In the novel "War and Peace" the writer shows us the many ways of development of Russia. He presents us with a portrait of the relationship between people from the people and the nobility. Particularly vivid is the picture of the great battles of the war of 1812, which helped to realize the true aspects of the Russian national character.
The characters are looking for answers to the questions they face. They are trying to find a worthy place in life. One of these images shows Andrei Bolkonsky. Acquaintance with the prince takes place in the salon Scherer. Discontent and longing are shown on his attractive face. The author explains this behavior of the hero by the fact that those present had already known him for a long time, and at the moment did not represent anything interesting. When he talks with Scherer, he says that he does not like this way of life, and he wants to do a feat in the name of people. Andrew does what he wants to do. Bolkonsky goes to serve in the headquarters of the commander in chief. After all, at that time he had formed his own outlook on life.
Our hero wants to reach heights in his career. Bolkonsky admires Napoleon and wants to be like him. During the feat he accomplished in the Battle of Austerlitz, Andrei wanted to show himself. And the French emperor noticed him. However, Bolkonsky does not feel happy about this. This episode can be considered a turning point in the life of the hero, since Prince Andrei gives a different assessment of what is happening. Lying wounded in the field and looking at the sky, he understood the true truth of life, namely the love of a person for his native, native expanses. Then Andrei experienced complete disappointment in the greatness of Bonaparte. After the battle of Austerlitz, his view of not only the feat, but also the meaning of life completely changes.
Returning home, our hero is waiting for a new blow - the death of his wife, before whom he felt guilty for inattention and thought about correcting, but did not have time to do it. Bolkonsky tries to live measuredly and calmly, taking care of his son. He made some changes to the estate, but this did not console him. Andrei's condition remained in depression. Having met and communicated with Rostova, Bolkonsky was inspired. But he was still not happy, because he understood that it simply could not exist. Andrei goes to St. Petersburg, where he even refuses the post of government official. Not forgiving Rostova's mistake for her betrayal, Bolkonsky painfully experiences a break with her.
His views, which were formed during painful searches, were revealed in a conversation with Bezukhov before the offensive near Borodino. Our hero realized that the outcome of the battle depends on how confident he himself was in victory. When mortally wounded, Bolkonsky felt a craving for life. Excruciating mortal suffering helped him to comprehend the basics of the love of a true Christian.
The Russian intelligentsia is almost always looking for its place in life. So Andrey Bolkonsky is one of the favorite heroes of Leo Tolstoy. Hereditary nobleman, prince, career officer and just handsome. The first time we meet with him is in the salon of the socialite Anna Petrovna Sherer. He's going to war. He was tired of the lazy St. Petersburg society, vegetating at balls and social events. He dreams of accomplishing a feat. He is not deterred by the fact that his wife is pregnant. He plans to take her to the village, to his father.
Fortune favors him - he was appointed adjutant of the commander in chief himself. This takes him one step closer to his dream. And he dreams of glory and power. He dreams of being like Napoleon Bonaparte. When he was in the battle of Toulon, with a banner in his hands, he led the soldiers behind him. Prince Andrei decided to repeat this at the Battle of Austerlitz.
But he was badly wounded. When he lay on the battlefield, his eyes fixed on the bottomless sky, Napoleon approached him and said something like: "What a beautiful death of a real war." And Andrei suddenly realized that he was not at all interested in this short Corsican with world ambitions.
On the verge of life and death, his eyes seemed to open. He understood what the meaning of life is, what he lives for. He also realized that his idol is actually an ordinary killer who sends his soldiers into a meat grinder to satisfy his ambitions.
He decides to return home to his father. And in time, during childbirth, his wife dies. Andrei decides to take up a peaceful life. He just wants to live with his father, sister, take care of his son. He also does his own housekeeping. He made life easier for his peasants - he replaced corvée with dues. For him, this means that at 31, life is over. But he still remains in a deep depression.
The prince's best friend, Pierre Bezukhov, asks to invite a young girl, Natasha Rostova, to the ball for a dance. The prince liked her for her beauty, even childish spontaneity, the ability to find the unusual in ordinary things (the moon in the night sky). It seemed that happiness was near. But it goes away again.
Yes, Natasha was mistaken in believing the womanizer Kuragin. But the proud prince did not forgive her. As if the flame of hope for happiness went out. And again a gray haze surrounds the prince. He keeps rushing around the world, can not find a place in life. He decides to take up government activities. But participation in the commission leads him to the conclusion that it is meaningless. Solid talk and nothing sensible.
His longtime acquaintance, Napoleon, decides his further fate. His army invades the territory of Russia. And Prince Andrei, like a true patriot, returns to the army. But not at headquarters. He goes to the front.
He does not want any more exploits, for glory. Just regular military service. On the eve of the Battle of Borodino, he meets with his best friend Pierre Bezukhov. Prince Andrei finally understands that the outcome of the battle is decided not only by the genius of this or that commander. The outcome of the battle is decided by ordinary soldiers and officers. A commander without an army is zero without a wand.
In the face of death, he finally understands that it is necessary to be easier with loved ones, not so arrogant, to be able to forgive their mistakes. After all, the prince himself, for sure, is not sinless. Then simple human happiness would have smiled at him.
Andrei Bolkonsky is the main character of the work "War and Peace", written by Leo Tolstoy, along with Pierre. At the beginning of the novel, for the title of the protagonist, there is a struggle between Pierre and Andrei, between the sons of Count Bezukhov and Count Nikolai Bolkonsky. But despite this, Pierre and Andrei were friends and there was respect for each other between them.
Andrei is a prince, the son of Count Nikolai Bolkonsky. His father, Nikolai, is one of the most influential and noble people of the Russian Empire in the 18th century.
Andrei lives in St. Petersburg and is married to the niece of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Empire, Kutuzov. At the beginning of the novel, Andrei's wife, Liza, the little princess, was pregnant, and some clairvoyant predicted her death during childbirth. Our today's hero has the highest position in the society of that time, he is so valued, so respected, but he does not like this life. It was at this time that Andrei had already firmly decided that he was going to war. By the way, he served as an adjutant under Kutuzov. His wife, the beautiful Liza, does not agree with her husband's decision and, in every possible way, is trying to keep him from the war. Even one evening, when Pierre was their guest, they quarreled over this issue. But in spite of everything, Andrey and Lisa love each other very much.
In 1805, Andrei Bolkonsky leaves for the war with Bonaparte, leaving his pregnant wife in the countryside with his father and sister (Maria Bolkonskaya). He serves there for two years and in 1807 is captured by the French, and the family thinks that he is already dead. But unexpectedly for everyone, our hero returns to his father's village, right during the birth of his wife. Unfortunately, Liza dies, but her son, little Nikolai, remains alive.
After the death of his wife, the former adjutant is already losing interest in life and goes to live alone. Later he returns to St. Petersburg, where he becomes a member for the drafting of laws. But soon Andrei loses interest in the legislature and returns to the village again. There he follows the example of his friend, Pierre, and becomes a Freemason.
Once at a ball, our hero meets the main character of the novel, the daughter of Count Rostov, Natasha. Andrei asks for Natasha's hand and she agrees. But Count Bolkonsky gets in the way, forcing his son to go abroad for treatment. While Andrei was abroad and being treated, Natasha falls in love with Anatole Kuragin and he cannot forgive Natasha.
Andrei, in order to forget Natasha, leaves for service in Turkey, and then goes to the Patriotic War with France in 1812. Andrei is in command of the Western Army and is an excellent commander, winning victory after victory. His team takes part in the battle of Borodino with Napoleon, and in this battle he is wounded, which turns out to be fatal. The wounded prince is transferred to Moscow, where he accidentally ends up in the Rostovs' house and is looked after by Natasha. But nothing can save him and he dies.
This is how the life of Andrei Bolkonsky developed in the work "War and Peace". Between him and Pierre there was a struggle for the title of the protagonist of the novel, but for some reason Lev Nikolayevich chose Count Bezukhov.
In Tolstoy's wonderful work "War and Peace" there are many characters that make the reader feel empathy, sadness about his fate, or some other emotion. The author tried to fill the work with as many characters as possible, which is why there are enough of them in the work to think well about their emotions, destinies, dreams, and so on.
We are introduced to many people. Some of them are adherents of the aristocracy, and some are simple people who do not live so richly. But today we will talk about Andrei Bolkonsky, an adherent of the nobility. Andrei Bolkonsky is a young man, from the Bolkonsky family, at the time the story begins, he is twenty-seven years old. In the process of narration, we are introduced to his personal life and his character. This character is a freedom-loving person who knows his business, ready to do anything for the sake of his homeland and relatives. He is also a faithful person who does not make concessions, which shows almost the entire work in him.
From the story we learn that Andrei Bolkonsky is a member of an aristocratic society, but because of his character he is simply bored in this society, and he does not want to be in it with all his heart, which is why he goes to war with France. There, Kutuzov takes him by the side, since he is married to his niece. Serving as an adjutant to General Kutuzov, he feels great. But in one of the battles, he is injured and sent to a French hospital, where doctors put him at the mercy of the locals. While his family thinks he is dead, he returns to his father's estate, where his wife is giving birth and from which she dies. Lost after the death of his wife, he wanders the world in search of peace, and finds it, dying from a wound after the battle at Borodino, leaving behind his son Nikolai.
In this essay, I analyzed the life of Andrei Bolkonsky and his life path. The opinion described in this essay is subjective, and therefore does not claim to be unique.
So what is crime? At different times, having asked this question to contemporaries, we would have heard different answers, but in all there would be a common feature: these are actions that are harmful to society in real time and to development
What is "tolerance"? Sociology considers this concept as tolerance for the worldview of another person, his way of life, behavior and customs. But, of course, this is a very narrow concept.
The fairy tale "The Gray Neck" was written by the famous Russian writer Mamin-Sibiryak. An analysis of this work is presented in this article.
Andrei Bolkonsky, his spiritual quest, the evolution of personality are described throughout the entire novel by L. N. Tolstoy. For the author, changes in the consciousness and attitude of the hero are important, because, in his opinion, this is what speaks of the moral health of the individual. Therefore, all the positive heroes of "War and Peace" go the way of searching for the meaning of life, the dialectics of the soul, with all the disappointments, loss and gain of happiness. Tolstoy indicates the presence of a positive beginning in the character by the fact that despite life's troubles, the hero does not lose dignity. These are Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov. The common and most important thing in their quest is that the heroes come to the idea of unity with the people. Let us consider what the spiritual searches of Prince Andrei led to.
Prince Bolkonsky first appears before the reader at the very beginning of the epic, in the salon of Anna Scherer, the maid of honor. Before us is a short man, with somewhat dry features, very handsome in appearance. Everything in his behavior speaks of complete disillusionment with life, both spiritual and family. Having married a beautiful egoist, Lisa Meinen, Bolkonsky soon gets tired of her and completely changes his attitude towards marriage. He even conjures a friend of Pierre Bezukhov never to marry.
Prince Bolkonsky longs for something new, for him constant going out, family life is a vicious circle from which a young man strives to break out. How? Leaving for the front. This is the uniqueness of the novel "War and Peace": Andrei Bolkonsky, as well as other characters, their dialectics of the soul, are shown within a certain historical setting.
At the beginning of Tolstoy's epic, Andrei Bolkonsky is an ardent Bonapartist, admiring Napoleon's military talent, an adherent of his idea of gaining power through a military feat. Bolkonsky wants to get "his Toulon".
With the arrival in the army, a new milestone in the search for the young prince begins. The life path of Andrei Bolkonsky made a decisive turn in the direction of bold, courageous deeds. The prince shows exceptional talent as an officer, he shows courage, valor and courage.
Even with the smallest details, Tolstoy emphasizes that Bolkonsky made the right choice: his face became different, it ceased to express fatigue from everything, feigned gestures and manners disappeared. The young man did not have time to think about how to behave correctly, he became real.
Kutuzov himself makes a note about what Andrei Bolkonsky is a talented adjutant: the great commander writes a letter to the young man's father, where he notes that the prince is making exceptional progress. Andrey takes all the victories and defeats to heart: he sincerely rejoices and worries with pain in his soul. He sees an enemy in Bonaparte, but at the same time continues to admire the genius of the commander. He still dreams of "his Toulon". Andrei Bolkonsky in the novel "War and Peace" is the spokesman for the author's attitude to outstanding personalities, it is from his lips that the reader learns about the most important battles.
The center of this stage of the prince's life path is He who showed high heroism, is seriously wounded, he lies on the battlefield and sees the bottomless sky. Then Andrey comes to the realization that he must reconsider his life priorities, turn to his wife, whom he despised and humiliated with his behavior. Yes, and once an idol, Napoleon, he sees as an insignificant human being. Bonaparte appreciated the feat of the young officer, only Bolkonsky did not care. He dreams only of quiet happiness and an impeccable family life. Andrei decides to end his military career and return home to his wife, in
Fate is preparing Bolkonsky another heavy blow. His wife, Liza, dies in childbirth. She leaves Andrei a son. The prince did not have time to ask for forgiveness, because he arrived too late, he was tormented by guilt. The life path of Andrei Bolkonsky further is caring for his loved ones.
Raising a son, building an estate, helping his father in forming the ranks of the militia - these are his life priorities at this stage. Andrei Bolkonsky lives in seclusion, which allows him to focus on his spiritual world and the search for the meaning of life.
The progressive views of the young prince are manifested: he improves the life of his serfs (replaces corvée with dues), he gives status to three hundred people. Still, he is still far from accepting a sense of unity with the common people: thoughts of disregard for the peasantry and ordinary soldiers slip through his speech every now and then .
The life path of Andrei Bolkonsky moves to another plane during the visit of Pierre Bezukhov. The reader immediately notes the kinship of the souls of young people. Pierre, who is in a state of high spirits because of the reforms carried out on his estates, infects Andrey with enthusiasm.
Young people discuss for a long time the principles and meaning of changes in the life of the peasantry. Andrei does not agree with something, he does not accept Pierre's most liberal views on serfs at all. However, practice has shown that, unlike Bezukhov, Bolkonsky managed to really make life easier for his peasants. All thanks to his active nature and practical view of the fortress system.
Nevertheless, the meeting with Pierre helped Prince Andrei to penetrate well into his inner world, to begin moving towards the transformation of the soul.
A breath of fresh air, a change in outlook on life was made by a meeting with Natasha Rostova, the main character of the novel "War and Peace". Andrei Bolkonsky visits the Rostov estate in Otradnoy on matters of land acquisition. There he notices a calm, cozy atmosphere in the family. Natasha is so pure, direct, real ... She met him on a starry night during the first ball in her life and immediately captured the heart of the young prince.
Andrey, as it were, is born again: he understands what Pierre once told him: you need to live not only for yourself and your family, you need to be useful to the whole society. That is why Bolkonsky travels to St. Petersburg to make his proposals to the military charter.
Unfortunately, Andrei did not manage to meet with the sovereign, he was sent to Arakcheev, an unprincipled and stupid man. Of course, he did not accept the ideas of the young prince. However, another meeting took place that influenced Bolkonsky's worldview. We are talking about Speransky. He saw in the young man a good potential for public service. As a result, Bolkonsky is appointed to a position related to the drafting. In addition, Andrei heads the commission for the drafting of wartime laws.
But soon Bolkonsky is disappointed with the service: the formal approach to work does not satisfy Andrey. He feels that here he is doing a job that no one needs, he will not provide real help to anyone. Increasingly, Bolkonsky recalls life in the village, where he was really useful.
Initially admiring Speransky, Andrei now saw pretense and unnaturalness. Increasingly, Bolkonsky is visited by thoughts about the idleness of Petersburg life and the absence of any meaning in his service to the country.
Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky were a very beautiful couple, but they were not destined to get married. The girl gave him the desire to live, to do something for the good of the country, to dream of a happy future. She became Andrew's muse. Natasha favorably differed from other girls in St. Petersburg society: she was pure, sincere, her actions came from the heart, they were devoid of any calculation. The girl sincerely loved Bolkonsky, and not just saw him as a profitable game.
Bolkonsky makes a fatal mistake by postponing the wedding with Natasha for a whole year: this provoked her passion for Anatole Kuragin. The young prince could not forgive the girl. Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky break off their engagement. The blame for everything is the excessive pride of the prince, the unwillingness to hear and understand Natasha. He is again as self-centered as the reader observed Andrei at the beginning of the novel.
It is with such a heavy heart that Bolkonsky enters 1812, a turning point for the Fatherland. Initially, he longs for revenge: he dreams of meeting Anatole Kuragin among the military and avenging his failed marriage by challenging him to a duel. But gradually the life path of Andrei Bolkonsky is changing once again: the vision of the tragedy of the people served as an incentive for this.
Kutuzov trusts the young officer to command the regiment. The prince is completely devoted to his service - now this is his life's work, he is so close to the soldiers that they call him "our prince".
Finally, the day of the apotheosis of the Patriotic War and the quest of Andrei Bolkonsky comes - the battle of Borodino. It is noteworthy that L. Tolstoy puts his vision of this great historical event and the absurdity of wars into the mouth of Prince Andrei. He reflects on the pointlessness of so many sacrifices for the sake of victory.
The reader sees here Bolkonsky, who has gone through a difficult life path: disappointments, deaths of loved ones, betrayal, rapprochement with the common people. He feels that now he understands and realizes too much, one might say, foreshadows his death: “I see that I began to understand too much. And it is not good for a man to eat from the tree of good and evil.”
Indeed, Bolkonsky is mortally wounded and, among other soldiers, falls into the care of the Rostovs' house.
The prince feels the approach of death, he thinks about Natasha for a long time, understands her, “sees the soul”, dreams of meeting his beloved, asking for forgiveness. He confesses his love to the girl and dies.
The image of Andrei Bolkonsky is an example of high honor, loyalty to the duty of the Motherland and people.
Andrei Bolkonsky is an image that embodies the best features of the representatives of the advanced noble society of his time. This image is in multiple connections with other characters in the novel. Andrei inherited a lot from the old prince Bolkonsky, being the true son of his father. He is related in spirit to his sister Marya. He is given in a complex comparison with Pierre Bezukhov, from whom he differs in greater realism and will.
The younger Bolkonsky comes into contact with the commander Kutuzov, serves as his adjutant. Andrei sharply opposes secular society and staff officers, being their antipode. He loves Natasha Rostova, he aspires to the poetic world of her soul. The hero of Tolstoy moves - as a result of stubborn ideological and moral quest - towards the people and towards the worldview of the author himself.
For the first time we meet Andrei Bolkonsky in the Sherer salon. Much in his behavior and appearance expresses deep disappointment in secular society, boredom from visiting living rooms, fatigue from empty and deceitful conversations. This is evidenced by his tired, bored look, the grimacing that spoiled his handsome face, the manner of squinting when looking at people. Gathering in the cabin, he contemptuously calls "stupid society."
It is not joyful for Andrei to realize that his wife Liza cannot do without this idle circle of people. At the same time, he himself is here in the position of a stranger and stands "on the same level as the court footman and idiot." I remember Andrei's words: "Living rooms, gossip, balls, vanity, insignificance - this is a vicious circle from which I cannot get out."
Only with his friend Pierre he is simple, natural, full of friendly participation and cordial affection. Only to Pierre can he confess with all frankness and seriousness: "This life that I lead here, this life is not for me." He has an irresistible thirst for real life. His sharp, analytical mind is attracted to her, broad requests push him to great achievements. According to Andrey, the army and participation in military campaigns open up great opportunities for him. Although he can easily stay in St. Petersburg, serve as an aide-de-camp here, he goes to where the hostilities are going on. The battles of 1805 were for Bolkonsky a way out of the impasse.
Army service becomes one of the important stages in the search for Tolstoy's hero. Here he sharply separates himself from the numerous seekers of fast careers and high awards that could be found at the headquarters. Unlike Zherkov and Drubetskoy, Prince Andrei organically cannot be a lackey. He is not looking for reasons to rise in ranks and awards, and he consciously begins his service in the army from the lower ranks in the ranks of Kutuzov's adjutants.
Bolkonsky keenly feels his responsibility for the fate of Russia. The Ulm defeat of the Austrians and the appearance of the defeated General Mack gives rise to disturbing thoughts in his soul about what obstacles stand in the way of the Russian army. I drew attention to the fact that Andrei changed dramatically in army conditions. He has no pretense, fatigue, the grimace of boredom has disappeared from his face, energy is felt in his gait and movements. According to Tolstoy, Andrei "looked like a man who did not have time to think about the impression he makes on others and was busy with something pleasant and interesting. His face expressed great satisfaction with himself and those around him." It is noteworthy that Prince Andrei insists that he be sent to where it is especially difficult - to Bagration's detachment, of which only one tenth can return after the battle. Another thing is noteworthy. Bolkonsky's actions are highly appreciated by the commander Kutuzov, who singled him out as one of his best officers.
Prince Andrei is unusually ambitious. The hero of Tolstoy dreams of such a personal feat that would glorify him and oblige people to render him enthusiastic respect. He cherishes the idea of fame, similar to the one that Napoleon got in the French city of Toulon, which would lead him out of the ranks of unknown officers. One can forgive Andrei for his ambition, realizing that he is driven by "a thirst for such a feat that is necessary for a military man." The battle of Shengraben already to some extent allowed Bolkonsky to show his courage. He boldly goes around the positions under the bullets of the enemy. He alone dared to go to Tushin's battery and did not leave it until the guns were removed. Here, in the battle of Shengraben, Bolkonsky was lucky enough to witness the heroism and courage shown by the gunners of Captain Tushin. In addition, he himself showed military restraint and courage here, and then one of all the officers came to the defense of the little captain. Shengraben, however, has not yet become Bolkonsky's Toulon.
The battle of Austerlitz, as Prince Andrei believed, was a chance to find his dream. It will certainly be a battle that will end in a glorious victory, carried out according to his plan and under his leadership. He will indeed accomplish a feat in the battle of Austerlitz. As soon as the lieutenant, who was carrying the banner of the regiment, fell on the battlefield, Prince Andrei raised this banner and shouted "Guys, forward!" led the battalion into the attack. Having been wounded in the head, Prince Andrei falls, and now Kutuzov writes to his father that the son of the old Prince Bolkonsky "fell a hero."
It was not possible to reach Toulon. Moreover, they had to endure the tragedy of Austerlitz, where the Russian army suffered a heavy defeat. At the same time, the illusion of Bolkonsky, associated with the glory of the great hero, dissipated, disappeared. The writer turned here to the landscape and painted a huge, bottomless sky, at the contemplation of which Bolkonsky, lying on his back, experiences a decisive mental break. Bolkonsky’s internal monologue allows us to penetrate into his experiences: “How quiet, calm and solemn, not at all the way I ran ... not the way we ran, shouted and fought ... Not at all the clouds crawling along this high, endless sky." The cruel struggle between people now came into sharp conflict with the generous, calm, peaceful and eternal nature.
From that moment on, the attitude of Prince Andrei towards Napoleon Bonaparte, whom he revered so much, changes dramatically. Disappointment arises in him, which was especially aggravated at the moment when the French emperor rode past him, Andrei, with his retinue and theatrically exclaimed: "What a beautiful death!" At that moment, “all the interests that occupied Napoleon seemed so insignificant to Prince Andrei, his hero himself seemed so petty to him, with this petty vanity and joy of victory,” in comparison with the high, just and kind sky. And during the subsequent illness, “little Napoleon with his indifferent, limited and happy look from the misfortunes of others” began to appear to him. Now Prince Andrei severely condemns his ambitious aspirations of the Napoleonic warehouse, and this becomes an important stage in the spiritual search for the hero.
Here Prince Andrei arrives in the Bald Mountains, where he is destined to survive new shocks: the birth of a son, the torment and death of his wife. At the same time, it seemed to him that it was he who was to blame for what had happened, that something had come off in his soul. That change in his views, which arose at Austerlitz, was now combined with a mental crisis. The hero of Tolstoy decides never to serve in the army again, and a little later he decides to completely abandon social activities. He fences himself off from life, in Bogucharovo is engaged only in housekeeping and his son, suggesting to himself that this is all that is left to him. He intends now to live only for himself, "without interfering with anyone, to live to death."
Pierre arrives in Bogucharovo, and an important conversation takes place between friends on the ferry. Pierre hears from the lips of Prince Andrei words full of deep disappointment in everything, disbelief in the high purpose of a person, in the opportunity to receive joy from life. Bezukhov adheres to a different point of view: "We must live, we must love, we must believe." This conversation left a deep imprint on the soul of Prince Andrei. Under her influence, his spiritual revival begins again, albeit slowly. For the first time after Austerlitz, he saw the high and eternal sky, and "something long asleep, something better that was in it, suddenly woke up joyfully and young in his soul."
Having settled in the countryside, Prince Andrei carried out noticeable transformations in his estates. He lists three hundred souls of peasants as "free cultivators", in a number of estates he replaces corvée with dues. He writes out a learned grandmother in Bogucharovo to help women in childbirth, and the priest teaches peasant children to read and write for a salary. As we can see, he did much more for the peasants than Pierre, although he tried mainly "for himself", for his own peace of mind.
The spiritual recovery of Andrei Bolkonsky was also manifested in the fact that he began to perceive nature in a new way. On the way to the Rostovs, he saw an old oak tree, which "alone did not want to submit to the charm of spring", did not want to see the sun. Prince Andrei feels the rightness of this oak, which was in harmony with his own moods, full of despair. But in Otradnoye he was lucky enough to meet Natasha.
And now he was deeply imbued with the power of life, spiritual wealth, spontaneity and sincerity that emanated from her. The meeting with Natasha truly transformed him, aroused in him an interest in life and gave birth to a thirst for active work in his soul. When, returning home, he met the old oak again, he noticed how it had changed - spreading its juicy greenery like a tent, swaying in the rays of the evening sun, It turns out that "life does not end at thirty-one years ... It is necessary ... that my life was not for me alone, he thought, so that it would be reflected on all and that they all live with me together.
Prince Andrei returns to social activities. He goes to St. Petersburg, where he begins to work in the Speransky commission, drawing up state laws. He admires Speransky himself, "seeing in him a man of great intelligence." It seems to him that "the future on which the fate of millions depends" is being prepared here. However, Bolkonsky soon had to be disappointed in this statesman with his sentimentality and false artificiality. Then the prince doubted the usefulness of the work that he had to do. A new crisis is coming. It becomes obvious that everything in this commission is based on bureaucratic routine, hypocrisy and bureaucracy. All this activity is not at all necessary for the Ryazan peasants.
And here he is at the ball, where he meets Natasha again. From this girl he breathed purity and freshness. He understood the richness of her soul, incompatible with artificiality and falseness. It is already clear to him that he is carried away by Natasha, and during the dance with her "the wine of her charms hit him in the head." Further, we follow with enthusiasm how the love story of Andrei and Natasha develops. Dreams of family happiness have already appeared, but Prince Andrei is destined to experience disappointment again. At first, Natasha was disliked in his family. The old prince insulted the girl, and then she herself, carried away by Anatole Kuragin, refused Andrei. Bolkonsky's pride was offended. Natasha's betrayal swept away dreams of family happiness, and "the sky began to crush again with a heavy vault."
The War of 1812 came. Prince Andrei again goes to the army, although he once promised himself not to return there. All petty concerns faded into the background, in particular, the desire to challenge Anatole to a duel. Napoleon approached Moscow. On the way of his army were the Bald Mountains. It was an enemy, and Andrei could not be indifferent to him.
The prince refuses to serve in the headquarters and is sent to serve in the "ranks": According to L. Tolstoy, Prince Andrei "was completely dedicated to the Affairs of his regiment", took care of his people, was simple and kind in dealing with them. In the regiment they called him "our prince", they were proud of him and loved him. This is the most important stage in the formation of Andrei Bolkonsky as a person. On the eve of the Battle of Borodino, Prince Andrei is firmly convinced of victory. He tells Pierre: "We will win the battle tomorrow. Tomorrow, whatever it is, we will win the battle!"
Bolkonsky is moving closer to ordinary soldiers. His aversion to the higher circle, where greed, careerism and complete indifference to the fate of the country and people reign, is growing stronger. By the will of the writer, Andrei Bolkonsky becomes the spokesman for his own views, revering the people as the most important force in history and attaching special importance to the spirit of the army.
In the Battle of Borodino, Prince Andrei is mortally wounded. Together with other wounded, he is evacuated from Moscow. Again he is experiencing a deep spiritual crisis. He comes to the conclusion that relations between people should be built on mercy and love, which should be addressed even to enemies. It is necessary, according to Andrei, universal forgiveness and firm faith in the wisdom of the Creator. And one more experience is experienced by the hero of Tolstoy. In Mytishchi, Natasha unexpectedly appears to him and asks his forgiveness on her knees. Love for her flares up again. This feeling warms the last days of Prince Andrei. He managed to rise above his own resentment, to understand Natasha's suffering, to feel the power of her love. He is visited by spiritual enlightenment, a new understanding of happiness and the meaning of life.
The main thing that Tolstoy revealed in his hero continued after his death in his son, Nikolenka. This is discussed in the epilogue of the novel. The boy is carried away by the Decembrist ideas of Uncle Pierre and, turning mentally to his father, he says: "Yes, I will do what even he would be pleased with." Perhaps Tolstoy intended to connect the image of Nikolenka with the emerging Decembrism.
This is the result of the difficult life path of the remarkable hero of Tolstoy's novel - Andrei Bolkonsky.
The path of searching for Andrei Bolkonsky. L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace"
Did I know that after reading "War and Peace", I would change my moral principles, look at life from a new, unexpected side? No, of course, I didn’t know, but it happened, and Andrei Bolkonsky contributed to this event. This fictional character has become my idol. Perhaps I still did not understand much of his thoughts and actions, but even a small part of what I realized was enough to radically change my life principles and beliefs. Naturally, each person perceives information in his own way, but in this article I will try to convey those spiritual transformations and personality transformations that happened to “my” Prince Andrei.
At the beginning of the novel, he appears to me as a proud, arrogant, tough person with an emotional range limited to a thin, cold and mocking smile. He is only interested in what directly concerns himself, his own "I". Rumors, events in society, and society itself does not bother him at all. He is looking for glory and greatness that could quench his thirst to know his destiny. Andrei goes to war only in order to get the opportunity to stand out from other people. The possible death not only does not bother him, but he considers it as one of the options to get what he wants. However, all his hopes and dreams come to an end on the field of Austerlitz. Napoleon - the greatest of the greats, the man whom Prince Andrei idolized, turns out in fact to be a small, frail likeness of the genius of war. After that, the prince's views on life change a little.
Bolkonsky decides that he still needs to live only for himself, but by the latter he means not only his person. All his relatives and close people: Princess Marya, father, wife, son, Pierre, as well as everything that, one way or another, is connected with him and now constitutes the “I” of Prince Andrei. All his efforts are now directed to the well-being of these people and himself. But he soon realizes that everything he does does not contribute to achieving the desired result. Andrew is despondent. He is trying to find something important - something that he could miss and not notice in his thoughts. However, neither a conversation with Pierre, nor the surrounding nature can help him. Prince Andrei begins to die, but then salvation comes to him in the form of a young and cheerful nymph - Natasha Rostova. He falls in love with her, she reciprocates and radically changes Bolkonsky. After meeting this angel, his state of mind changes forever. He himself admits this to himself when he meets the oak. His mind clears up, and Bolkonsky understands that he must live for all people, that the meaning of life lies in the simple little things that create it, that you should not look for special meaning in familiar things, but you just need to live and love further.
But, even after he gained peace of mind and balance, fate does not leave Prince Andrei alone. She sends him the last two trials: the betrayal of the woman he loves and death. After he learns about the events that took place between Natasha and Anatole Kuragin, he does not fall into a rage, but he cannot forgive Natasha either. Andrei finds the only right way out of this situation - he just continues to live on. After a long time, already on his deathbed, he forgives his beloved, and fate gives him the opportunity to meet her. So he passes the test of treason.
The last test prepared for him is beyond the power of any person to pass. But Prince Andrei Bolkonsky was able to do it. Death came for him, and he appeared before her as a man who, in his short life, was able to understand what people cannot learn today. Prince Andrei finally understood that the meaning of life is life itself.
Usually they say about a dead person: "Death took him too soon." But this is definitely not about Bolkonsky. Death overtook him, and he agreed to go with her on an equal footing.
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LN Tolstoy never showed himself as an unprincipled writer. Among the variety of his images, one can easily find those to whom he treated positively, with enthusiasm, and those to whom he felt antipathy. One of the characters to whom Tolstoy was clearly not indifferent was the image of Andrei Bolkonsky.
For the first time we meet Bolkonsky at Anna Pavlovna Sherer's. He appears here as a guest bored and tired of the whole secular society. In his inner state, he resembles a classical Byronic hero who does not see the point in secular life, but continues to live this life out of habit, while experiencing internal torment from moral dissatisfaction.
At the beginning of the novel, Bolkonsky appears before readers as a 27-year-old young man married to Kutuzov's niece, Lisa Meinen. His wife is pregnant with her first child and is due to give birth soon. Apparently, family life did not bring happiness to Prince Andrei - he treats his wife rather coolly, and says to Pierre Bezukhov that marriage is detrimental to a person.
During this period, the reader sees the development of two different hypostases of Bolkonsky's life - secular, related to the arrangement of family life and military - Prince Andrei is in military service and is an adjutant under General Kutuzov.
Prince Andrei is full of desire to become a significant person in the military field, he gives great hopes for the military events of 1805-1809. - according to Bolkonsky, this will help him lose his sense of the meaninglessness of life. However, the very first injury sobers him up significantly - Bolkonsky reconsiders his priorities in life and comes to the conclusion that he will be able to fully realize himself in family life. Having fallen on the battlefield, Prince Andrei notices the beauty of the sky and wonders why he had never looked at the sky before and did not notice its uniqueness.
Bolkonsky was not lucky - after being wounded, he became a prisoner of war in the French army, but then he has the opportunity to return to his homeland.
Having recovered from his wound, Bolkonsky goes to his father's estate, where his pregnant wife is. Since there was no information about Prince Andrei, and everyone considered him dead, his appearance was a complete surprise. Bolkonsky arrives home just in time - he finds his wife giving birth and her death. The child managed to survive - it was a boy. Prince Andrei was depressed and upset by this event - he regrets that he was in a cool relationship with his wife. Until the end of his days, he remembered the frozen expression on her dead face, which seemed to ask: "Why did this happen to me?"
The sad consequences of the Battle of Austerlitz and the death of his wife were the reasons why Bolkonsky decided to refuse military service. While most of his compatriots were called to the front, Bolkonsky specifically tried to make sure that he did not get back on the battlefield. To this end, under the guidance of his father, he begins to work as a militia gatherer.
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At this moment, there is a famous fragment of Bolkonsky's vision of an oak, which, in contrast to the entire verdant forest, argued the opposite - the blackened oak trunk suggested the finiteness of life. In fact, the symbolic image of this oak embodied the internal state of Prince Andrei, who also looked devastated. After some time, Bolkonsky again had to pass along the same road, and he saw that his seemingly dead oak had found the strength to live. From this moment begins the moral restoration of Bolkonsky.
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He does not stay in the position of militia collector and soon receives a new appointment - work in the commission for drafting laws. Thanks to his acquaintance with Speransky and Arakcheev, he was appointed to the post of head of the department.
At first, this work captures Bolkonsky, but gradually his interest is lost and he soon begins to miss life on the estate. His work on the commission seems to Bolkonsky to be idle nonsense. Prince Andrei increasingly catches himself thinking that this work is aimless and useless.
It is likely that during the same period, Bolkonsky’s internal torment brought Prince Andrei to the Masonic lodge, but judging by the fact that Tolstoy does not develop this part of Bolkonsky’s relationship with society, the Masonic lodge did not have any spread and influence on the life path.
At the New Year's ball in 1811, he sees Natasha Rostova. After meeting with the girl, Prince Andrei realizes that his life is not over and he should not get hung up on Lisa's death. Bolkonsky's heart is filled with love in Natalia. Prince Andrei feels natural in Natalya's company - he can easily find a topic for conversation with her. In communicating with a girl, Bolkonsky behaves at ease, he likes the fact that Natalya accepts him for who he is, Andrei does not need to pretend or play along. Natalya was also captivated by Bolkonsky, he seemed attractive to her both externally and internally.
Without thinking twice, Bolkonsky proposes to the girl. Since the position in Bolkonsky's society was impeccable, and besides, the financial situation was stable, the Rostovs agree to marriage.
The only person who was extremely dissatisfied with the engagement that took place was the father of Prince Andrei - he persuades his son to go abroad for treatment and only after that deal with marriage matters.
Prince Andrei gives in and leaves. This event became fatal in the life of Bolkonsky - during his absence, Natalya fell in love with the rake Anatoly Kuragin and even attempted to escape with the brawler.
He learns about this from a letter from Natalia herself. Such behavior unpleasantly struck Prince Andrei, and his engagement with Rostova was terminated. However, his feelings towards the girl did not fade away - he still continued to love her passionately until the end of his days.
To drown out the pain and take revenge on Kuragin, Bolkonsky returns to the military field. General Kutuzov, who always treated Bolkonsky favorably, invites Prince Andrei to go with him to Turkey. Bolkonsky accepts the offer, but the Russian troops do not stay in the Moldavian direction for a long time - with the beginning of the military events of 1812, the transfer of troops to the Western Front begins, and Bolkonsky asks Kutuzov to send him to the front line.
Prince Andrei becomes the commander of the Jaeger regiment. As a commander, Bolkonsky demonstrates himself in the best possible way: he treats his subordinates with care and enjoys significant authority with them. Colleagues call him "our prince" and are very proud of him. Such changes in him were realized thanks to Bolkonsky's rejection of individualism and his merger with the people.
The Bolkonsky regiment became one of the military units that took part in the military events against Napoleon, in particular during the Battle of Borodino.
During the battle, Bolkonsky is seriously wounded in the stomach. The wound received causes Bolkonsky to reevaluate and realize many life dogmas. Colleagues bring their commander to the dressing station, on the next operating table he sees his enemy - Anatol Kuragin and finds the strength to forgive him. Kuragin looks very pathetic and depressed - the doctors amputated his leg. Looking at Anatole's emotions and his pain, anger and the desire to take revenge, which has been devouring Bolkonsky all this time, recedes and is replaced by compassion - Prince Andrei feels sorry for Kuragin.
Then Bolkonsky falls into unconsciousness and is in this state for 7 days. Bolkonsky comes to consciousness already in the Rostovs' house. Together with other wounded, he was evacuated from Moscow.
Natalia at this moment becomes his angel. In the same period, Bolkonsky's relationship with Natasha Rostova also takes on a new meaning, but for Andrei everything is too late - his wound leaves him no hope of recovery. However, this did not prevent them from finding short-term harmony and happiness. Rostova all the time relentlessly cares for the wounded Bolkonsky, the girl realizes that she still loves Prince Andrei, because of this, her guilt towards Bolkonsky only intensifies. Prince Andrei, despite the severity of his injury, tries to look as usual - he jokes a lot, reads. Oddly enough, of all the possible books, Bolkonsky asked for the Gospel, probably because after the “meeting” with Kuragin at the dressing station, Bolkonsky began to realize Christian values and was able to love people close to him with true love. Despite all efforts, Prince Andrei still dies. This event tragically affected Rostova's life - the girl often remembered Bolkonsky and went over in her memory all the moments spent with this person.
Thus, the life path of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky once again confirms Tolstoy's position - the life of good people is always full of tragedy and quest.
