The grain grows clear in the FAMILY,
A person grows up in a FAMILY.
And everything that then gains,
It does not come to him from outside.
A family is not only related by blood.
In the novel "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy, the family fulfills its high true purpose. The formation of a person's personality largely depends on the family in which he grows up. As Sukhomlinsky said, the family is the primary environment where a person must learn to do good. However, in the world there is not only good, but also evil in opposition to it. There are families connected only by surname. Its members have nothing in common with each other. But it’s interesting, who will become a person whose personality was formed in an atmosphere of indifference and lack of affection? Three families - the Bolkonskys, the Kuragins and the Rostovs - seem to be the same good and evil. On their example, you can consider in detail all that family and human that only happens in the world. And by bringing them together, get the ideal.
Representatives of the older generation are completely different from each other. Considering idleness and superstition as vices, Bolkonsky's activity and mind as virtues. Hospitable, simple-hearted, simple, trusting, generous Natalia and Ilya Rostov. A very famous and quite influential person in society, holding an important court post Kuragin. There is nothing in common between them, except that they are all family people. They have completely different hobbies and values, a different motto under which they go along with their family (in the event that this family exists).
Relations between the older generation and children are presented differently. Having studied and compared this “quality”, one can confirm or dispute the term “family” that unites these people.
The Rostov family is filled with trust, purity and naturalness. Respect for each other, a desire to help without tedious notations, freedom and love, the absence of strict educational standards, loyalty to family relationships. All this includes a seemingly ideal family, the main thing in the relationship of which is love, life according to the laws of the heart. However, even such a family has vices, something that does not allow it to become a standard. Perhaps a little rigidity and strictness would not hurt the head of the family. The inability to manage the household led to ruin, and the blind love for children really turned a blind eye to the truth.
The Bolkonsky family is alien to the manifestation of sentimentality. The father is an indisputable authority, causing reverence from those around him. He himself studied with Mary, denying the norms of education in court circles. A father loves his children, and they honor and love him. They are connected by quivering feelings for each other, the desire to take care and protect. The main thing in the family is life according to the laws of the mind. Perhaps insufficient expression of feelings moves this family away from the ideal. Brought up in strictness, children wear masks, and only a certain tiny part of them radiates sincerity and enthusiasm.
Is it possible to call the Kuragin family? Their history does not carry the "ancestral poetry" that is characteristic of the Bolkonsky and Rostov families. The Kuragins are united only by kinship, they do not even perceive each other as close people. Children for Prince Vasily are only a burden. He treats them indifferently, wanting to fuse them quickly. After rumors about Helen's connection with Anatole, the prince, taking care of his name, alienated his son from himself. “Family” here is blood ties. Each member of the Kuragin family is used to loneliness and does not feel the need for the support of loved ones. Relationships are fake, hypocritical. This union is one big minus. The family itself is negative. It seems to me that this is the very “evil”. An example of a family that simply should not exist.
Family for me is a real little cult. A family is a house in which you want to stay forever, and people who love each other should become its foundation. The qualities of two families - the Rostovs and the Bolkonskys - I would like to embody in my family. Sincerity, care, understanding, love, feeling for a loved one, the ability to assess the situation and not idealize your children, the desire to raise a full-fledged personality - this is what a real family should be. The strictness and prudence of the Bolkonskys, the love and peace of the Rostovs - this is what can make a family truly happy.
The concept of family in the novel is described from all sides.
Thinking about family values (based on the novel by L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace")
Family is one of the greatest values in the life of every person. Family members value each other and see in close people the joy of life, support, hope for the future. This is provided that the family has the right moral attitudes and concepts. The material values of the family are accumulated over the years, and the spiritual ones, reflecting the emotional world of people, are associated with their heredity, upbringing, and environment.
In the novel by L.N. Tolstoy's "War and Peace" in the center of the story are three families - the Kuragins, the Bolkonskys, the Rostovs.
In each family, the head of the family sets the tone, and he passes on to his children not only character traits, but also his moral essence, life commandments, concepts of values - those that reflect the aspirations, inclinations, goals of both older and younger family members.
The Kuragin family is one of the well-known in the highest circles of St. Petersburg. Prince Vasily Kuragin, an insincere and narrow-minded person, nevertheless managed to build the most advantageous position for his son and daughter: for Anatole - a successful career, for Helen - marriage to one of the richest people in Russia.
When the soulless handsome Anatole is talking with the old prince Bolkonsky, he can hardly restrain himself from laughing. Both the prince himself and the old man’s words that he, the young Kuragin, must serve “the king and the fatherland” seem “eccentric” to him. It turns out that the regiment, to which Anatole is “ranked”, has already set out, and Anatole will not be “in action”, which does not bother the secular rake at all. "What am I, dad?" - he cynically asks his father, and this causes the anger and contempt of the old Bolkonsky, a retired general-in-chief, a man of duty and honor.
Helen is the wife of the smartest, but extremely naive and kind Pierre Bezukhov. When Pierre's father dies, Prince Vasily, the elder Kuragin, builds a dishonorable and vile plan, according to which the illegitimate son of Count Bezukhov could not receive either an inheritance or a count's title. However, the intrigue of Prince Vasily failed, and with his pressure, cynicism and cunning, he almost by force unites the good Pierre and his daughter Helen by marriage. Pierre is struck by the fact that in the eyes of the world Helen was very smart, but only he knew how stupid, vulgar and depraved she was.
Both the father and young Kuragins are predators. One of their family values is the ability to invade someone else's life and break it for the sake of their own selfish interests.
Material benefits, the ability to appear, but not to be - these are their priorities. But the law works, according to which "... there is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth." Life takes revenge on them terribly: Anatole's leg is amputated on the Borodin field (he still had to "serve"); early, in the prime of youth and beauty, Helen Bezukhova dies.
The Bolkonsky family is from a noble, well-known family in Russia, rich and influential. Old Bolkonsky, a man of honor, saw one of the most important family values in how much his son would fulfill one of the main commandments - to be, not to seem; correspond to the family status; do not exchange life for immoral deeds and base goals.
And Andrey, a purely military man, does not linger in the adjutants of the "highest", Kutuzov, since this is a "servant position." He is at the forefront, in the center of the battles at Shengraben, in the events at Austerlitz, on the Borodino field. Uncompromisingness and even rigidity of character make Prince Andrei a person who is extremely difficult for those around him. He does not forgive people for their weaknesses, as he is demanding of himself. But gradually, over the years, wisdom and other life assessments come to Bolkonsky. In the first war with Napoleon, he, being a well-known person at the headquarters of Kutuzov, could cordially meet the unknown Drubetskoy, who was looking for the patronage of influential people. At the same time, Andrei could afford to treat the request of a military general, a distinguished person, casually and even with contempt.
In the events of 1812, the young Bolkonsky, who suffered a lot and understood a lot in life, serves in the army. He, the colonel, is the commander of the regiment both in thoughts and in the way of actions, together with his subordinates. He takes part in the inglorious and bloody battle near Smolensk, goes on a difficult road of retreat, and in the battle of Borodino receives a wound that has become fatal. It should be noted that at the beginning of the 1812 campaign, Bolkonsky "lost himself forever in the court world, not asking to stay with the person of the sovereign, but asking for permission to serve in the army."
The good spirit of the Bolkonsky family is Princess Marya, who, with her patience and forgiveness, concentrates in herself the idea of love and kindness.
The Rostov family are the favorite heroes of L.N. Tolstoy, which embody the features of the Russian national character.
Old Count Rostov with his extravagance and generosity, Natasha who is carried away with a constant readiness to love and be loved, Nikolai, who sacrifices the well-being of the family, defending the honor of Denisov and Sonya - they all make mistakes that cost them dearly and their loved ones.
But they are always faithful to "good and truth", they are honest, they live in the joys and misfortunes of their people. For the whole family, these are the highest values.
Young Petya Rostov was killed in the first battle without firing a single shot; At first glance, his death is absurd and accidental. But the meaning of this fact is that the young man does not spare his life in the name of the king and fatherland in the highest and heroic sense of these words.
The Rostovs are finally ruined, leaving their property in Moscow captured by the enemies. Natasha proves with all her fervor that saving the unfortunate wounded is much more important than saving the family's material values.
The old count is proud of his daughter, the impulse of her beautiful, bright soul.
On the last pages of the novel, Pierre, Nikolai, Natasha, Marya are happy in the families they have built; they love and are loved, they firmly stand on the ground and enjoy life.
In conclusion, we can say that the highest family values for Tolstoy's favorite heroes are the purity of their thoughts, high morality, and love for the world.
ANATOL KURAGIN
"...very good and big rake..."
"...what a ruddy, black-browed handsome minister's son was..."
"... He did not miss a single revelry at Dolokhov's and other merry fellows of Moscow, he drank all night long, drinking everyone, and visited all the evenings and balls of high society ..."
"... He was not able to think about how his actions might respond to others, nor what might come out of such or such an act of his ..."
"... He looked at his whole life as a continuous amusement, which someone for some reason undertook to arrange for him ..."
"... In addition, in dealing with women, Anatole had that manner that most of all inspires curiosity, fear and even love in women - a manner of contemptuous consciousness of his superiority. As if he was telling them with his appearance: "I know you, I know , why bother with you? And you would be glad!<...>he had such a look and such a manner ... "
"... He was not conceited. He didn't care what anyone thought of him. Even less he could be guilty of ambition. He teased his father several times, spoiling his career, and laughed at all the honors ..."
"... in his soul he considered himself an impeccable person, sincerely despised scoundrels and bad people, and with a clear conscience carried his head high..."
IPPOLIT KURAGIN
"... Dear Hippolyte<...>was amazingly stupid. His features were the same as those of his sister, but<...>his face was hazy with idiocy and invariably expressed self-confident obscenity, and his body was thin and weak. Eyes, nose, mouth - everything seemed to shrink into one indefinite and boring grimace, and arms and legs always assumed an unnatural position ... "
"...face<...>invariably expressed self-confident peevishness ... "
"... Due to the self-confidence with which he spoke, no one could understand whether what he said was very clever or very stupid..."
HELEN KURAGINA
"... What a beauty! - everyone who saw her said..."
"... everything was lit up with a cheerful, self-satisfied, young, unchanging smile..."
"...extraordinary, ancient beauty of the body..."
"... He did not see her marble beauty, which was one with her dress ..."
"And how she keeps herself! For such a young girl and such tact, such a masterful ability to behave!"
"... a tall beautiful lady, with a huge plait and very bare white, full shoulders and a neck, on which there was a double string of large pearls ..."
"...But she is stupid, I myself said that she is stupid," he thought...
"... Countess Bezukhova rightfully had a reputation as a charming woman. She could say what she did not think, and in particular flatter, quite simply and naturally ..."
"...I knew she was a depraved woman... but I didn't dare to admit it..."
"... In Petersburg, Helen enjoyed the special patronage of a nobleman who occupied one of the highest positions in the state. In Vilna, she became close to a young foreign prince. When she returned to Petersburg, the prince and nobleman were both in Petersburg, both declared their rights, and for Helen presented a new task in her career: to maintain her intimacy of relations with both, without offending either one ... "
BOLKONSKIE
PRINCE ANDREI NIKOLAEVICH
Appearance of Andrei Bolkonsky "... Prince Bolkonsky was small in stature, a very handsome young man with definite and dry features. Everything in his figure, from a tired, bored look to a quiet measured step, represented the sharpest contrast with his little lively wife .. "... his handsome face..." "... Prince Andrei and rubbing his little white hands..." "... Prince Andrei was rubbing his forehead with his little hand..." "... Prince Andrei in his colonel's white uniform (for cavalry), in stockings and boots, lively and cheerful, he stood in the forefront of the circle ... "(after Austerlitz) "... especially the delicate children's neck, protruding from the delayed collar of the shirt .. ." The personality and character of Andrei Bolkonsky The age of Andrei Bolkonsky at the beginning of the novel is 27 years old (in 1805): "... No, life is not over at thirty-one years old ..." (Andrey Bolkonsky is 31 years old in 1809) Andrei Bolkonsky - a rich and noble nobleman: "... Women's society, the world welcomed him, because he would a fiancé, rich and distinguished, and almost a new face with a halo of a romantic story about his imaginary death and the tragic death of his wife ... "Prince Andrei is a secular person. He grew up in high society: "... Prince Andrei, like all people who grew up in the world, loved to meet in the world that which did not have a common secular imprint on itself ..." At the same time, Bolkonsky does not like high society: ".. He, apparently, was not only familiar with all those who were in the living room, but he was already tired of him so much that he was very bored looking at them and listening to them ... "" ... Drawing rooms, gossip, balls, vanity, insignificance - this is a vicious circle from which I cannot get out ... "Andrey Bolkonsky is an intelligent and well-read person:" ... he had a reputation for intelligence and great erudition ..." Bolkonsky is a proud and tough person. But over the years, he becomes softer: "... he changed a lot for the better in these five years, softened and matured, that there was no former pretense, pride and mockery in him, and there was that calmness that is acquired over the years. They started talking about him, they they were interested, and everyone wanted to see him..." "... he suddenly softened, and that softening, tenderness, these were signs of death...." "... this officer, who poses as a sovereign person..." (Viscount Mortemar about Bolkonsky) Andrei Bolkonsky is a wonderful person, despite his harshness: "... I know that there are no people better than him, and so I feel calm, it's good now ..." Andrei is a reserved person. He watches what he says: "... You can't, my dear, everywhere say everything that you think. .." (words by Andrei Bolkonsky) Andrei Bolkonsky is a strong-willed person: "... Prince Andrei combined to the highest degree all those qualities that Pierre did not have and which can be most closely expressed by the concept of willpower ..." Andrei is an economic landowner: "... One of his estates of three hundred souls of peasants was listed as free cultivators (this was one of the first examples in Russia), in others corvée was replaced by dues. In Bogucharovo, a scholarly grandmother was discharged to his account to help puerperas, and the priest taught the children of peasants and yards to read and write for a salary ... " quitrent: "... secondly, because by letting the peasants go free, he had already made himself a reputation as a liberal. The party of old dissatisfied, just like the son of their father, turned to him for sympathy, condemning the transformation. Andrei Bolkonsky is strict with his loved ones: "... As it happens with people, especially with those who strictly judge their neighbors, Prince Andrei ..." Andrei Bolkonsky is rude: "... Peronskaya's remarks about his rudeness ... "Andrey Bolkonsky is difficult to embarrass:" ... Prince Andrei (which rarely happened to him) seemed embarrassed ..." Andrei Bolkonsky is a self-critical person. He often criticizes himself: "... he criticized his own work, as often happened to him, and was glad when he heard that someone had arrived ..." Andrei Bolkonsky is a hardworking and very capable person: " ... the ability of Prince Andrei to calmly deal with all kinds of people, his extraordinary memory, well-read (he read everything, knew everything, had an idea about everything)<...>ability to work and study..." Andrey loves the philosopher Montesquieu - a supporter of democracy and separation of powers: "... I am an admirer of Montesquieu, - said Prince Andrey..." Andrey Bolkonsky loves and knows how to dance: "... Prince Andrey was one one of the best dancers of his time..." "...Prince Andrei loved to dance..."
A wonderful father, general-in-chief Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky, raised a brave son and a beautiful daughter, Princess Marya.
Princess Marya lived in the wilderness, she loved her solitude and did not complain to anyone about it, she understood the pain of her father, who was unjustly dismissed by Emperor Paul.
She was a deeply religious person and understood: the Lord will never put a cross beyond measure on anyone's shoulders. In a difficult moment, this girl became a support to the widowed Prince Andrei, a mother to a little orphaned nephew, a friend to Natasha, who had lost her loved one.
Tolstoy endowed this heroine with a noble soul, which was reflected in her radiant, deep eyes.
For the ability to sacrifice herself, “without demanding rewards,” the Lord grants her the happiness of being the beloved woman of one of the heroes of the novel, Nikolai Rostov. With her sacrificial love, she will save her loved ones from despair, giving herself without a trace to people. Princess Marya will become the mother of four children, she will be able to raise not only them, but also her husband. More than one generation of their kind will imitate this wonderful family.
The Bolkonsky family lived according to the principle: "There is no higher feat than laying down your belly for your friends ...". And for the children, first of all, honor, conscience, decency were in the first place. Kutuzov himself will say to Andrei Bolkonsky: “I know: your road is the road of honor.” And it is no coincidence that on the battlefield of Austerlitz, and at Borodino, Prince Andrei will accomplish a feat.
The amazing Rostov family, it was considered the most hospitable family in all of Moscow. On holidays and on name days, half the city dined with them. The Rostovs did not divide people by rank and rank, they always helped those in need. The gospel commandment “Love your neighbor…” was the rule of all members of this family.
Children, and the owners themselves, were friends with ordinary people, never offended their servants, and they paid Rostov respect and love. The Russian spirit reigned in this family, so all the children grew up to be kind, generous and noble people.
During the war of 1812, this family sacrificed their property for the sake of wounded soldiers and officers. And the fifteen-year-old son of the Rostovs, Petya, volunteered to go to the front to fight and died fighting the French. Nicholas, the eldest son, was a brave and honest warrior.
The moral support of the family will be Natasha, the youngest daughter of the Rostovs. It is about her that Prince Andrei will say: “Where she is, there is light; where she is not, there is darkness!”
The image of another family, Prince Vasily Kuragin, where the spirit of profit, deceit, selfishness, careerism reigned ...
The family of Prince Vasily Kuragin lived on the principle of profit and calculation. The teachers of the children were only foreigners. The son of Prince Vasily, Ippolit, could not connect two words in Russian, spoke only French and was considered a silly fellow, but his father managed to arrange him as a diplomat, not in the least embarrassed by Hippolyte's unpredictability and stupidity.
The second son of Kuragin, Anatole, caused the misfortune of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky and Natasha Rostova. The depraved and dissolute Anatole upset their marriage, deciding to kidnap and dishonor Natasha.
Pierre Bezukhov gave a very accurate description of the daughter of Prince Vasily to the beautiful Helen: “Where you are, there is evil and debauchery.” It was she who cheated on her husband throughout her entire family life. She was the cause of grief for many good people. "Tolstoy will call the entire Kuragin family a vile, heartless breed." And, indeed, you can’t build happiness either for yourself or for your children on money, on profit and on the calculation of happiness ...
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The Rostov family occupies an important place in the life of high society. This is not surprising: they are rich, have powerful friends. Many representatives of this family are active throughout the entire epic novel, so the reader's interest in the fate of members of this family does not weaken until the last pages of the work.
The Rostov family includes seven characters - they are the closest blood relatives (the exception is Sonya). In addition, two characters are directly related to this family, although they are not relatives - Boris and Mitya.
Let us consider in more detail the heroes that make up the family.
At the head of the family is Ilya Andreevich Rostov - "a lively, cheerful, self-confident old man." He is not distinguished by frugality "rarely anyone knew how to make a feast in such a wide hand, hospitably, especially because rarely anyone knew how and wanted to put their money if they were needed for a feast." He is a gentle and trusting person, many do not miss the opportunity to take advantage of this moment.
"The count is so weak and so kind, and everyone deceives him so much that everything goes from bad to worse." As a result, the family is ruined.
The misfortunes associated with ruin and military events dealt an irreparable blow to the count's health and he dies, asking for forgiveness for material disasters from members of his family.
Natalia Rostova- Ilya Andreevich's wife. She “was a woman with an oriental type of thin face, about forty-five years old, apparently exhausted by her children, of whom she had twelve people. The slowness of her movements and speech, which came from the weakness of her strength, gave her a significant air that inspired respect.
The countess grew up in luxury, so she does not know how to save. By the end of the novel, her appearance and attitude towards saving changes noticeably - the reason for this was the difficulties that fell on her fate after the death of her husband, the death of most of her children.
The Rostovs had 12 children. At the beginning of the story, only four survived: Vera, Nikolai, Natasha and Petya. In addition, Sonya, a relative of the family, was taken in by the count and countess.
Vera Rostova"she was good, she was not stupid, she studied well, she was well brought up." It is obvious that, despite all diligence, she was an unloved daughter. Most likely, this was due to the fact that the girl was not able to show good feelings towards others, she was angry and callous in soul: “you never loved anyone; you have no heart, you are only madame de Genlis (this nickname, considered very offensive, was given to Vera by Nikolai), and your first pleasure is to make trouble for others. She was very beautiful outwardly, but “a smile did not adorn Vera's face, as is usually the case; on the contrary, her face became unnatural and therefore unpleasant. The girl does not like it when someone takes her things: “How many times have I asked you,” she said, “not to take my things, you have your own room. “She took an inkwell from Nikolai.”
Nikolay Rostov- the second oldest child of the Rostovs. He is a sweet and kind person, but unlike his father, there is a share of foresight and prudence in him. Marriage for money is alien to Nikolai: "the thought of marrying a rich heiress, which his relatives offered him, was disgusting to him."
“He especially has so much candor and heart. It's so pure and full of poetry." Nikolai knows how to learn from the mistakes of his parents. “I need our children not to go around the world; I need to arrange our condition while I live; that’s all,” says Nikolai. He knows how to find a common language with people of different classes and ages - the military subordinate to him were in admiration for his prudence and good attitude towards himself, the peasants find him an excellent owner who takes care not only of his wallet, but also of people working for him.
Nikolay treats military service with trepidation: “The regiment was also a home, and the home is invariably sweet and expensive, like the parental home.” He is an honest and outspoken person. “I can’t hide what I feel,” he says about himself.
Natalya Rostova is similar in her moral principles to her brother. She is sensitive, kind, capable of self-sacrifice, in a word, "a rare girl." “Rostova is very nice. There is something fresh, special, non-Petersburg in her, which distinguishes her.
Natalya does not know how to be angry for so long, like Vera "this girl is such a treasure." Tolstoy portrays her to us as an ideal - she does not strive to lead a dissolute lifestyle, she is not attracted to public exits, she prefers to be the keeper of the hearth: “In society, the young Countess Bezukhov was seen little, and those who saw her were dissatisfied. She was neither nice nor kind."
Natalia is able to give care and warmth to other people and enjoy it. She stops taking care of herself, stopped making music, her only concern is her family. Faced with poverty and poverty, Natasha tries to prevent ruin in the future: “if he deserved reproaches from Natasha, it was only because he bought too much and too expensive. To all her shortcomings, according to the majority: slovenliness, omission, or qualities, according to Pierre, Natasha also added stinginess.
Petr Rostov- the youngest in the Rostov family. He is a sweet child and he has everything that children at his age have - he loves pranks and sweets: "a smaller, naughty, badly studied, breaking everything in the house and getting bored with everyone." Over time, Petya falls in love with military service. He stubbornly refuses to study, in an ultimatum form declaring his desire to be a military man. Relatives at first dissuade him, but, seeing his persistence, they give up. He becomes an officer: "having left home as a boy, he returned (as everyone told him) a fine man." Peter is capable of compassion. He looks with pity at the captured French boy: “Can I call this boy who was taken prisoner? give him something to eat."
Youthful maximalism pushes him to take part in hostilities, where he dies at the age of 16: “Petya fell heavily on the wet ground. The Cossacks saw how quickly his arms and legs twitched, despite the fact that his head did not move. The bullet went through his head."
Sonya Alexandrovna- niece of Countess Rostova. She was brought up by the Rostovs from a young age, therefore she considers the count to be her father, and the countess to be her mother. The girl is very grateful to them for taking her in and at critical moments for the family is ready to make every effort to help. “Sacrificing oneself for the happiness of others was Sonya's habit. Her position in the house was such that only on the path of sacrifice could she show her virtues, and she was used to and loved to sacrifice herself.
Sonya is friendly with Natasha - they are very similar in character. Unrequited love for her second cousin, Nikolai, became fatal for her, she could not create her own family.
“She is virtuous. She fell in love with Nikolenka and doesn’t want to know anything else.” And, quite likely, she remained an old maid: “She had everything for which people are valued; but it wasn't enough to make him love her."
Boris Drubetskoy is also directly related to the Rostov family, although he is not related to them. His parents are poor nobles, but Boris lived and was brought up by the Rostovs for a long time. At first, he was very friendly with Nikolai, but, gradually, their friendship came to naught. Boris began to show selfish feelings more and more, their views with Nikolai began to differ greatly. The desire to get rich seizes Boris, he tries to make the connections necessary for this, to marry for the sake of money. “He was not rich, but he used the last of his money to be better dressed than others; he would rather deprive himself of many pleasures than allow himself to ride in a bad carriage or appear in an old uniform on the streets of Petersburg.
Like Boris, Mitenka was brought up by the Rostovs - he also has noble roots. Mitya becomes the manager of the prince's affairs.
Initially, we see that the Rostov family is very wealthy. They do not know poverty. The Rostovs have good housing, the guests rush to "the whole of Moscow, the famous house of Countess Rostova on Povarskaya." They have an estate in Otradnoye, also furnished with taste and wealth. They sometimes go there with the whole family. “With our lifestyle, our condition will not last long. And all this is the club and its kindness. We live in the village, do we rest? Theatres, hunting and God knows what.
“In Moscow, the Rostovs belonged to high society, without knowing it themselves and without thinking about which society they belonged to.” It seemed that they were familiar with all the nobles of Moscow. Extensive acquaintances for a long time allow them to stay afloat, despite the impoverishment.
The Rostovs are nice and kind people, they do not hesitate to sincerely receive guests they like: “The whole family now seemed to him made up of beautiful, simple and kind people.”
"The Rostovs in St. Petersburg lived as hospitably as in Moscow, and the most diverse people converged at their dinners." This attitude often caused embarrassing situations - many were not averse to taking advantage of hospitality for selfish purposes. So, for example, Anna Mikhailovna "despite her improved affairs, she continued to live with the Rostovs." The military events of 1812 caused new trials. The Rostovs actively take part in military battles, the count and the countess help the wounded soldiers leave Moscow. They give them their wagons, deciding to save the soldiers, leaving all their wealth in Moscow.
“The wounded crawled out of their rooms and surrounded the carts with joyful pale faces. A rumor also spread in neighboring houses that there were carts, and the wounded from other houses began to come to the Rostovs' courtyard.
As you can see, the Rostovs stand out noticeably against the background of other aristocrats. Compassion is not alien to them, they are always ready to help not only friends, relatives, people close to them, but also unfamiliar people who do not have titles and titles. The Rostovs have a pronounced sense of patriotism. They strive in every possible way to help stop the enemy army, sometimes sacrificing even the most necessary for them.
Relationships in large families are always difficult. Sometimes parents do not know how to distribute love for their children in equal amounts, bestowing praise on some and scolding on others, sometimes the influence of high society becomes the cause of difficult relationships. In the Rostov family, this trend works poorly. The principles of society regarding public order are alien to them, and harmony within their family also looks unusual.
Natalya Rostova and Ilya Andreevich manage to maintain the quivering relationship until the end of their days. The ruin of the family makes its own adjustments to their relationship. Both the countess and the count understand that this might not have happened if Ilya Andreevich had behaved more prudently. The count feels guilty before his family, and the countess sometimes struggles with the desire to reproach her husband for what he has done. The fact that Natalya is not used to living in poverty reinforces the current situation. In their relationship there is "some kind of anxiety and sometimes disagreement, which has not happened before."
The Rostov children were friendly among themselves. They often spent time together. The exception was Vera - she did not know how to carelessly rejoice and have fun, she always tried to do everything well so that there was nothing to complain about, but she always went too far in this. The children shunned her. Natalya openly says that Vera is not capable of good feelings: “Vera is evil, God is with her!”. Nicholas even came up with a special nickname for her: "madame de Genlis".
Natasha and Sonya became very good friends. They have always supported each other. Sonya helps to hide Natalya's first love, which is taking a tragic turn, from her family. Sonya's falling in love becomes an obstacle to the full communication of the girl with Nikolai, but in general their communication is also friendly. Peter, who was rather sentimental, "clung to the company of Natasha, for whom he always had a special, almost loving, brotherly tenderness."
Thus, the Rostov family looks rather strange in the eyes of other aristocrats and people close to them. They are kind and sympathetic, sometimes naive, which leads to various difficulties and deceptions on the part of society.
The children of Countess Natalya and Ilya Andreevich maintain warm relations with each other. They are able to sacrifice their own interests for the sake of loved ones. They have a developed sense of patriotism and duty. Both Natalya and Nikolai manage to fully learn from the mistakes of their parents and prevent the ruin of their new families.
