Many female images in Tolstov's novel "War and Peace" have prototypes in the real life of the author. This, for example, is Maria Bolkonskaya (Rostova), Tolstoy wrote her image from her mother, Volkonskaya Maria Nikolaevna. Rostova Natalya Sr. is very similar to the grandmother of Lev Nikolaevich - Pelageya Nikolaevna Tolstaya. Natasha Rostova (Bezukhova) even has two prototypes, these are the writer's wife, Sofya Andreevna Tolstaya, and her sister, Tatyana Andreevna Kuzminskaya. Apparently, this is why Tolstoy creates these characters with such warmth and tenderness.
It is amazing how accurately he conveys the feelings and thoughts of people in the novel. The author subtly feels the psychology of a thirteen-year-old girl - Natasha Rostova, with her broken doll, and understands the grief of an adult woman - Countess Natalya Rostova, who lost her youngest son. Tolstoy seems to show their life and thoughts in such a way that the reader seems to see the world through the eyes of the heroes of the novel.
Despite the fact that the writer talks about the war, the female theme in the novel "War and Peace" fills the work with life and a variety of human relationships. The novel is full of contrasts, the author constantly opposes good and evil, cynicism and generosity.
Moreover, if negative characters remain constant in their pretense and inhumanity, then positive characters make mistakes, are tormented by pangs of conscience, rejoice and suffer, growing and developing spiritually and morally.
Natasha Rostova is one of the main figures of the novel, it is felt that Tolstoy treats her with special tenderness and love. Throughout the work, Natasha is constantly changing. We see her at first as a little lively girl, then as a funny and romantic girl, and in the end she is already an adult mature woman, the wise, beloved and loving wife of Pierre Bezukhov.
She makes mistakes, sometimes she is mistaken, but at the same time, her inner instinct and nobility help her to understand people, to feel their state of mind.
Natasha is full of life and charm, therefore, even with a very modest appearance, as Tolstoy describes, she attracts with her joyful and pure inner world.
The eldest Natalia Rostova, mother of a large family, a kind and wise woman, seems very strict at first glance. But, when Natasha pokes her skirts, the mother "falsely angry" lashes out at the girl and everyone understands how much she loves her children.
Knowing that her friend is in a difficult financial situation, the Countess, embarrassed, gives her money. “Annette, for God’s sake, don’t refuse me,” the countess suddenly said, blushing, which was so strange with her middle-aged, thin and important face, taking out money from under her scarf.
With all the external freedom that she provides to children, Countess Rostova is ready to go to great lengths for the sake of their well-being in the future. She dares Boris from her youngest daughter, interferes with the marriage of her son Nikolai with the dowry Sonya, but at the same time it is completely clear that she does all this only out of love for her children. And maternal love is the most selfless and bright of all feelings.
Natasha's older sister, Vera, is a little apart, beautiful and cold. Tolstoy writes: “A smile did not adorn Vera's face, as is usually the case; on the contrary, her face became unnatural and therefore unpleasant.
Her younger brothers and sister annoy her, they interfere with her, the main concern for her is herself. Selfish and self-absorbed, Vera is not like her relatives, she does not know how to love sincerely and disinterestedly, as they do.
Fortunately for her, Colonel Berg, whom she married, was very suitable for her character, and they made an excellent couple.
Locked up in a village with an old and despotic father, Marya Bolkonskaya appears before the reader as an ugly, sad girl who is afraid of her father. She is smart, but not self-confident, especially since the old prince constantly emphasizes her ugliness.
At the same time, Tolstoy says about her: “the eyes of the princess, large, deep and radiant (as if rays of warm light sometimes came out of them in sheaves), were so good that very often, despite the ugliness of her whole face, these eyes became more attractive than beauty. . But the princess never saw the good expression in her eyes, the expression they assumed in those moments when she was not thinking about herself. Like all people, her face took on a strained, unnatural, evil expression, as soon as she looked in the mirror. And after this description, I want to look at Marya, watch her, understand what is going on in the soul of this timid girl.
In fact, Princess Marya is a strong personality with her own established outlook on life. This is clearly seen when she, along with her father, does not want to accept Natasha, but after the death of her brother, she nevertheless forgives and understands her.
Marya, like many girls, dreams of love and family happiness, she is ready to marry Anatole Kuragin and refuses marriage only for the sake of sympathy for Mademoiselle Bourienne. The nobility of the soul saves her from the vile and vile handsome man.
Fortunately, Marya meets Nikolai Rostov and falls in love with him. It is difficult to immediately say for whom this marriage becomes a great salvation. After all, he saves Mary from loneliness, and the Rostov family from ruin.
Although this is not so important, the main thing is that Marya and Nikolai love each other and are happy together.
In the novel "War and Peace" female images are drawn not only in beautiful and iridescent colors. Tolstoy also portrays very unpleasant characters. He always indirectly defines his attitude to the heroes of the story, but he never speaks about it directly.
So, finding herself at the beginning of the novel in the living room of Anna Pavlovna Sherer, the reader understands how fake she is with her smiles and ostentatious hospitality. Scherer "... is full of revival and impulses", because "to be an enthusiast has become her social position ...".
The coquettish and stupid Princess Bolkonskaya does not understand Prince Andrei and is even afraid of him: “Suddenly, the angry squirrel expression of the princess’s beautiful face was replaced by an attractive and compassionate expression of fear; she glanced frowningly at her husband with her beautiful eyes, and on her face appeared that timid and confessing expression that a dog has, quickly but feebly waving its lowered tail. She does not want to change, develop, and does not see how bored the prince is with her frivolous tone, her unwillingness to think about what she says and what she does.
Helen Kuragina, a cynical narcissistic beauty, deceitful and inhuman. Without hesitation, for the sake of entertainment, she helps her brother seduce Natasha Rostov, destroying not only the life of Natasha, but also Prince Bolkonsky. For all her external beauty, Helen is ugly and soulless internally.
Repentance, pangs of conscience - all this is not about her. She will always find an excuse for herself, and the more immoral she appears before us.
Reading the novel "War and Peace", we plunge into the world of joys and sorrows together with the characters, we are proud of their successes, we empathize with their grief. Tolstoy managed to convey all those subtle psychological nuances of human relationships that make up our lives.
Finishing the essay on the topic “Female Images in the Novel “War and Peace”, I would like to once again draw attention to how accurately and with what understanding of psychology the female portraits in the novel are drawn. With what awe, love and respect Tolstoy treats some female characters. And how ruthlessly and clearly shows the immorality and falsity of others.
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Plan: Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation
Secondary school s / n "Pivan Village"
abstract
1. Introduction
2. Natasha Rostova
3. Maria Bolkonskaya.
4. Conclusion
Introduction
It is impossible to imagine world literature without the image of a woman. Even without being the main character of the work, she brings some special character to the story. Since the beginning of the world, men have admired the beautiful half of humanity, idolize them and worship them. A woman is always surrounded by a halo of mystery, mystery. The actions of a woman lead to confusion and bewilderment. To delve into the psychology of a woman, to understand her is the same as solving one of the most ancient mysteries of the Universe.
Russian writers always give women a special place in their works. Everyone, of course, sees her in his own way, but for everyone she will forever remain a support and hope, an object of admiration. Turgenev sang the image of a woman who is persistent, honest, capable of any sacrifice for the sake of love. Chernyshevsky, being a democratic revolutionary, advocated the equality of men and women, valued intelligence in a woman, saw and respected a person in her. Tolstoy's ideal is natural life - this is life in all its manifestations, with all the natural feelings inherent in man - love, hatred, friendship. And of course, such an ideal for Tolstoy is Natasha Rostova. She is natural, and this naturalness is contained in her from birth.
Many writers transferred the character traits of their beloved women to the images of the heroines of their works. I think that is why the image of a woman in Russian literature is so striking in its brightness, eccentricity, and the power of spiritual experiences.
Beloved women have always served as a source of inspiration for men. Everyone has their own female ideal, but at all times the representatives of the stronger sex admired female devotion, the ability to sacrifice, and patience. A true woman will forever remain inextricably linked with her family, children, and home. And men will not cease to be surprised at women's whims, look for explanations for women's actions, fight for women's love!
Natasha Rostova
Tolstoy showed his ideal in the image of Natasha Rostova. For him, she was the real woman.
Throughout the novel, we follow how a little playful girl becomes a real woman, mother, loving wife, homemaker.
From the very beginning, Tolstoy emphasizes that there is not an ounce of falsehood in Natasha, she feels unnaturalness and lies more acutely than anyone. With her appearance at the name day in a living room full of official ladies, she breaks this atmosphere of pretense. All her actions are subject to feelings, not reason. She even sees people in her own way: Boris is black, narrow, like a mantel clock, and Pierre is quadrangular, red-brown. For her, these characteristics are enough to understand who is who.
Natasha is referred to as "living life" in the novel. She inspires those around her with her energy. With support and understanding, the heroine practically saves her mother after the death of Petrusha. Prince Andrei, who managed to say goodbye to all the joys of life, when he saw Natasha, felt that not everything was lost for him. And after the betrothal, the whole world for Andrey seemed to be divided into two parts: one is where Natasha is, where everything is light, the other is everything else, where there is only darkness.
Natasha can be forgiven for being infatuated with Kuragin. This was the only time her intuition failed her! All her actions are subject to momentary impulses, which cannot always be explained. She did not understand Andrei's desire to postpone the wedding for a year. Natasha strove to live every second, and a year for her was equal to eternity. Tolstoy endows his heroine with all the best qualities, moreover, she rarely evaluates her actions, most often relying on her inner moral sense.
Like all his favorite characters, the author sees Natasha Rostova as part of the people. He emphasizes this in the scene at his uncle's, when "the countess, brought up by a French emigrant," danced no worse than Agafya. This feeling of unity with the people, as well as true patriotism, push Natasha to give all the carts for the wounded when leaving Moscow, to leave almost all things in the city.
Even the highly spiritual Princess Marya, who at first did not love the "pagan" Natasha, understood her and accepted her for who she is. Natasha Rostova was not very smart, and this was not important for Tolstoy. “Now, when he (Pierre) told all this to Natasha, he experienced that rare pleasure that women give when listening to a man - not smart women who, listening, try to remember what they are told, in order to enrich their mind and, on occasion, to retell the same ... but the pleasure that real women give, gifted with the ability to choose and suck into themselves all the best that is only in the manifestations of a man.
Natasha realized herself as a wife, mother. Tolstoy emphasizes that she brought up all her children herself (an impossible thing for a noblewoman), but for the author this is absolutely natural. Her family happiness came and was felt by her after experiencing several small and large love dramas. I do not want to say that the author needed all Natasha's hobbies only so that after them the heroine could experience all the delights of family life. They also have another artistic function - they serve the purpose of describing the character of the heroine, showing her inner world, age-related changes, etc. Tolstoy distinguishes between her early hobbies and later, more serious ones. The heroine herself notices the transition from childish amorousness to true love. She talks about this when she fell in love with Andrei Bolkonsky: “I was in love with Boris, with a teacher, with Denisov, but this is not at all the same. I am calm, firm. I know that there are no people better than him, and so I feel calm, good now, not at all like before. And even earlier, it turns out, she did not attach much importance to her affections, without reproach she admitted to herself in her own windiness. Recall how she opposed herself to Sonya: “She will love someone, so forever, but I don’t understand this, I’ll forget now.” According to fifteen-year-old Natasha, she then did not want to get married for anything and was going to tell Boris about it at the first meeting with him, although she considered him her fiancé. However, the change of attachments does not indicate Natasha's inconstancy and infidelity. Everything is explained by her exceptional cheerfulness, which gives the young heroine a sweet charm. Beloved by everyone, a "sorceress" - in the words of Vasily Denisov, Natasha fascinated people not only with her external beauty, but with her spiritual warehouse. Her face was not particularly attractive; even the flaws in it are distinguished by the author, which became more noticeable when she cried. “And Natasha, opening her big mouth and becoming completely different, roared like a child.” But she always remained beautiful when her girlish appearance was illuminated by an inner light. Tolstoy, by all poetic means, tries to convey her feeling of the joy of being. She experiences the happiness of living, inquisitively peering into the world, which more and more surprises and pleases her. Maybe this comes from the fact that she feels in herself all the data to be loved and happy. The girl felt early that the world had a lot of interesting and promising things for her. After all, Tolstoy says that the moments of experiencing a feeling of joy were for her "a state of self-love."
With her cheerfulness, she surprised Andrei Bolkonsky: “What is she thinking about? Why is she so happy?" Natasha herself cherished her joyful mood. She had a special account of an old dress, which made her cheerful in the morning. Thirst for new experiences, playfulness, a sense of delight, especially manifested themselves in Natasha when she met her brother Nikolai and Vasily Denisov, who came to the Rostovs on a visit. She "jumped like a goat all in one place and squealed piercingly." Everything was extremely interesting and funny to her.
One of the sources of joy was for her the first feelings of love. She loved everything that seemed good to her. The attitude of Natasha the girl towards her beloved person can be judged by how her well-being is shown by Yogel. “She was not in love with anyone in particular, but she was in love with everyone. The one she looked at, the minute she looked, that she was in love with." As you can see, the love theme does not acquire independent meaning in the novel, serving only to reveal the spiritual image of the heroine. Another thing is love for Andrei, Anatole Kuragin, Pierre: it is somehow connected with the problems of family and marriage. I have already talked about this in part and will continue to talk ahead. It should only be noted here that in the scandalous story with Anatole Kuragin, which cost Natasha difficult experiences, the view of a woman only as an instrument of pleasure is condemned.
Maria Bolkonskaya
Another female image that attracted my attention in the novel by L.N. Tolstoy's "War and Peace" is Princess Marya. This heroine is so beautiful internally that her appearance does not matter. Her eyes radiate such a light that her face loses its ugliness.
Marya sincerely believes in God, she believes that only He has the right to forgive and have mercy. She scolds herself for unkind thoughts, for disobedience to her father, and tries to see only the good in others. She is proud and grateful, like her brother, but her pride does not offend, because kindness, an integral part of her nature, softens this sometimes unpleasant feeling to others.
In my opinion, the image of Marya Bolkonskaya is the image of a guardian angel. She protects everyone for whom she feels even the slightest responsibility. Tolstoy believes that such a person as Princess Mary deserves much more than an alliance with Anatole Kuragin, who did not understand what treasure he had lost; however, he had very different moral values.
She lives in the naive worldview of the church legend, which causes the critical attitude of Prince Andrei and does not coincide with the views of Pierre Bezukhy and Tolstoy himself. At the time of the best state of his health and spirit, that is, before the crisis near death, Prince Andrei did not take Mary's religious teachings seriously. Only out of condescension to his sister does he consider her religiosity. Accepting the cross from her on the day of departure for the army, Andrei jokingly remarks: “If he doesn’t pull his neck down by two pounds, then I’ll make you happy.” In his heavy thoughts on the Borodino field, Andrei doubts the dogmas of the church professed by Princess Mary, feeling their unconvincing. “Father also built in the Bald Mountains and thought that this was his place, his land, his air, his men, and Napoleon came and, not knowing about his existence, like a puppy out of the way, pushed him and his Bald Mountains fell apart, and all his life. And Princess Marya says that this is a test sent from above. What is the test for, when it is not and will not be? Never again! He is not! So who are these tests? As for the attitude towards the heroine of Tolstoy himself, here the very mood of the image of Mary should be taken into account, which puts her mysticism in connection with the difficult circumstances of her personal life, which in turn gives a special psychological depth to the typification of this character. The novel hints at the reasons for Marya's religiosity. The heroine could become so because of the heavy mental anguish that fell to her lot and inspired her with the idea of suffering and self-sacrifice. Marya was ugly, experienced it and suffered. Because of her appearance, she had to endure humiliation, the most terrible and insulting of them was the one that she experienced during the courtship of Anatole Kuragin to her, when the groom arranged a meeting with her companion Bourien at night.
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L. Tolstoy created a great picture, where he described the problems of war, as well as peace. Women's images in the novel "War and Peace" reveal the inner side of social vicissitudes. There is a global war - when peoples and countries are at war, there are local wars - in the family and within a person. The same is true of the world: peace is made between states and emperors. People come to the world in personal relationships, a person comes to the world, trying to resolve internal conflicts and contradictions.
Leo Tolstoy was inspired by the people who surrounded him in everyday life. There are other examples from the biographies of writers, which indicate that the authors, when creating a work, borrow traits for book characters from real personalities.
For example, Marcel Proust, a French writer, did this. His characters are a synthesis of traits that people from the author's environment possessed. In the case of L. Tolstoy, the female images in the epic "War and Peace" are also written out, thanks to the appeal to women from the writer's social circle. Here are some examples: the character of Maria Bolkonskaya, the sister of Andrei Bolkonsky, was created by L. Tolstoy, inspired by the personality of Maria Volkonskaya (the writer's mother). Another, no less lively and vivid female character, Countess Rostova (eldest), is written off from the author's grandmother, Pelageya Tolstaya.
However, some characters have several prototypes at the same time: Natasha Rostova, already familiar to us, for example, as a literary hero, has common features with the writer's wife, Sophia Andreevna Tolstaya, and Sophia's sister, Tatyana Andreevna Kuzminskaya. The fact that the prototypes of these characters were close relatives of the writer explains the warmth and tenderness of the author towards the characters he creates.
Leo Tolstoy showed himself to be a subtle psychologist and connoisseur of human souls. The writer equally well understands the pain of young Natasha Rostova when the girl's doll breaks, but also the pain of a mature woman - Natalya Rostova (the eldest), who is experiencing the death of her son.
The title of the novel says that the writer constantly refers to contrasts and oppositions: war and peace, good and evil, masculine and feminine. It seems to the reader (because of stereotypes) that war is a man's business, and home and peace, respectively, are a woman's business. But Lev Nikolaevich demonstrates that this is not so. For example, Princess Bolkonskaya shows courage and courage when she defends the family estate from the enemy and buries her father.
Note that the division of characters into positive and negative is also built on the contrast. However, the negative characters remain endowed with negative traits throughout the novel, while the positive characters undergo internal struggles. The writer calls this struggle spiritual quest, and shows that positive heroes come to spiritual growth through hesitations, doubts, pangs of conscience ... They have a difficult path ahead.
Let us dwell in more detail on the characteristics of young Natasha and Countess Rostova, as well as on the figure of Maria Bolkonskaya. But before that, let's briefly turn to the image of Andrei Bolkonsky's wife.
Liza is a character who balanced the gloominess and depressiveness inherent in Prince Andrei. In society, Andrei was perceived as a closed and silent person. Even the appearance of the prince hinted at this: the dryness and elongation of features, a heavy look. His wife had a different appearance: a lively princess, of short stature, who constantly fussed and minced with small steps. With her death, Andrei lost his balance and a new stage of the spiritual search for the prince began.
Helen - Anatole's sister, written out as a depraved, selfish character. Kuragina is interested in entertainment, she is young, narcissistic and windy. However, she is frivolous and does not show patriotic feelings, continuing to lead her usual way of life in Moscow captured by Napoleon's troops. Helen's fate is tragic. An additional tragedy in her life is the fact that she has not managed to break out of the vicious circle of low morality.
The younger Rostova is, of course, one of the central female characters. Natasha is beautiful and sweet, at first she is characterized by naivety and windiness. Prince Andrei, having fallen in love with her, understands that between them there is an abyss of life experience. This thought of the prince is justified when Natasha succumbs to a fleeting passion for Anatole Kuragin.
It may be interesting for the reader to observe how Natasha's image changes: at first - a small, lively, funny and romantic girl. Then - at the ball - the reader sees her as a blossoming girl. Finally, during the retreat from Moscow, Natasha shows her patriotism, sympathy and compassion. Maturity awakens in Rostova when she takes care of the dying Andrei Bolkonsky. In the end, Natasha becomes a wise and loving wife and mother, although she loses some of her former beauty.
Natasha is no stranger to mistakes: this is her passion for Kuragin. Spiritual improvement and deepening of the inner world is connected with Natasha's relationship with Prince Andrei. Calmness and harmony come to the heroine when she marries Pierre Bezukhov.
Natasha is characterized by empathy and mercy. The girl feels the pain of people, sincerely tries to help those who need help. During the war, Natasha realizes that material values are nothing compared to human life. Therefore, she donates the acquired family property in order to save the wounded soldiers. The girl throws things from the wagon and transports people in this way.
Natasha is beautiful. However, her beauty does not come from physical data (of course, also outstanding), but from sincerity and inner peace. The moral beauty of Rostova is a bud, which at the end of the novel turns into a rose.
Countess Natalya, like a mother, tries to appear strict and serious. But she shows herself to be a loving mother who only pretends to be angry and annoyed at the excessive sentimentality of the children.
Countess Rostova depends on the rules accepted in society. Breaking these rules is awkward and difficult for her, but Natalya does it if close relatives or friends need help. For example, when Annette, her friend, found herself in a difficult situation, the countess, embarrassed, asked her to accept the money - it was a sign of attention and help.
The countess brings up children in freedom and liberty, but this is only an appearance: in fact, Natalya cares about the future of her sons and daughters. She does not want her son to marry a dowry. The eldest Rostova is doing everything to terminate the emerging relationship between her youngest daughter and Boris. Thus, a strong feeling of maternal love is one of the main qualities of Countess Rostova.
Sister of Natasha Rostova. In Lev Nikolaevich's narration, this image is always in the shadows. However, Vera did not inherit the smile that adorned Natasha's face, and therefore, Lev Nikolayevich notes, the girl's face seemed unpleasant.
Vera is described as a selfish nature: the eldest Rostova does not like her brothers and sister, they annoy her. Faith loves only herself. The girl marries Colonel Berg, who was similar in character to her.
Andrei Bolkonsky's sister is a strong character. The girl lives in the village, all her steps are controlled by an evil and cruel father. The book describes a situation where Marya, wanting to look beautiful, puts on make-up and dresses up in a masaka-colored dress. The father is dissatisfied with her outfit, expressing despotism towards his daughter.
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Marya is an ugly, sad, but deeply thinking and intelligent girl. The princess is inherently insecure and stiff: her father says all the time that she is not good-looking and is unlikely to marry. What draws attention to Marya's face are large, radiant and deep eyes.
Marya is the opposite of Vera. Altruism, courage and patriotism, as well as responsibility and fortitude distinguish this woman from War and Peace. In the female images of the novel "War and Peace" there is something in common - they are strong personalities.
Princess Bolkonskaya initially rejects Rostova (younger), but after the loss of her father and brother, the princess's attitude towards Natasha changes. Marya forgives Natasha for breaking Andrei's heart by being carried away by Anatole Kuragin.
The princess dreams of happiness, family and children. Having fallen in love with Anatole Kuragin, the girl refuses the vile young man, because she feels sorry for Madame Bourien. So, Marya expresses the nobility of character and sympathy for people.
Later, Marya meets Nikolai Rostov. This connection is beneficial for both: Nikolai, having married the princess, helps the family with money, because the Rostovs lost a fair share of their fortune during the war. Marya sees in Nicholas salvation from the burden of a lonely life.
A high-society lady who embodies the falsehood and hypocrisy often found in salons.
Thus, Leo Tolstoy depicts both good and bad female images in the epic "War and Peace", making the work a separate world.
The great Russian writers of the 19th century, creating positive female images, have always focused not on the perfect facial features or the beauty of the figure, but on the richness of the inner world of their heroines, which spiritualizes their appearance. Such, for example, are Pushkin's Tatyana Larina or Turgenev's Liza Kalitina. The same artistic principle was used by L.N. Tolstoy. Women's images in the novel "War and Peace" play an important role. They not only determine the behavior of the main characters, but also have an independent meaning. As well as male images, they reveal the author's idea of beauty, good and evil. When depicting his heroines, the writer used the technique of opposition. Comparing girls who are completely different in character, upbringing, aspirations and beliefs - Natasha Rostova, Marya Bolkonskaya and Helen Kuragina, Tolstoy sought to express the idea that emptiness and pretense often hide behind external beauty, and behind visible ugliness - the wealth of the inner world.
Natasha Rostova and Maria Bolkonskaya- Tolstoy's favorite heroines with opposite characters. Emotional, charming, full of life and movement, Natasha immediately stands out among the restrained, well-bred noblewomen. For the first time, she appears in the novel as a thirteen-year-old black-eyed, ugly, but lively girl who, flushed from a quick run, literally bursts into the living room, where adults are having a boring conversation. Together with Natasha, a fresh breath of life bursts into this sedate world. More than once Tolstoy emphasizes that Natasha was not beautiful. She may be beautiful, or she may be ugly - it all depends on her state of mind. In her soul, hard work does not stop for a second, which is not accessible to the prying eye.
Natasha's spiritual beauty, her love of life, her lust for life extend to those close and dear to her: Petya, Sonya, Boris, Nikolai. Prince Andrei Bolkonsky unwittingly became involved in the same world. Boris Drubetskoy, a childhood friend with whom Natasha was bound by a childhood oath, could not resist her charm. Natasha meets Boris when she is already 16 years old. “He rode with the firm intention of making it clear to her and her family that the childish relationship between him and Natasha could not be an obligation either for her or for him.” But when he saw her, he lost his head, because he also plunged into her world of joy and goodness. He forgot that he wanted to marry a rich bride, stopped going to Helen, and Natasha "seemed still in love with Boris." In any situation, she is extremely sincere and natural, there is not a shadow of pretense, hypocrisy and coquetry in her. In Natasha, according to Tolstoy, "an inner fire was constantly burning and the reflections of this fire told her appearance something better than beauty." It is no coincidence that Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov love Natasha, it is no coincidence that Vasily Denisov falls in love with her. The development of these qualities of the heroine is facilitated by the atmosphere of the Rostovs' house, full of love, respect, patience and mutual understanding.
A different atmosphere reigns in the Bolkonsky estate. The upbringing of Princess Marya was carried out by her father, a proud and self-satisfied man with a difficult character. It is worth remembering the lessons of mathematics, which he not only taught, but tormented his daughter. Princess Mary inherited his secrecy, restraint in expressing his own feelings and innate nobility. The old Prince Bolkonsky is despotic and strict with his daughter, but in his own way he loves her and wishes her well. The image of Princess Marya is particularly attractive. The author constantly reminds of her ugly face, but the reader completely forgets about it at those moments when the best part of her spiritual being is revealed. In the portrait of Marya Bolkonskaya, extremely laconic, her radiant eyes are remembered, which made the ugly face of the princess beautiful in moments of strong spiritual uplift.
Marya Bolkonskaya is the owner of a lively mind. A significant contribution to the development of her mental abilities was made by her father, who attached great importance to education. Natasha Rostova has a slightly different mindset. She does not reflect on events in the same way as Marya, seriously and deeply, but with her heart and soul she understands what is not given to understand by another person. When asked about the intellectual abilities of Natasha Rostova, Pierre perfectly answers: she “does not deign to be smart,” because she is much higher and more complex than the concepts of intelligence and stupidity. Natasha differs from the searching, intelligent and educated heroes in that she perceives life without analyzing it, but cognizes it holistically and figuratively, like an artistically gifted person. She dances superbly, evoking the delight of those around her, as the plastic language of dance helps her express her overflowing with life, the joy of merging with it. Natasha has a beautiful voice that captivates the audience not only with its beauty, sonority, but also with the strength, sincerity of the feeling with which she gives herself to singing. When Natasha sings, for her the whole world is in sounds. But if this impulse is interrupted by someone else's intrusion, for Natasha this is blasphemy, a shock. For example, after an enthusiastic younger brother ran into the room during her singing with the news of the arrival of the mummers, Natasha burst into tears and could not stop for a long time.
One of the main character traits of Natasha is amorousness. At her first adult ball in her life, when she entered the hall, she felt in love with everyone. It cannot be otherwise, because love is the essence of her life. But this concept in Tolstoy has a very broad meaning. It includes not only love for the groom or husband, but also love for parents, family, art, nature, homeland, and life itself. Natasha keenly feels the beauty and harmony of nature. The charm of the moonlit night evokes in her a feeling of delight that literally overwhelms her: “Oh, what a charm! Wake up, Sonya, - she said almost with tears in her voice. “After all, there has never, never been such a lovely night.”
In contrast to the emotional and lively Natasha, in the meek Princess Mary, humility and restraint are combined with a thirst for simple human happiness. Not being able to know the joys of life, Marya finds joy and consolation in religion and fellowship with God's people. She meekly submits to her eccentric and despotic father, not only out of fear, but also out of a sense of duty as a daughter who does not have the moral right to judge her father. At first glance, she seems timid and downtrodden. But in her character there is hereditary Bolkon pride, an innate sense of self-worth, which manifests itself, for example, in her refusal of Anatole Kuragin's proposal. Despite the desire for quiet family happiness, which this ugly girl is deeply fraught with, she does not want to become the wife of a handsome secular man at the cost of humiliation and insult to her dignity.
Natasha Rostova is a passionate, impulsive person who cannot hide her feelings and experiences. Having fallen in love with Andrei Bolkonsky, she could not think of anything else. Separation becomes an unbearable test for her, because she lives every moment and cannot postpone happiness for some fixed period. This quality of Natasha's character pushes her to betrayal, which in turn gives rise to a deep sense of guilt and remorse in her. She judges herself too harshly, refusing joys and pleasures, because she considers herself unworthy of happiness.
Natasha is brought out of a state of painful crisis by the news of the threat of the French, who have approached Moscow. The common misfortune for the whole country makes the heroine forget about her sufferings and sorrows. As for other positive characters of the novel, for Natasha the main idea is to save Russia. In these difficult days, her love for people becomes especially strong, her desire to do everything possible to help them. This selfless love of Natasha finds its highest expression in motherhood.
But, despite the outward difference, the dissimilarity of the characters Natasha Rostova and Princess Marya have a lot in common. Both Marya Bolkonskaya and Natasha are endowed by the author with a rich spiritual world, inner beauty, which Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky loved so much in Natasha and which Nikolai Rostov admires in his wife. Natasha and Marya give themselves to each of their feelings to the end, whether it be joy or sadness. Their spiritual impulses are often selfless and noble. They both think more about others, loved ones and loved ones than about themselves. For Princess Marya, all her life God remained the ideal to which her soul aspired. But Natasha, especially in difficult periods of her life (for example, after the story with Anatole Kuragin), gave herself up to a feeling of admiration for the Almighty. Both of them wanted moral purity, spiritual life, where there would be no place for resentment, anger, envy, injustice, where everything would be sublime and beautiful.
With all the dissimilarity of characters, Marya Bolkonskaya and Natasha Rostova are patriots, pure and honest natures, capable of deep and strong feelings. The best features of Tolstoy's favorite heroines were especially pronounced in 1812. Natasha took to heart the disaster that befell Russia with the advent of Napoleon. She committed a truly patriotic act, forcing them to dump property from the carts and give these carts to the wounded. Count Rostov, proud of his daughter, said: "Eggs ... eggs teach a chicken." With selfless love and courage, impressing those around her, Natasha looked after Prince Andrei until the last day. The hardness of character of the modest and shy Princess Marya manifested itself with particular force these days. The French companion suggested that Princess Bolkonskaya, who found herself in a difficult situation, turn to the French for help. Princess Marya considered this proposal an insult to her patriotic feelings, stopped communicating with Mademoiselle Bourienne and left the Bogucharovo estate.
The human essence of Tolstoy's heroines is defined by the word "femininity". This is Natasha's charm, tenderness, passion, and beautiful, filled with some kind of inner light, radiant eyes of Marya Bolkonskaya. Both beloved heroines of Tolstoy find their happiness in the family, caring for her husband and children. But the writer takes them through serious trials, upheavals and mental crises. When they first met (when Natasha was the bride of Prince Andrei), they did not understand each other. But having passed the difficult path of disappointment and resentment, Princess Marya and Natasha became related not only in blood, but also in spirit. Fate accidentally brought them together, but both of them realized that they were close to each other, and therefore they became not just true friends, but spiritual allies with their enduring desire to do good and give others light, beauty and love.
The family life of Marya and Natasha is an ideal marriage, a strong family bond. Both heroines devote themselves to their husbands and children, giving all their mental and physical strength to raising children and creating home comfort. Both Natasha (now Bezukhova) and Marya (Rostova) are happy in family life, happy with the happiness of their children and beloved husbands. Tolstoy emphasizes the beauty of his heroines in a new quality for them - a loving wife and tender mother. Natasha Rostova in the finale of the novel is no longer a charming, thin and agile girl, but a mature strong woman, a loving wife and mother. With all her being, she is given to the care of her husband and children. All life is focused for her in the health of children, their feeding, growth, education. Their relationship with Pierre is surprisingly harmonious and pure. Natasha's spontaneity and heightened intuition perfectly complement Pierre's intelligent, searching, analyzing nature. Tolstoy writes that Natasha is not particularly versed in her husband's political activities, but she feels and knows the main thing - her good, fair basis. Another happy union is the family of Marya Bolkonskaya and Nikolai Rostov. The selfless tender love of Princess Mary for her husband and children creates an atmosphere of spirituality in the family, ennobles Nikolai, who feels the high morality of the world in which his wife lives.
Natasha Rostova and Marya Bolkonskaya are contrasted in Helen Kuragina's novel. Behind the external brilliance of this heroine lies an evil and immoral creature. In front of readers, Helen consistently commits several betrayals. Like all members of the Kuragin family, she lives by the immutable law of the fulfillment of personal desires and does not recognize any moral standards. Helen marries Pierre only for the purpose of enrichment. She openly cheats on her husband, not seeing anything shameful and unnatural in this. She does not want to have children, because the family means nothing to her. The consequence of her intrigues in the world is death. The author sees no future for this heroine.
Helen's coldness and selfishness are contrasted with Natasha's naturalness and changeability. Helen, unlike Natasha, is not able to feel guilty, to condemn herself. In the image of Helen, external beauty and internal emptiness were embodied. More than once in the novel we see her “monotonous”, “unchanging smile”, more than once the author will draw our attention to the “ancient beauty of her body”. But not a word is said about Helen's eyes in the novel, although it is known that they are the mirror of the soul. But Tolstoy writes about the eyes of his beloved heroines with great love: Princess Marya has them “big, deep”, “always sad”, “more attractive than beauty”. Natasha's eyes are "lively", "beautiful", "laughing", "attentive", "kind". Both Natasha and Marya's eyes are a reflection of their inner world.
The epilogue of the novel reflects the writer's idea of the true purpose of a woman. According to Tolstoy, it is inextricably linked with the family, with the care of children. Women who find themselves outside this sphere either turn into a void, or, like Helen Kuragina, become carriers of evil. L.N. Tolstoy does not idealize family life, but shows that it is in the family that all eternal values are contained for people, without which life loses its meaning. The writer sees the highest vocation and purpose of a woman in motherhood, in the upbringing of children, for it is the woman who is the guardian of family foundations, that bright and kind beginning that leads the world to harmony and beauty.
