War and peace mutual love. Composition "The theme of love in the novel" War and Peace

"Love and be loved
Happy just like us
In love, obstacles are overcome
All dreams come true."
Amirova A.
What is love? I think there is no such person who would not be interested in this issue. Love, on the one hand, is an elementary concept, but at the same time mysterious, somehow incomprehensible. Only love makes a person happy or unhappy. It is she who can support you at a difficult moment or suddenly throw you. Some say: “Well, what is love? It's nothing. You think you fell in love, you will soon forget ... ". But this is an erroneous opinion, yes, I agree falling in love can pass, but not love! After all, infatuation and love are different feelings. Love is like a match, and love is like a candle. The first flashes brightly, often burns, but quickly burns out, the second burns for a long time with a clear, clean flame. Let's look at this with an example. Take, for example, Tolstoy's War and Peace.
In this work, the author very clearly divides love into several types. For example, let's take love in the Rostov family. The Countess loves her children with motherly love. Little Natasha's friendship with Boris is a childhood passion, a need to love, curiosity. Maria Bolkonskaya sacrifices herself for the love of her father and because of this, at the beginning of the novel, she does not marry. Natalia's love for Anatole Kuragin turned out to be simple love, self-hypnosis. Berg marries Vera for convenience in order to receive a dowry in the form of money and make new connections. Boris also marries Julie, because she, in turn, was rich, though not even beautiful. I consider the feelings between Andrei and Natasha to be the brightest and most sincere love in this novel. Indeed, even after the “treason”, they were able to forgive each other, because they were truly in love, but unfortunately it was too late to change anything. Andrey was wounded and she could only hope and take care of her beloved. This is one of the principles of love:
Caring - "If he feels bad, the first duty is to support him under any circumstances." She herself was weak after the incident, but this did not stop her. She! It was Natasha who looked after Andrei, despite the fact that her parents tried to hide from her the news that Andrei was among the wounded soldiers. I hope Natalya Rostova will serve the readers as an example of a sincerely loving girl, but I would also like to note that you should not throw yourself into the pool with your head, because it can end badly. This is exactly what happened to the heroine of the novel in her relationship with Kuragin. And also to know that there are such nasty, heartless people as Helen. In love, the main thing for me is to be happy and give happiness to others, and not the thickness of a wallet or a profitable list of acquaintances. After all, judge for yourself and in our time you can find many such people for whom it is not the inner world of a person that is important, not his good qualities, but appearance, condition and benefit.
Tolstoy showed love from different angles
Acquaintance, trials, betrayal, meeting again
This is how the fate of my two favorite heroes
Andrew and Natasha. Now I will tell about them
Natalya Rostova is a Russian soul for us
And in singing, and in dancing, she was good in everything
Andrei Bolkonsky strove for fame
This happens to us sometimes too.
But their love was mutual, pure
After all, the attempt to escape was not without reason.
Natasha was prompted by Helen.
Yes, and she herself was captured by her feelings.
And stupidly, that Kuragin was carried away
Andrei Rostov was not forgiven
But then they met at a tragic moment
And Bolkonsky was touched by Natasha's tears
He forgave her and reminded her of love,
But unfortunately they did not stay together.
Tolstoy also told us about love of convenience
And now this love has no account.
Boris's mother was prone to money
This should be a good lesson for us.
After all, money is not the main thing on earth
So at least it seems to me
Please don't ever do this
And do not leave a person to the mercy of fate.

“War and Peace” is a Russian national epic, which reflects the national character of the Russian people at the moment when their historical fate was being decided. L.N. Tolstoy worked on the novel for almost six years: from 1863 to 1869. From the very beginning of work on the work, the writer's attention was attracted not only by historical events, but also by the private, family life of the characters. Tolstoy believed that the family is a cell of the world, in which the spirit of mutual understanding, naturalness and closeness to the people should reign.

The novel "War and Peace" describes the life of several noble families: Rostovs, Bolkonskys and Kuragins.

The Rostov family is an ideal harmonious whole, where the heart prevails over the mind. Love binds all family members. It manifests itself in sensitivity, attention, cordial closeness. With the Rostovs, everything is sincere, comes from the heart. Cordiality, hospitality, hospitality reign in this family, the traditions and customs of Russian life are preserved.

Parents raised their children, giving them all their love, They can understand, forgive and help. For example, when Nikolenka Rostov lost a huge amount of money to Dolokhov, he did not hear a word of reproach from his father and was able to pay the card debt.

The children of this family have absorbed all the best qualities of the “Rostov breed”. Natasha is the personification of cordial sensitivity, poetry, musicality and intuitiveness. She knows how to enjoy life and people like a child.

The life of the heart, honesty, naturalness, moral purity and decency determine their relationships in the family and behavior in the circle of people.

Unlike the Rostovs, the Bolkonskys live by reason, not by heart. This is an old aristocratic family. In addition to blood ties, the members of this family are also connected by spiritual closeness.

At first glance, relations in this family are difficult, devoid of cordiality. However, internally these people are close to each other. They are not inclined to show their feelings.

The old Prince Bolkonsky embodies the best features of the service (nobility, devoted to the one to whom he “sworn.” The concept of honor and duty of an officer came first for him. He served under Catherine II, participated in the campaigns of Suvorov. He considered the main virtues to be mind and activity, and vices - laziness and idleness. The life of Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky is continuous activity. He either writes memoirs about past campaigns, or manages the estate. Prince Andrey Bolkonsky greatly respects and honors his father, who was able to instill in him a high concept of honor. “Your road is the road of honor,” he says to his son.

Marya Bolkonskaya loves her father and brother very much. She is ready to give all of herself for the sake of her loved ones. Princess Mary completely obeys the will of her father. His word for her is law. At first glance, she seems weak and indecisive, but at the right moment she shows firmness of will and fortitude. roman tolstoy family national

Both the Rostovs and the Bolkonskys are patriots, their feelings were especially pronounced during the Patriotic War of 1812. They express the national spirit of war. Prince Nikolai Andreevich is dying because his heart could not stand the shame of the retreat of the Russian troops and the surrender of Smolensk. Marya Bolkonskaya rejects the French general's offer of patronage and leaves Bogucharov. The Rostovs give their carts to the soldiers wounded on the Borodino field and pay the dearest - the death of Petya.

Another family is shown in the novel. These are Kuragins. The members of this family appear before us in all their insignificance, vulgarity, heartlessness, greed, immorality. They use people to achieve their selfish goals. The family is devoid of spirituality. For Helen and Anatole, the main thing in life is the satisfaction of their base desires. They are completely cut off from the life of the people, they live in a brilliant, but cold light, where all feelings are perverted. During the war, they lead the same salon life, talking about patriotism.

In the epilogue of the novel, two more families are shown. These are the Bezukhov family (Pierre and Natasha), which embodied the author's ideal of a family based on mutual understanding and trust, and the Rostov family - Marya and Nikolai. Marya brought kindness and tenderness, high spirituality into the Rostov family, and Nikolai shows spiritual kindness in relation to the closest people.

Showing different families in his novel, Tolstoy wanted to say that the future belongs to such families as the Rostovs, Bezukhovs, Bolkonskys.

"War and Peace" by Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy occupies a prominent place not only in Russian literature, but in new world literature. This epic novel covers all aspects of life, all topics that have ever been raised in literature. One of the main themes in the work is the theme of love. But not just love between a man and a woman, but sincere and honest love. In parallel with this topic, the problem of spiritual beauty arises. In this case, these two topics are inseparable from each other. The theme of love in the novel helps to better understand the characters, their character, actions. . This novel includes a huge number of characters, completely unique in character and fate. Even the characters who appear only a few times in the work are unique and play their own special role in the idea of ​​the novel. Almost all the heroes of the work pass the test of love. But they find true love through suffering. The main characters of the novel can be safely called Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky. Natasha is Tolstoy's favorite heroine, in her he embodied the best feminine qualities: kindness, spirituality, spontaneity and sincerity. Outwardly, Tolstoy's heroine is ugly, but it seems that this is not there. Everyone who met her could not help but succumb to her charm. Natasha has the ability to bring out the best in people, to give them back hope. Her meeting with Andrei Bolkonsky was largely predetermined, despite the fact that in many ways they are different. Natasha lives with her heart, Prince Andrei lives with her mind. But despite this, they fell in love with each other. Because love is able to subjugate the mind, it gives happiness. The love of Natasha and Andrei is a sudden union of feelings and thoughts. When they were presented at the ball, they understood each other almost at first sight. Their feelings for not such a long time passed the test of life, remember at least the episode when Natasha suddenly fell in love with Anatol Kuragin. But this love of hers was largely determined by instinct and had nothing to do with true love. Subsequently, she was very worried, feeling her guilt before Bolkonsky: "... she remembered Prince Andrei and prayed for him, and prayed that God would forgive her the evil that she had done to him." One cannot blame Natasha for her gullibility and sincerity. The soul of Prince Andrei remained a mystery to Natasha. There is some distance in their relationship. The character of Bolkonsky is such that it is difficult for him to strive for the desired goal: "... and so that they all live with me together." He is not like everyone else, although Natasha seeks to convince her family of the opposite. After all, she herself is simple and direct. These qualities are not in Prince Andrei, which is why he admires her, feels more relaxed with her. Love for Natasha turned the soul of Prince Andrei, brought him back to life, he "seemed and was a completely different person." Happiness is given to a person at the cost of tireless searches, disappointments and discoveries, painful and joyful reflections, bitter defeats and triumphant victories. This conclusion is made by the reader, having gone along with the heroes of the novel "War and Peace" difficult paths in the hope of knowing the meaning of life, determining one's destiny in this world. Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky eventually found happiness, found their place in the boundless river of life, but not next to each other. What prevented Tolstoy's two favorite heroes from starting a family, from preserving the feeling that flared up so brightly and illuminated the life of Prince Andrei, mean for joy, and stirred Natasha's pure, naive soul? “The essence of her life is love,” the author said about the heroine. Love that does not need self-sacrifice, like Sonya's, which not only requires constant manifestation, satisfaction, but also gives immeasurably much, awakens the best in the souls of other people: after meeting Natasha in Otradnoye, having inadvertently heard how excited she was by the beauty of the moonlit night, Prince Andrei suddenly recalls all the best moments of his life; from her grateful look, Pierre feels happy and renewed. But, probably, it can be said that Prince Andrei fell in love with Natasha just then, in Otradnoe: “... suddenly such an unexpected confusion of young thoughts and hopes that contradicted his whole life arose ...” The ability to give joy, to enjoy it and the desire to receive the same gift from everyone around - these are, in my opinion, Natasha's main character traits. Unfortunately, Andrei Bolkonsky was not able to fully understand the essence of the soul of his bride, he only felt her light, without which, as it seemed to him, he could no longer live. His pride got the better of the bright feeling that burned in his soul when he found out about the "treason" of the bride. He could not forgive Natasha for Anatole's passion. And only when he was mortally wounded during the Battle of Borodino, he understood and forgave her: "I love you more, better than before." In the last days of Prince Andrei's life, Natasha took care of him without leaving his deathbed. Bolkonsky, realizing that he doesn’t have much left, realizes that he loves Natasha. He thinks: “Love? What is love?.. Love prevents death. Love is life. Everything is, everything exists only because I love. Everything is connected to her. Love is God ... "Prince Andrei died, and before his death," an explanation of life "was revealed to him, and Natasha found peace. Having married Pierre, she fulfilled her feminine duty, even if she lost her former spiritual fire. “Her features now had an expression of calm softness and clarity. Now only her face and body were often visible, but her soul was not visible at all ... Very rarely the former fire was lit in her now. Thus, it was important for Tolstoy to show the moral unity of people through trials and suffering. Only after passing this path, it is possible to understand not only one's true purpose, but the very essence of life - love. Love, according to the author of the novel, is given only to those who are truly worthy of it.

A set of moral values ​​distinguishes civilized man from his primitive state. In his work, Leo Tolstoy focused on the positive features of society as a whole and each citizen separately.

Loyalty and betrayal in the novel "War and Peace" are described in the category of a love storyline, a patriotic attitude towards the Motherland and male friendship.

Loyalty and treason

Kutuzov is a vivid example of loyalty to the Fatherland. The general saved the army by making unpopular decisions. Mikhail Illarionovich was condemned by his contemporaries. When the French retreated, in a state of despair and struggle for survival, many military leaders wanted to use the situation to easily win an unnecessary battle in order to receive another reward.

The anger of the emperor and the censure of the courtiers, hiding under the mask of false patriotism, did not break the Northern Fox. Kutuzov sought to save the life of every ordinary soldier, realizing that without an army there is no state by definition. Leo Tolstoy shows a man who neglected his own interests, defending the priorities of the Motherland.

Loyalty and betrayal in love

The problems of the personal life of the characters consist of contradictions of the psychological category. The author argues that the will of the characters often depends on the circumstances and the point of view of the people around them. Being a deeply religious person, the writer does not condemn the stumbled young people, he shows the path of their moral decline.

Natasha Rostova

The girl, being engaged to Prince Bolkonsky, is drawn into a relationship with Anatole Kuragin. According to the aristocratic etiquette of that time, her failed escape is considered a betrayal of the groom. The prince cannot forgive her. But at the same time, he says that, in general, a woman who has fallen in the eyes of society must be forgiven. It is he, an offended man from the highest social stratum, who lacks arguments to understand the heroine.

An adult man makes a marriage proposal to a young beauty, hoping for loyalty and devotion. Meanwhile, he easily succumbs to his father's entreaties to postpone the wedding for a year. Old Bolkonsky, wise by life experience, foresees how many temptations an inexperienced young soul who has just come out into the world has to overcome.

Change is a multifaceted concept. Of course, the heroine unintentionally hurt Andrei. But her actions are not dictated by deceit, deceit, voluptuousness or a fall. Passion for Kuragin is a manifestation of life. From the groom, staying abroad, does not breathe attention, tenderness and love. It is difficult for the girl, lonely, sad, she goes to his relatives, father and sister, but there she meets coldness, misunderstanding, feels unwanted in their circle.

The vile Kuragins, who want to take revenge on Nikolai Rostov, make every effort to seduce his sister. Anatole, with the virtuosity of a master, won the favor of the inexperienced Natasha. Thus, the young countess became a victim of intrigues, every person can be in her place, regardless of age and gender.

Helen Kuragina

Countess Bezukhova is cheating on her husband purposefully. Moral values ​​were not included in the list of virtues instilled by the Kuragin parents in their children. The father considers his sons and daughter a life burden. Helen did not see any manifestations of love or tenderness from the family. No one explained to the girl about fidelity as a component of a happy relationship.

Helen got married, knowing that she would cheat on her future spouse. Marriage for her is a way of enrichment. The selfishness of people of this type does not allow them to feel the suffering of partners. They do not understand that love is a process of interaction, an exchange of fidelity. Countess Bezukhova cheats to achieve specific goals, she does not know how to create happy relationships and will never change. This is a classic example of a fallen woman.

Loyalty to family values

Leo Tolstoy treats Marya Bolkonskaya with special trepidation. The daughter shows sacrificial patience, brightening up her father's old age. The despotic old man neglects the personal interests of the girl, raising her in conditions of excessive severity and captiousness. Until the end of his days, the heroine remains by his side, serving and helping the prince survive the hardships of the war.

Princess Bolkonskaya remains an example of loyalty to her own ideals and principles of life. Her worldview is based on Christian postulates of patience, helping one's neighbor and mercy.

Loyalty and betrayal in friendship

The Petersburg period of Pierre Bezukhov's youth was marked by friendship with Fyodor Dolokhov. The guys had fun in a noisy company until they came to the attention of law enforcement agencies. Dolokhov for hooliganism with a bear was demoted to the rank and file and sent to the front, and Bezukhov was exiled to Moscow under the supervision of his father.

Fedor found an old friend when he needed help. The count helped the eccentric friend with money and invited him to stay at his house. The meanness of a friend manifested itself immediately, as soon as the frivolous Helen saw an attractive gentleman in him. Pierre was betrayed by his wife and comrade at the same time, entering into a love relationship.

The count patiently endured numerous betrayals of his wife, but the betrayal of a friend and a duel with him became a turning point in the formation of the hero's personality. Pierre will never again appear before the reader as a soft, timid, trusting man. The betrayal of a comrade served as a reassessment of life values. Now the priorities of the hero will be the problems of society. Bezukhov, having experienced pain and disappointment, will sincerely try to change the world for the better.

Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy in his famous novel "War and Peace" singled out "the thought of the people" as the main idea. This theme is most multifaceted and vividly reflected in excerpts from the work that describe the war. As for the "world", "family thought" predominates in its depiction. She also plays a very important role in the work of interest to us. The theme of love in the novel "War and Peace" in many ways helps the author to reveal this idea.

Love in the life of the characters of the novel

Almost all the characters in the work are tested by love. Not all of them come to moral beauty, mutual understanding and true feeling. Also, it doesn't happen right away. Heroes have to go through mistakes and suffering that redeems them, purifies and develops the soul.

The life of Andrei Bolkonsky with Lisa

The theme of love in the novel "War and Peace" is revealed on the example of several characters, one of which is Andrei Bolkonsky. His path to happiness was rocky. At the age of 20, being an inexperienced young man, blinded by external beauty, he decides to marry Lisa. But Andrei very quickly comes to a depressing and painful understanding that he was mistaken cruelly and uniquely. In a conversation with his friend, Pierre Bezukhov, he utters almost in despair the words that one should not marry before he has done everything he could. Andrey says that he would give a lot not to be bound by family ties now.

Bolkonsky family life with his wife did not bring peace and happiness. What's more, he was obsessed with her. Andrew did not love his wife. He rather despised her, treating her like a child from a stupid empty light. Bolkonsky was oppressed by the feeling that his life was useless, that he had become an idiot and court lackey.

Andrew's heartbreak

This hero had ahead of him the sky of Austerlitz, the death of Lisa, a mental break, melancholy, fatigue, disappointment, contempt for life. At that time, Bolkonsky resembled an oak that stood contemptuously, angry and old freak between smiling birches. This tree did not want to submit to the charm of spring. However, suddenly a confusion of young hopes and thoughts arose in Andrei's soul, unexpected for him. As you probably guessed, the theme of love in the novel "War and Peace" is further developed. The hero leaves the estate transformed. Again in front of him on the road is an oak tree, but now it is not ugly and old, but covered with greenery.

Bolkonsky's feeling for Natasha

The theme of love in the novel "War and Peace" is very important for the author. According to Tolstoy, this feeling is a miracle that revives us to a new life. A real feeling for Natasha, a girl so unlike the absurd and empty women of the world, did not appear in Bolkonsky immediately. It renewed his soul, turned it over with incredible power. Andrey has now become a completely different person. He seemed to come out of a stuffy room. True, even a feeling for Natasha did not help Bolkonsky to humble his pride. He never managed to forgive Natasha for her "treason". Only after he received a mortal wound did he rethink his life. Bolkonsky, after a mental break, understood the suffering, remorse and shame of Natasha. He realized that he was cruel, breaking off relations with her. The hero admitted that he loves her even more than before. However, nothing could keep Bolkonsky in this world, even Natasha's fiery feeling.

Pierre's love for Helen

The theme of love in Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" is also revealed on the example of Pierre. The fate of Pierre Bezukhov is somewhat similar to the fate of Andrei, his best friend. Like him, who was carried away in his youth by Lisa, Pierre, who had just returned from Paris, fell in love with Helen, who was doll-likely beautiful. When revealing the theme of love and friendship in Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace", it should be noted that Pierre's feeling for Helen was childishly enthusiastic. Andrew's example taught him nothing. Bezukhov had to make sure from his own experience that external beauty is far from always internal, spiritual.

Unhappy marriage

This hero felt that there were no barriers between him and Helen, that this girl was terribly close to him. Her marble beautiful body had power over Pierre. And although the hero understood that this was not good, he nevertheless succumbed to the feeling that this depraved woman inspired in him. As a result, Bezukhov became her husband. However, the marriage was not happy. A feeling of gloomy despondency, disappointment, contempt for life, for himself and for his wife, seized Pierre some time after living with Helen. Her mystery turned into stupidity, spiritual emptiness and depravity. This is worth mentioning if you are writing an essay. The theme of love in Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" is illuminated from a new angle in the relationship between Pierre and Natasha. About how these heroes finally found their happiness, we'll talk now.

Pierre's new love

Bezukhov, having met Natasha, like Andrei, was struck by her naturalness and purity. In his soul, the feeling for this girl began to grow timidly even when Natasha and Bolkonsky fell in love with each other. Pierre was happy for them, but this joy was mixed with sadness. The kind heart of Bezukhov, unlike Andrei, understood Natasha and forgave her for the incident with Anatole Kuragin. Despite the fact that Pierre tried to despise her, he was able to see how exhausted she was. And then Bezukhov's soul for the first time was overwhelmed with a feeling of pity. He understood Natasha, perhaps because her infatuation with Anatole resembled his own infatuation with Helen. The girl believed that Kuragin had inner beauty. In communication with Anatole, she, like Pierre and Helen, felt that there was no barrier between them.

Renewal of the soul of Pierre Bezukhov

The path of life's quest Bezukhov continues after a quarrel with his wife. He is fond of Freemasonry, then participates in the war. Bezukhov is visited by the half-childish idea of ​​\u200b\u200bkilling Napoleon. He sees Moscow burning. Further, he is destined for difficult minutes of waiting for his death, and then captivity.

Pierre's soul, cleansed, renewed, having gone through suffering, retains love for Natasha. When he meets her again, he discovers that this girl has also changed a lot. Bezukhov did not recognize the former Natasha in her. Love awakened in the hearts of the heroes, "long-forgotten happiness" suddenly returned to them. They were seized, in the words of Tolstoy, "joyful madness."

Finding happiness

Life woke up in them along with love. The power of feeling brought Natasha back to life after a long mental apathy, which was caused by the death of Prince Andrei. The girl thought that with his death her life was over. However, the love for her mother that arose in her with renewed vigor showed Natasha that love was still alive in her. The strength of this feeling, which is the essence of Natasha, was able to bring to life the people whom this girl loved.

The fate of Princess Marya and Nikolai Rostov

The theme of love in Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" is also revealed on the example of the relationship between Princess Marya and Nikolai Rostov. The fate of these heroes was not easy. Ugly in appearance, meek, quiet princess had a beautiful soul. During the life of her father, she did not even hope to ever marry, raise children. Anatole Kuragin was the only one who wooed her, and even then only for the sake of a dowry. Of course, he could not understand the moral beauty and high spirituality of this heroine. Only Nikolai Rostov managed to do this.

Tolstoy in the epilogue of his novel speaks of the spiritual unity of people, which is the basis of nepotism. At the end of the work, a new family appeared, where seemingly so different beginnings, the Bolkonskys and the Rostovs, were united. Reading Lev Nikolayevich's novel is very interesting. Eternal themes in the novel "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy make this work relevant today.