strength. Making a tedious transition, they exchange separate phrases among themselves. At the command of the captain, the songwriters ran forward, sang a song, and after that the soldier ran forward and began to dance. But now the soldiers are shown in battle, in action, in hard work in a time of mortal danger hanging over Russia, and a new feature of the people’s character is immediately felt - perseverance and courage.
During the heroic battle of Shengraben, the battery that was left without cover continued to fire and was not taken by the French. Within an hour, seventeen out of forty servants were killed,” but the soldiers, led by their officer, continued to courageously fight against the superior forces of the enemy. Over the course of several years of work on War and Peace, Tolstoy’s interest in the peasantry increased and the nature of his portrayal changed somewhat. The plight of the people is becoming increasingly clearer. On Bezukhov’s estates and after his “reforms,” “the peasants continue to give with work and money everything that they give from others, that is, everything they can date.
The old Prince Bolkonsky orders his servant to serve as a soldier because he mistakenly served coffee first to the prince’s daughter, and not to the Frenchwoman who was currently enjoying the old man’s favor. Such manifestations of lordly tyranny were not isolated occurrences, as is clear from Andrei Bolkonsky’s conversation with Pierre during their trip to Bald Mountains. Describing the Rostovs' hunt, Tolstoy introduces a new, episodic person - the landowner Ilagin, the owner of a wonderful hunting dog, for which the “representative, courteous gentleman” “a year ago gave three families of servants to his neighbor.”
The discontent of the peasants is manifested repeatedly in War and Peace. The dissatisfaction of the peasants with their position, the awareness of the injustice of the existing system is emphasized by such a small episode. When the wounded Prince Andrei was brought to the dressing station and the doctor ordered him to be immediately carried to the tent, “a murmur arose in the crowd of waiting wounded.
“Apparently. and in the next world the gentlemen will live alone. - said one." The proximity of the French shook the lordly power. and men begin to talk openly about it. that they have been sick for a long time. The hatred of the peasants for the landowners was so great. as well as “the last stay of Prince Andrei in Bogucharovo. with his innovations hospitals. schools and ease of rent. - did not soften their morals, but. against. strengthened those character traits in them. which the old prince called savagery." Princess Marya’s promises to give them bread and care in new places did not inspire confidence in them either. where she suggested they move.
However, the nobles do not feel calm either. The meaning of this concern is clearly expressed by Pierre. speaking in the epilogue to Nikolai Rostov. that it is necessary to prevent possible Pugachevism. But. despite his difficult situation. the peasants do not want to give up their homeland to the power of the French invaders and at the same time show boundless courage and fortitude. Before the Battle of Borodino, the mobilized militia men put on clean shirts: they prepared for death. but not to retreat. The expression of this simple and sincere. alien to any panache and theatricality of love for one’s homeland is unshakable perseverance. the courage of Russian soldiers. The valiant Russian warriors have nothing ostentatious. They stand in their places and that the French do not dare to attack anymore.” This incomprehensible strength of the Russian army was the strength of the Russian people. fighting for his homeland. And Tolstoy again leads the reader to the source of this strength of the Russian army - ordinary Russian people. peasants. dressed in soldiers' greatcoats.
The same Prince Andrei, who once, in a conversation with Pierre, from his aristocratic position, spoke so contemptuously about the peasants, as he came into close contact with the soldier-peasant mass in the common cause of defending the homeland, he was imbued with deep respect for them. Not only that part of the people that was mobilized into the army took part in the fight against the invaders. After the Battle of Borodino, the French “had no fodder to feed horses and cattle. Nothing could help this disaster, because the surrounding men burned their hay and did not give it to the French.” The peasantry played a huge role in the final destruction of the enemy and by organizing partisan detachments that fearlessly exterminated Napoleon’s “great” army.
Peasants, including soldiers, perform in “War and Peace” prominently, vividly, convincingly truthfully, thanks to a huge number individual bright sketches, sometimes small strokes, characterizing the general appearance of the masses. From time to time, individual artistically complete images emerge from the general mass for a more or less long period of time. Each of them has its own striking features. For example, Platon Karataev, who played such an important role in the life of Pierre Bezukhov, differs sharply from the headman of Dron. Complete indifference to deprivation, the “swarm principle”, simplicity, affection - all this struck Pierre as a sharp contrast with the need for luxury, careerism, gross selfishness and arrogance “ high society", the society of the Kuragins, Sherers and the like, which weighed so heavily on him. The humanity and compassion of this Russian peasant helped Pierre to re-enter the world of human relations after the terrible spectacle of the execution of innocent people in Moscow occupied by the enemy.
Peering into Karataev’s simple activities, his attitude towards people and life in general, Pierre, as it seemed to him at that time, found a solution to the dissatisfaction that tormented him. Reconciliation with all the suffering and hardships that befell him, confidence in the expediency of everything that was happening seemed to Pierre at that time greatest wisdom life. Karataev’s life, “as he himself looked at it, had no meaning as a separate life. It made sense only as a part of the whole, which he constantly felt.” Positive qualities Karataev in Pierre’s eyes was not diminished by his thievery or lack of special attachments: “Platon Karataev remained forever in Pierre’s soul as the strongest and dearest memory and the personification of everything Russian, good and round.” The image of Karataev is not given by Tolstoy directly from himself, but only through the perception of Pierre, and in a special way state of mind, and this leaves a special imprint on him. Particular significance is given to this image by the peculiar speech, which contains very little of Karataev’s own, but in which centuries-old folk wisdom resounds. But these sayings do not always reflect his personal feelings and life rules. Along with speech characteristics Karataev's image is revealed through his labor activity and attitude towards other people. Tolstoy is touched by Karataev’s patience, humility, goodness, compassion and hard work. The author embellished his speech wise sayings, borrowed from centuries-old life experience a number of generations, but did not at all show him as the embodiment of the best traits of the people, although Karataev’s fatalism is to some extent consonant with the views of the author. Showing in the person of Karataev endless patience and all-encompassing kindness and benevolence, Tolstoy obscures the severity of class contradictions between landowners and peasants. A different type is given in the image of the partisan Tikhon Shcherbaty. At a time when the commanders of large detachments did not yet dare to think about invading the very center of the French army, “the Cossacks and men who climbed among the French believed that now everything was possible.”
Among these men, for whom “everything is possible,” Tikhon Shcherbaty stands out with his extraordinary daring. First, he caught the “miroders” while living in his village of Pokrovskoye near Gzhat, and then joined Denisov’s partisan detachment. There he performed all kinds of hard household work, and then, when he showed his fearlessness and dexterity, he was enlisted in the Cossacks. Tikhon was the most useful and brave man in the detachment. No one else discovered cases of French attacks. Tikhon was not proud of his exploits, but once he was wounded and since then he has not taken prisoners: apparently, the wound embittered him. One of the manifestations inner strength Shcherbaty is also his ability to humorously portray even the most dangerous situations in which he found himself. Along with love for the motherland, perseverance, simplicity and selfless courage, along with close comradeship and a sense of collectivity, Tolstoy shows a special feature of the Russian people - humanity. After the enemy was defeated, in the souls of the people “the feeling of insult and revenge” replaced the axis with “contempt and pity.”
When Kutuzov on November 5, the first day of the Battle of Krasnensky, rode with his “huge retinue of generals who were dissatisfied with him and whispering behind him,” he saw French prisoners disfigured by sores and tearing raw meat with their hands. The same good-natured attitude towards prisoners is also evident in the descriptions of the subsequent stages of the expulsion of the French army from Russia. Russian soldiers lift and carry the weakened Rambal to the officer's hut. Thus, in Tolstoy’s great work, peasant Rus' emerges in all its diversity, with all its contradictions, with its strength and weakness.
The folk theme is the main theme of War and Peace. It should be noted that the image of Karataev is in conflict with the general image of the Russian people - a fearless defender of their homeland. Less attention than the peasantry is paid to the urban lower classes in War and Peace, but they are depicted with great artistic power and truth.
In Smolensk, the population sets fire to their houses so that the French do not get anything. The small merchant Ferapontov, in despair, shouts for the soldiers to take everything and that he himself will set fire to his house. These abandoned people do not believe in the possibility of leaving Moscow and, reading Rastopchin’s posters, go to Count Rastopchin for instructions on how and where to take part in the defense hometown. But Rostopchin, with his ostentatious, false patriotism, does not know the ordinary Russian people and is afraid of them. Having provoked the murder of Vereshchagin, he leaves Moscow from the back porch, reflecting in French that “the crowd of people is terrible, disgusting. They are like wolves: you can’t satisfy them with anything except meat.” And these “wolves,” the crowd that Rostopchin had pushed to kill, began to hastily move around the lying bloody corpse. These people then took upon themselves the full brunt of life in a city occupied by enemies, even to the point of executions for arson for which they were not guilty. Thus, before us passes Russian peasantry(and partly the urban lower classes) in all its diversity, with its selfless love to his homeland, with his fearlessness, endurance, hard work, with his deep humanity - traits that developed in the conditions of working life. It was in this class, despite its weaknesses and shadow sides, noticed by the keen eye of the brilliant realist writer, that the strength of Russia at that time lay.
“War and Peace” is one of the brightest works of world literature, revealing the extraordinary richness of human destinies, characters, an unprecedented breadth of coverage of life phenomena, the deepest image major events in the history of the Russian people. The basis of the novel, as L.N. Tolstoy admitted, is “folk thought.” “I tried to write the history of the people,” said Tolstoy. The people in the novel are not only peasants and peasant soldiers in disguise, but also the Rostovs' courtyard people, and the merchant Ferapontov, and the army officers Tushin and Timokhin, and representatives of the privileged class - the Bolkonskys, Pierre Bezukhov, the Rostovs, and Vasily Denisov, and the field marshal Kutuzov, that is, those Russian people for whom the fate of Russia was not indifferent. The people are opposed by a bunch of court aristocrats and a “big-faced” merchant, worried about his goods before the French capture Moscow, that is, those people who are completely indifferent to the fate of the country.
In the epic novel there are more than five hundred characters, a description of two wars is given, the events unfold in Europe and Russia, but, like cement, all the elements of the novel are held together by “folk thought” and “original moral attitude author to the subject." According to L.N. Tolstoy, an individual person is valuable only when he is an integral part of a great whole, his people. “His hero is an entire country fighting the invasion of the enemy,” wrote V. G. Korolenko. The novel begins with a description of the 1805 campaign, which did not touch the hearts of the people. Tolstoy does not hide the fact that the soldiers not only did not understand the goals of this war, but even vaguely imagined who Russia’s ally was. Tolstoy is not interested foreign policy Alexander I, his attention is drawn to the love of life, modesty, courage, endurance, and dedication of the Russian people. Tolstoy's main task is to show decisive role masses in historical events, to show the greatness and beauty of the feat of the Russian people in conditions of mortal danger, when psychologically a person reveals himself most fully.
The basis of the plot of the novel is the Patriotic War of 1812. The war brought decisive changes to the life of the entire Russian people. All the usual living conditions had shifted, everything was now assessed in the light of the danger that hung over Russia. Nikolai Rostov returns to the army, Petya volunteers to go to war, old Prince Bolkonsky forms a militia detachment from his peasants, Andrei Bolkonsky decides to serve not in the headquarters, but directly command the regiment. Pierre Bezukhov gave part of his money to equip the militia. The Smolensk merchant Ferapontov, in whose mind an alarming thought about the “destruction” of Russia arose when he learned that the city was being surrendered, does not seek to save property, but calls on the soldiers to drag everything from the store so that nothing goes to the “devils.”
The War of 1812 is more represented crowd scenes. The people begin to realize the danger as the enemy approaches Smolensk. The fire and surrender of Smolensk, the death of the old Prince Bolkonsky at the time of the review of the peasant militia, the loss of the harvest, the retreat of the Russian army - all this increases the tragedy of the events. At the same time, Tolstoy shows that in this difficult situation something new was born that was supposed to destroy the French. In the growing mood of determination and bitterness against the enemy, Tolstoy sees the source of the approaching turning point in the course of the war. The outcome of the war was determined long before its end by the “spirit” of the army and the people. This decisive “spirit” was the patriotism of the Russian people, which manifested itself simply and naturally: the people abandoned cities and villages captured by the French; refused to sell food and hay to enemies; partisan detachments were formed behind enemy lines.
The Battle of Borodino is the climax of the novel. Pierre Bezukhov, watching the soldiers, experiences a feeling of horror of death and suffering that war brings, on the other hand, a consciousness of the “solemnity and significance of the upcoming minute” that the people inspire in him. Pierre became convinced of how deeply, with all his heart, the Russian people understand the meaning of what is happening. The soldier, who called him “countryman,” tells him confidentially: “They want to rush in with all the people; one word - Moscow. They want to make one end.” The militias who have just arrived from the depths of Russia, in accordance with custom, put on clean shirts, realizing that they will have to die. Old soldiers refuse to drink vodka - “not such a day, they say.”
In these simple ones associated with folk concepts and customs and forms showed the high moral strength of the Russian people. The high patriotic spirit and moral strength of the people brought victory to Russia in the War of 1812.