What does glory mean in Bolkonsky’s understanding? The moral quest of Andrei Bolkonsky
Heroes of L.N. Tolstoy is very difficult to define unambiguously. They are not divided into good and bad, kind and evil, smart and stupid, they simply live, search, often making mistakes in their search.
Prince Andrei Bolkonsky is one of the brightest and most tragic figures in the novel “War and Peace”. From his first appearance on the pages of the work until his death from wounds in the Rostov house, Bolkonsky’s life is subject to its own internal logic.
And in military service, and in political activity, both in the world and, most strangely, in love, Andrei remains lonely and misunderstood. Closedness and skepticism - here distinctive features Andrei even in his communication with his loved ones: father, sister, Pierre, Natasha. Marya tells him: “You are good to everyone, Andre, but you have some kind of pride of thought.” But he is far from a misanthrope. With all his soul he wants to find a use for his mind and abilities, “with all the strength of his soul he was looking for one thing: to be completely good...” But his life is not like a search for the new, but like an escape from the old. A sharp mind pushes him to activity, but the inner feeling of the elements of life stops him, pointing out the futility of a person’s efforts. Andrey's endeavors end in disappointment. His sincere desire to serve his homeland and cause is faced with general indifference.
A man with a sober and skeptical mind, Prince Andrei could not find a place for himself in the environment of deceitful self-interest and flattering careerism that reigned in secular and military life. His patriotism and responsibility for the cause are most clearly manifested in the service of Speransky and in the War of 1812: “He was entirely devoted to the affairs of his regiment, he was caring about his people and officers and affectionate with them. In the regiment they called him “our prince,” they were proud of him and loved him.” But gradually he comes to the conclusion that all his efforts are nothing more than vanity.
The life path of Prince Andrei is a story of disappointments, but at the same time a story of comprehending the meaning of life. Bolkonsky is gradually getting rid of illusions - the desire for secular fame, military career, to socially useful activities. In a dispute with Pierre, he denies the possibility of transformation even within the estate. However, he himself reforms his farm and sets the peasants free, which was an unheard-of innovation at that time.
The main thing in Andrei Bolkonsky’s nature is honesty and sincerity, so he is afraid of big words and promises. It is better to remain silent and inactive, and if you do something, then also without further ado.
Even with Speransky, he behaves warily, although in his heart he welcomes his endeavors.
The prince considers any talk about love for “neighbors” to be hypocrisy. You should love yourself and your family first. And by respecting himself and acting with honor, a person will inevitably be useful to people, in any case, he will not harm them. Andrei considers responsibility for other people an exorbitant burden, and making decisions for them as irresponsible and narcissistic.
Prince Andrei's periods of disappointment are replaced by periods of happiness and spiritual rebirth. So happy time For him there were the battles at Austerlitz, service in the military commission, love for Natasha. But these happy moments were again replaced by inner devastation and disappointment.
One of the most important issues, tormented by Andrei Bolkonsky, there was a question about man’s place in life. He is convinced that everything happens not at the behest of heroes and leaders, but by itself, by chance or by the will of fate.
This truth was revealed to him especially clearly on the eve of the Battle of Borodino. Honest and frank with himself, Andrei wants the same frankness and clarity in the expected events: “If there is war now, then war. War is not a courtesy, but the most disgusting thing in life, and we must understand this and not play at war.” He reaches the value of the life of the individual, from the marshal to the soldier.
The wound and the dying thoughts that followed it turn Andrei’s consciousness upside down. For him, it becomes clearer what he always carried within himself, but did not let out, an understanding of the simplicity of life and love as main value, which makes people people. Dying, he forgives Natasha, Anatoly Kuragin, and the whole world with all its shortcomings.
Andrei Bolkonsky went from ambitious egoism and pride to self-denial. His life is an evolution of pride human mind, resisting unconscious kindness and love, which constitute the meaning of human life. A lonely and proud hero, even if very smart and positive in all respects, according to L.N. Tolstoy, cannot be useful to this world.
Topic: “Life and death through the eyes of Andrei Bolkonsky”
Moscow 2011
Bolkonsky is one of the most significant and unsolved characters in the epic novel War and Peace. He belongs to the number fictional characters, which allows the author to put into it his thoughts about the world, to make him a deep, versatile, contradictory person, containing the most opposite and mysterious qualities, without obliging himself to history. At the same time, Prince Andrei is not divorced from real world And historical events of his era, he lives in the real Russia of that time, serves the real Emperor Alexander and even participates in real battles: Shengraben, Austerlitz and Borodino. This connection fictional character With real life and history, his unique and unambiguous views on which he continuously conveys to the reader, allows him to dive deeply into the understanding and misunderstanding of the world by the author, the people of that time, and to think about the unsolvable mysteries of the eternal and the transitory.
Andrei Bolkonsky, in addition, belongs to the heroes searching for the meaning of life. Like Pierre Bezukhov and Natasha Rostova, he is constantly in search of himself and the truth, makes mistakes, and his inner self develops. It cannot be said about Prince Andrei that he is ready to unselfishly love the people around him, that he is open to the world and lives by compassion and self-sacrifice, like Princess Marya and Platon Karataev. It cannot be said about him that fame, position in society and personal gain became the goal of life for him forever, like Berg or Boris Drubetsky. Andrei Bolkonsky changes surprisingly radically throughout the novel. Prince Andrei is faced with the two most contradictory sides of existence, similar to war and peace - life and death. No one's life was so filled with searches, no one's death caused such different reactions.
Prince Andrei's life changes dramatically when he has to reconsider his values and change his views. Events such as the death of his wife, the birth of his son, the war, the battles of Schöngraben, Austerlitz and Borodino, love for Natasha, conversations with Pierre and even a “meeting” with an old oak tree greatly influence him. Prince Andrei talked quite differently about life and death at the beginning of the novel, before he had to really fight for life for the first time after being wounded at Austerlitz. Before this injury, the goal of his life was fame, his face was spoiled by a grimace, his look was tired and bored, the people around him were uninteresting to him: “He, apparently, not only knew everyone in the living room, but was so tired of him that he it was very boring for him to look at them and listen to them.” Thoughts of Andrei Bolkonsky during this period, reflecting him internal state, they frighten: “I will never tell this to anyone, but, my God! What should I do if I love nothing but glory, human love? Death, wounds, loss of family, I’m not afraid of anything. And no matter how dear and dear many people are to me - my father, sister, wife - the people dearest to me - but, no matter how scary and unnatural it seems, I will give them all now for a moment of glory, triumph over people...” . But, watching what is happening on the battlefield, he sees that true heroes, like Tushin, for whom Prince Andrei stands up, do not find recognition; undeserved fame goes to cunning, crafty people such as Zherkov and Berg. Having been wounded in the head, he looks at the sky and at that moment realizes something eternal, significant, after which he understands the insignificance of his past idol and everything else earthly in comparison with this sky: “Yes, everything is empty, everything is deception, except for this endless sky." At this moment, life and death seem equally insignificant to him: “Looking into the eyes of Napoleon, Prince Andrei thought about the insignificance of greatness, about the insignificance of life, the meaning of which no one could understand, and about the even greater insignificance of death, the meaning of which no one could understand and explain.” of the living."
Prince Andrei believed that, seeking glory, he lived for others and thereby ruined his life. But is this true?
Andrei Bolkonsky does not believe in God; he finds the faith of his sister and the wanderers visiting her funny. But he agrees that virtue only makes sense if there is a God and eternal life. After talking with Pierre on the ferry, he sees the sky for the first time since the Battle of Austerlitz. Afterwards he meets Natasha and finally sees an oak tree in lush dark greenery. From this moment on, Andrei Bolkonsky is again ready to live and search for the meaning of life. Now he believes in the opportunity to influence the future and is interested in Speransky’s activities. But this won't last long.
The culminating war in every sense - the war of 1812 - marked the beginning of the end of the life of Prince Andrei. Now war is not a way to achieve glory, now he talks about war: “War is not a courtesy, but the most disgusting thing in life, and we must understand this and not play at war. We must take this terrible necessity strictly and seriously. That’s all there is to it: throw away the lies, and war is war, not a toy.” Now death has come very close to Prince Andrei, he sees it immediately, looking at the fragment of a grenade: “Is this really death?... I can’t, I don’t want to die, I love life.” Now comes the real struggle of life and death, and not discussions about them, now they are no longer insignificant. Prince Andrei understands that he loves life and wants to live, understands everything that he tried to understand all this time, he realizes too late what he could not realize for many years. And Princess Mary’s Christian love for people, and forgiveness of the enemy. From this moment a long, incomprehensible, mysterious struggle begins in the minds of Andrei Bolkonsky. But he knew from the very beginning that death would win in her.
Everyone perceived the death of Prince Andrei in their own way, which once again characterizes this character in a special way: Nikolushka cried from the painful bewilderment that tore his heart. The Countess and Sonya cried out of pity for Natasha and the fact that he was no more. Old Count he cried that soon, he felt, he would have to take the same terrible step. Natasha and Princess Marya were also crying now, but they were not crying from their personal grief; they cried from the reverent emotion that filled their souls before the realization of the simple and solemn mystery of death that had taken place before them.” No one's death in the novel is described with such detail, through the eyes and thoughts of the people around him, with such a deep study of the clouded consciousness of the dying person. In the end, after a long, tedious absorption of Prince Andrei into death, he turns everything upside down. After his last dream, Prince Andrei understands that for him death is an awakening from life. “Yes, it was death. I died - I woke up. Yes, death is awakening!”
The internal monologues of Andrei Bolkonsky, his actions, relationships with others and his perception of life and death largely help to understand the perception of the author of the novel. His ambiguous life, contradictory thoughts, simple but also mysterious, long haul to death - all this is a reflection of the inner world of many people, searching for meaning life and the key to unraveling the mysteries of the human mind, such as it sees it.
Bibliography:
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http://slovo. ws/heroi/033.html
To the question War and Peace. What has changed in Bolkonsky’s perception of life? What thought does Bolkonsky come to before his death? given by the author Aria McClair the best answer is If you carefully follow how the fates of the main characters developed, we can say: each of them experienced a significant evolution in their views on life. One example is the absolute change in the worldview of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. We first meet him at a reception with Anna Pavlovna Shersr. There all the talk revolves around the personality of Napoleon. Prince Andrei is afraid of his genius, which may “prove stronger than all the courage of the Russian troops,” and at the same time fears “shame for his hero.” Bolkonsky rushes in pursuit of the ideal associated with Napoleon's career. As soon as Prince Andrei learns that the Russian army is in plight, he decides that it is he who is destined to save her and that “here is Toulon, who will open the first path to glory for him.”
However, fate decreed differently. She gave him the opportunity to see his idol, but at the same time showed him the insignificance of his search for earthly glory. Looking at the high Austerlitz sky, the wounded Prince Andrei says to himself: “Yes, I knew nothing, nothing until now.” And when Napoleon approaches him, who, mistaking him for a murdered man, utters the pompous phrase: “What a wonderful death!”, for Bolkonsky this praise is like the buzzing of a fly. Napoleon seems small and insignificant to him in comparison with what was revealed to his consciousness at these moments.
Overcoming the “Napoleonic” ideal is one of the stages in the evolution of Andrei Bolkonsky’s personality. However, when a person loses old ideals and does not gain new ones, an emptiness forms in his soul. So Prince Andrei, after Napoleon was overthrown from his pedestal and abandoned his previous dreams of glory, began a painful search for the meaning of life. Prince Andrei no longer wants to serve in the army.
The prince is trying to live for himself. But such a philosophy only fills his soul with confusion. On the way to Otradnoye, he sees a huge old oak tree. This oak “did not want to submit to the charm of spring and did not want to see either spring or the sun.” Bolkonsky tries to attribute to the oak the thoughts that overcome him: “Spring, love and happiness!.. And how can you not get tired of the same stupid, senseless deception!” But fate again gives him a surprise, which radically changes his whole life. This is the first meeting with Natasha Rostova in Ogradnoye. Just an overheard conversation between her and a friend. This contributed to the fact that “an unexpected confusion of young thoughts and hopes suddenly arose in his soul.” Returning home the next day, Prince Andrey again saw the oak tree. Bolkonsky did not immediately recognize him: “ old oak, completely transformed, spread out like a tent of lush, dark greenery, thrilled, slightly swaying in the rays of the evening sun.” Prince Andrei realized that life is not over and it is necessary to make sure that it flows not for him alone, but affects everyone. This was followed by Prince Andrei’s fascination with the personality of Speransky. It was a kind of “double” of Napoleon. However, the memory of Austerlitz did not allow Prince Andrei to create another idol for himself.
When the War of 1812 began, Bolkonsky went to war, this time not in search of glory, but with the sole desire to share the fate of his people. He changed his attitude towards the peasants, and they paid him with love and trust, calling him “our prince.” After the Battle of Borodino, the mortally wounded Prince Andrei ends up in the hospital and there he suddenly recognizes one of the wounded as Anatoly Kuragin. At that moment, he remembered Natasha at the ball in 1810, since it was at that time that he first felt within himself with extraordinary clarity the power of “natural” life. And now his love for Natasha forced him to color everything around him with this living feeling and forgive Anatoly Kuragin. Death for Prince Andrei in his new state is devoid of horror and tragedy, since the transition “there” is as natural as the arrival of a person from non-existence into the world. Before his death, Prince Andrei comes to the Karataev worldview. The only difference is that for Prince Andrei this understanding of life and death was not given by nature, but became the result of hard work of thought.
Tolstoy loved to repeat Pushkin’s joke: “You know what Tatyana did, she unexpectedly got married to me.” A real hero psychological novel develops its own character, which the author cannot ignore.
Andrei Bolkonsky found himself at the center of Tolstoy's epic quite unexpectedly. When asked by a distant relative where his hero came from, Tolstoy replied:
“In the Battle of Austerlitz, which will be described, but with which I began the novel, I needed a brilliant young man to be killed; in the further course of my novel I only needed the old man Bolkonsky and his daughter; but since it is awkward to describe a person who has nothing to do with the novel, I decided to make the brilliant young man the son of old Bolkonsky. Then he interested me, a role in the further course of the novel seemed possible for him, and I pardoned him, only by severely wounding him instead of death” (Letter to L.I. Volkonskaya, May 3, 1865).
After the “pardon”, Prince Andrei moved to one of the first places in the epic. In his spiritual path reflected the intellectual quest of educated Russian people early XIX century.
At the beginning of the novel, Andrei is a truly disappointed, brilliant young man, indifferent to the light and own family, who is in a difficult relationship with his father, a fragment of the former Catherine's era dreaming of fast career and worldwide fame.
His dream is paradoxical: going to war with Napoleon, he dreams of repeating exactly his path, awaiting his Toulon.
D. Shmarinov. Prince Andrey
The Battle of Austerlitz, where Prince Andrei shows true heroism, ends for him with injury and personal defeat when meeting his recent idol. “His head was burning; he felt that it was coming from blood, and he saw above him 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" (vol. 1, part 3, chapter 19). Small, insignificant man on background high, fair, kind sky - this symbolic contrast is repeated several times in the episode. And here Tolstoy prepares the next stage of the hero’s evolution: in his delirium, Prince Andrei fondly remembers a peaceful family circle, father, wife, sister and future son.
Further events- recovery, unexpected return, birth of a child and death of his wife - only confirm the hero’s deep disappointment in the previous ideal. In a conversation with Pierre in Bald Mountains, Prince Andrei talks about his intention to live for myself and their loved ones, not to live, but actually live out in longing for his wife, boredom and anticipation of death.
“I lived for fame. (After all, what is glory? The same love for others, the desire to do something for them, the desire for their praise.) So I lived for others and not almost, but completely ruined my life. And from then on I became calm, as if I live for myself alone” (vol. 2, part 2, chapter 11).
But, as before, in the scene of a friendly conversation on the river bank, Tolstoy is preparing a new turning point in the hero’s consciousness. Listening to the enthusiastic Pierre, Prince Andrei for the first time after Austerlitz “saw that high, eternal sky that he had seen while lying on the Field of Austerlitz, and something that had long fallen asleep, something better that was in him, suddenly woke up joyfully and youthfully in his soul” (vol. 2, part 2, chapter 12).
This feeling is forgotten in the bustle of life, but is revived again after a night in Otradnoye, Natasha’s delight moonlit night and the sight of a tired, twisted oak tree, which, against all odds, comes back to life with spring (following the high sky, the hero’s psychology is characterized with the help of a new symbol).
“The old oak tree, completely transformed, spread out like a tent of lush, dark greenery, was melting, slightly swaying in the rays of the evening sun. No gnarled fingers, no sores, no old grief and lack of trust - nothing was visible. Juicy, young leaves broke through the hundred-year-old hard bark without knots, so it was impossible to believe that this old man had produced them. “Yes, this is the same oak tree,” thought Prince Andrei, and suddenly a more causal spring feeling of joy and renewal came over him...<...>.
“No, life is not over at thirty-one years old,” Prince Andrei suddenly finally, unchangeably decided. “Not only do I know everything that is in me, it is necessary for everyone to know it: both Pierre and this girl, who wanted to fly into the sky, it is necessary for everyone to know me, so that my life does not go on for me alone, so that they do not live like this girl, regardless of my life, so that it is reflected in everyone and so that they all live with me !’” (vol. 2, part 3, chapter 3).
Upon returning to big world Prince Andrei is trying to unite previously separated public and personal interests. He participates in Speransky's transformations and falls in love with Natasha.
“And for the first time after a long time he began to make happy plans for the future. He decided on his own that he needed to start raising his son, finding him a teacher and entrusting him with it; then you have to retire and go abroad, see England, Switzerland, Italy. “I need to use my freedom while I feel so much strength and youth in myself,” he said to himself. “Pierre was right when he said that you need to believe in the possibility of happiness in order to be happy, and now I believe in it. Let’s leave it dead bury the dead, but while you’re alive, you have to live and be happy,” he thought” (vol. 2, part 3, chapter 19).
The hero's revival through love turns out to be the third stage of his spiritual biography and again ends in disaster: Natasha's mistake caused by Liptol's passion for Kuragin. Like the death of his wife, betrayal) does not happen again the day before: on the eve of the prince's return and the appointed wedding.
In a conversation with Pierre, Prince Andrei again - but in a different form - shows his aristocracy, pride, and inability to forgive, reminiscent of heroic thinking and past hobbies with Napoleon.
“Listen, you remember our argument in St. Petersburg,” said Pierre, “remember about...
“I remember,” Prince Andrei hastily answered, “I said that a fallen woman must be forgiven, but I did not say that I can forgive.” I can't.
“Can this be compared?” said Pierre. Prince Andrei interrupted him. He shouted sharply:
- Yes, asking for her hand again, being generous and the like?.. Yes, this is very noble, but I am not able to follow in the footsteps of this gentleman. If you want to be my friend, don’t ever talk to me about this... about all this” (vol. 2, part 5, chapter 21).
The situation changes dramatically when war comes to the threshold of one’s home. Tolstoy implements this metaphor: Andrei finds himself in the deserted Bald Mountains. In a tragic time for all of Russia, Tolstoy’s hero also enters the sphere of the epic, imbued with the pathos of defense native land. This new turning point is prepared by an outwardly imperceptible, but very important scene for the hero’s evolution.
Already leaving the estate, Andrei sees two little village girls carrying green plums from the greenhouse and trying to hide when the “young master” appears.
“A new, gratifying and calming feeling came over him when, looking at these girls, he realized the existence of other, completely alien to him and just as legitimate human interests as those that occupied him. These girls, obviously, passionately desired one thing - to carry away and eat these green plums and not be caught, and Prince Andrei wished with them the success of their enterprise. He couldn't help but look at them again. Believing themselves to be safe, they jumped out of the ambush and, squealing something in thin voices, holding their hems, ran merrily and quickly through the grass of the meadow with their tanned bare feet” (vol. 3, part 2, chapter 5).
Proud and selfish, busy busy internal work the hero opens for the first time simple thing: diversity of the world, existence other people with their special lives and special interests.
This feeling that flashed in the mind of Prince Andrei quickly disappears. In the same chapter, returning to the regiment, Bolkonsky hears the nickname from the soldiers "our prince,” however, he cannot yet recognize these people wallowing in a dirty pond as his own. And later (vol. 3, part 2, chapter 24), on the eve of the Battle of Borodino, reviewing the “main pictures of his life” in the light of the “magic lantern,” the hero sees in her three main griefs: in love for a woman, the death of his father and French invasion, which captured half of Russia.
But immediately after this, in the next conversation with Pierre, offended personal pride finally gives way to another feeling.
“So you think that tomorrow’s battle will be won? - said Pierre.
“Yes, yes,” said Prince Andrei absently. “One thing I would do if I had power,” he began again, “I would not take prisoners.” What are prisoners? This is chivalry. The French have ruined my house and are going to ruin Moscow, and they have insulted and insulted me every second. They are my enemies, they are all criminals, according to my standards. And Timokhin and the entire army think the same. We must execute them” (vol. 3, part 2, chapter 25).
On the eve of the Battle of Borodino, from the former knight of honor, who imitated his idol Napoleon, a man is born, offended by the enemy invasion, fighting not for personal glory and his Toulon, but to protect his land, his homeland, feeling, finally, part common life, coinciding in popular thought with captain Timokhin and the last soldier.
This is how Prince Andrei’s transition to a new state is prepared: “War is not a courtesy, but the most disgusting thing in life, and we must understand this and not play at war. We must take this terrible necessity strictly and seriously.” During this conversation, Pierre also finally realizes hidden warmth of patriotism,“which was in all those people whom he saw, and which explained to him why these people were calmly and seemingly frivolously preparing for death.”
There is hidden symbolism in the fact that the hero, who, according to Tolstoy’s original thought, should have died in someone else’s battle at Austerlitz, receives a mortal wound on the Borodino field. Moreover, he does not heroically run into the attack, carrying away the soldiers, but is in reserve. What unites him with other people is not even his business, but fate, fate.
The meeting with Anatoly Kuragin is the culmination of the rebirth of Andrei Bolkonsky. At the sight of the terrible suffering of his immoral rival, the hero finally abandons pride and self-confidence, gaining new meaning life.
“Prince Andrei could not hold on any longer and began to cry tender, loving tears over people, over himself and over them and his delusions.
“Compassion, love for brothers, for those who love, love for those who hate us, love for enemies - yes, the love that God preached on earth, which Princess Marya taught me and which I did not understand; that’s why I felt sorry for life, that’s it what was left for me if I were alive. But now it’s too late! ”(vol. 3, part 2, chapter 37).
Family gene Bolkonsky - a rational, reflective attitude towards the world. “I know” in their life and behavior prevails over “I feel” or “I live”. "Ah, my soul, lately It became difficult for me to live. I see that I have begun to understand too much. But it is not right for a person to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil...” - Prince Andrei confesses to Pierre in a conversation before the Battle of Borodino. That's why the hero dies after knows, understands the same thing it, which is behind a locked door.
Death is understood by Bolkonsky as liberation from sleep and awakening to a new life.
"Yes, it was death. I died - I woke up. Yes, death - awakening!" - his soul suddenly brightened, and the veil that had until now hidden the unknown was lifted before his spiritual gaze. He felt a kind of liberation of the strength previously bound in him and that strange lightness that has not left him since then.”
But this episode ends not with a final solution, but with a riddle that worried Tolstoy all his life. “Where did he go? Where is he now?..” - Natasha asks an unanswerable question (vol. 4, part 1, chapter 16).
Romantic dreams about fame - disappointment and the transition to a private existence - a return to life through love - a new crisis and familiarization with the hidden warmth of patriotism during national trials - the solution to death as eternal, divine love: this is the path of life of Andrei Bolkonsky. Tolstoy rings it with two symbols: high infinite sky at the hero’s first epiphany; locked door, behind which lies the terrible it, at the end of his earthly journey.
Related information.
L. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” is multi-problematic. One of the leading issues will be the problem of the spiritual quest of the main characters, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov.
The first acquaintance with Prince Andrei occurs at that period of his life when he makes a decision:
"Now I'm going to war, greatest war...,” he admits in a conversation with Pierre. “I’m going because this life that I lead here, this life is not for me!... Living rooms, gossip, balls, vanity, insignificance - this is the vicious circle from which I I can’t go out.” But to try to get out of that “vicious circle”, Prince Andrei will need his whole life.
Already from the first meeting you notice something in him that makes you wonder: where does this come from in him? Why is he so internally rude and ignoble towards his wife Lisa? “Of all the faces that bored him, the face of his pretty wife seemed to bore him the most (and she is his chosen one, expecting a child from him). And in a conversation with Pierre about his wife, he admits: “This is one of those rare women with whom you can be at peace with your honor, but, my God, what I wouldn’t give now not to be married.” And a little later, in a conversation with Princess Marya, he will say, “...Do you want to know if I’m happy? No! Why is this? Don't know". Why such confusion of thought? Why such internal discord?
But the fact is that Prince Andrei is not at all interested in questions of everyday happiness; his mind is occupied by more significant thoughts. Prince Andrei is trying to find the answer to his main question: what higher meaning life, what is he in the world, and what is the world for him? Such thoughts, of course, could only arise in the head of the thinker, advanced person, which is what Andrei Bolkonsky was. Pierre, for example, was always surprised by his extraordinary memory and erudition (“he read everything, knew everything, had an idea about everything”).
And looking closely at Andrei Bolkonsky, you can see that he himself is aware that in his intelligence he is superior to the guests of the Scherer salon. That’s why he has a tired, bored look, a quiet measured step and some arrogance.
One day, in a conversation with her brother, Princess Marya will say to Prince Andrei: “You are good to everyone, but you have some kind of pride in thought, and this great sin" And it becomes clear why Andrei Bolkonsky did not have happiness with Natasha. With her, it turned out, you can’t rest for your honor. And Natasha’s principle, “if you want to be happy, be happy,” he could neither understand nor accept.”
But even with that “rare woman” happiness did not happen, because the pride of thought and the sin of pride inspired him that the most important thing in life is to be free, and “... tie yourself to a woman - and, like a shackled convict, you lose all freedom.” .
The tragedy of the fate of Andrei Bolkonsky, a man endowed with pride of thought, is moral lesson, which can serve for all times. What can pride of thought lead a person to? It leads to overestimation moral values, makes life like a spiral so complex, confusing, contradictory. The sin of pride is fraught with the fact that it gives rise to arrogance, ambition, and selfishness in a person. Pride of thought dominates a person’s mind, cripples his soul, turns life into a “vicious circle” from which a person is powerless to escape.
Where does this “very beautiful young man"So much pride in your thoughts? It can be explained in a short phrase: he lived and behaved like the son of Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky. “If they kill you, it will hurt me, an old man... And if I find out that I behaved not like the son of Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky, I will be... ashamed.” There was an old man Bolkonsky Prince proud, never changing his mind. He raised his children using the rules of only three words: this is how it should be, this is how it should be, this is how it should be, instilling in them that the main thing in a person is honor, masculinity and human dignity. All this is in Prince Andrei: the same paternal pride, the same pride of thought.
Andrei Bolkonsky always, no matter what he did, did, pursuing one desire - the desire to be useful. With this desire, he decides to go “to the greatest war that has ever happened.” But he also had his own, purely innermost, personal desire. Proud sin inspires him that he, like Napoleon, whom he chose as his idol, with his mind is capable of influencing the course of history, that he also has his own Toulon. "I want fame, I want to be famous people, I want to be loved by them..." - this is what he thinks about in front of Austerlitz. Andrei Bolkonsky did not want awards - fame. There is a logic: “Not for the sake of glory - for the sake of life on earth.” But there is another; chosen by Prince Andrei. This is the logic of vanity and selfishness.
What does Prince Andrey think and dream about? Only about myself, my beloved. Just a few episodes... Here he is, in a conversation with his father, like a great strategist, setting out the “operational plan for the proposed campaign.” Here he is, sent by Kutuzov by courier with a letter to the Austrian general, barely closing his eyes, thinking. What are his thoughts occupied with? With a dream about what impression he would make on the general (he was sure that he would be presented to the emperor.) He selected the words with which he would address him. But in reality everything will turn out to be exactly the opposite. Prince Andrei was introduced only to the Minister of War, who for the first two minutes did not pay attention to the newcomer. Ambition is hurt.
And at the same moment, “Prince Andrei’s joyful feeling weakened significantly and turned into a feeling of insult and even contempt. His mindset changes dramatically: victory in battle seems to him to be a distant memory. But does this mean that emotional experiences have prevailed over the sense of reason? Not at all. As before, the pride of thought inspires its exclusivity, its special purpose. And, having learned about the French breakthrough, he decides to return to the army, without undue modesty, he will say: “I’m going in order to save the army.” And on the eve of the Battle of Shengraben, Prince Andrei still thinks about his own, purely innermost things: “But where? How will my Toulon be expressed? And on the eve of Austerlitz, Prince Andrei first of all thinks about how he will look in his own eyes. “I will be sent there with a brigade or division, and there, with a banner in my hand, I will go forward and crush everything that is in front of me.”
Everything will happen. But not in the way that the proud thought of Prince Andrei inspired and imagined. He will see running, retreating soldiers, the wounded Kutuzov. He will hear his words: “The wound is not here, but where!” - while pointing at the running soldiers. No, Andrei will not save, and although he will not have that firm confidence in him, but, on the contrary, feeling tears of shame and anger, he will scream childishly piercingly. The voice of conscience will call him forward. And he will run towards the French, trying to stop the retreating soldiers.
And it is no longer the thought of how he will look in his own eyes, but the voice of conscience, a high understanding of military duty that will force him to behave the way the son of Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky should have behaved.
Prince Andrei did not see how the fight between the French and the artillery ended, whether the guns were taken or saved. " What is this? Am I falling?” he thought and fell on his back. “There was nothing above him anymore except the sky, the high sky... How quiet, calm and solemn, not at all like how I ran, how we ran... How come I haven’t seen this high sky before? And how happy I am that I finally recognized him. And most importantly, he himself became quiet and solemn.
And a little later, Prince Andrei will meet his “idol”. “But at that moment Napoleon seemed to him such a small, insignificant person... All the interests that occupied Napoleon seemed so insignificant at that moment, his heroes themselves seemed so petty to him, with this petty vanity and joy of victory...”
And it will begin for Prince Andrei new stage his life, in inner world it will begin new life. And the impetus for revival will be a dispute with Pierre about what life is. The night spent in Otradnoye breathed life into the soul of Andrei Bolkonsky, young Natasha, a girl excited by the beauty of the night.
It was then that such an unexpected confusion of young thoughts and hopes, contradictory to his whole life, suddenly arose in his soul.” And, perhaps, not a meeting with an oak tree, but earthly life heals Prince Andrei. Having received the estate in Bogucharovo from his father, he takes care of the affairs of the estate. One estate of three hundred souls is listed as free cultivators by peasants; in another, it replaces corvée with dues. In Bogucharovo, a learned grandmother was assigned to help mothers in childbirth, and the priest taught peasant children to read and write. Gradually, Prince Andrei’s beliefs change: not proud thoughts about glory, about transforming the world, but friendly participation, female beauty and love can change lives.
But did this mean that now the soul of Andrei Bolkonsky has triumphed over the mind? Not at all,
everything will go in a new circle. And again the sin of pride inspires him with the idea of his ability to influence this life. As before, he will again strive for the ideal and again create an idol for himself. This time Napoleon will be replaced by Speransky. And Andrei Bolkonsky goes to St. Petersburg. “He now experienced in St. Petersburg a feeling similar to what he experienced on the eve of the battle, when he was irresistibly drawn to higher spheres, to where the future was being prepared, on which the fate of millions depended.”
But realizing that liberal reforms Speransky disagrees with life that the activities of his idol do not contribute in any way to the solution of his global issues, Prince Andrei breaks ties with him.
And once again, the pride of thought leads Andrei Bolkonsky to disappointment.
Then - a ball. Meeting with Natasha and subsequent visit to the Rostovs’ house. And for a moment a thought, hitherto unusual for him, will flash in his consciousness: “While you are alive, you must live and be happy.” And in a conversation with Pierre, he admits: “I wouldn’t believe anyone who told me that I could love like that?”
But was this love with all your soul and all your heart? True love capable of forgiveness. Natasha
moved the heart of Prince Andrei. But nothing more. He could not understand Natasha, a sixteen-year-old girl who is not tormented at all complex issues life, she just lives. Prince Andrei cannot forgive Natasha's betrayal with Anatoly Kuragin. The pride of thought whispers to him that to forgive is to wish that the other one who offended, insulted, stood up and had the right to stand. Forgive a fallen woman - yes, but not him and not that.
To forgive Andrei Bolkonsky, it took death.
A new stage in the life of Prince Andrei will begin with Patriotic War 1812 He returns to the army. Getting closer to the mass of soldiers. The soldiers call Prince Andrei nothing more than “our prince.” He was caring and affectionate with them.
Patriotic War of 1812, Borodino field will become last attempt break out of the “vicious circle”. Fate predetermined Prince Andrey such a path when his pride of thought, always wavering between good and evil, made final choice only a moment before death. Mortally wounded, Prince Andrei meets Natasha. And only in his dying delirium did the soul of Andrei Bolkonsky triumph over his mind. “You can love someone dear human love; but only an enemy can be loved with divine love. It is Natasha, the enemy, who is loved with “divine” love. Life could not convince Prince Andrei. It was the fate of death.
“Looking at Natasha, Prince Andrei imagined her soul for the first time. And he understood her feeling, her suffering, shame, repentance. For the first time he understood the cruelty of his refusal, saw the cruelty of his break with her.” Only before his death were his thoughts directed towards her, the one to whom he now wanted to say... (of course: “I’m sorry.”) And only in this dying hour did a short but happy moment of life come to Prince Andrei, that moment when “Love for one woman quietly crept into his heart.”
