Contrasting female images in war and peace. Essay on the topic “female images in the novel l.n.
Women in the novel
Many female characters in Tolstov’s novel “War and Peace” have prototypes in the author’s real life. This is, for example, Maria Bolkonskaya (Rostova), Tolstoy based her image on his mother, Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya. Rostova Natalya Sr. is very similar to Lev Nikolaevich’s grandmother, Pelageya Nikolaevna Tolstoy. Natasha Rostova (Bezukhova) even has two prototypes: 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 Natalia 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 contrasts good and evil, cynicism and generosity with each other.
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.
Rostov
Natasha Rostova is one of the main figures in the novel; one feels that Tolstoy treats her with special tenderness and love. Throughout the entire work, Natasha is constantly changing. We see her 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 understand people and feel their state of mind.
Natasha is full of life and charm, so even with a very modest appearance, as Tolstoy describes, she attracts people with her joyful and pure inner world.
The eldest Natalya Rostova, the mother of a large family, a kind and wise woman, seems very strict at first glance. But when Natasha pokes her nose into her skirts, the mother “fakely angrily” glares 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 considering her middle-aged, thin and important face, taking money out from under her scarf.”
With all the external freedom that she provides to the children, Countess Rostova is ready to go to great lengths for their well-being in the future. She discourages Boris from his youngest daughter, prevents the marriage of his 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 brightest of all feelings.
Natasha’s older sister, Vera, stands a little apart, beautiful and cold. Tolstoy writes: “a smile did not grace Vera’s face, as usually happens; on the contrary, her face became unnatural and therefore unpleasant.”
She is annoyed by her younger brothers and sister, they interfere with her, her main concern is herself. Selfish and self-absorbed, Vera is not like her relatives; she does not know how to love sincerely and unselfishly, like them.
Fortunately for her, Colonel Berg, whom she married, was very suited to her character, and they made a wonderful couple.
Marya Bolkonskaya
Locked in a village with an old and oppressive 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 princess’s eyes, large, deep and radiant (as if rays of warm light sometimes came out of them in sheaves), were so beautiful that very often, despite the ugliness of her entire face, these eyes became more attractive than beauty . But the princess had never seen a good expression in her eyes, the expression they took on in those moments when she was not thinking about herself. Like all people, her face took on a tense, unnatural, bad expression as soon as she looked in the mirror.” And after this description, I want to take a closer 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 visible when she and her father do not want to accept Natasha, but after her brother’s death she still forgives and understands her.
Marya, like many girls, dreams of love and family happiness, she is ready to marry Anatol Kuragin and refuses marriage only for the sake of sympathy for Mademoiselle Burien. The nobility of her 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 Marya 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.
Other women in the novel
In the novel “War and Peace,” female characters are depicted not only in beautiful and rainbow colors. Tolstoy also portrays very unpleasant characters. He always indirectly defines his attitude towards the characters in the story, but never speaks about it directly.
So, finding himself at the beginning of the novel in Anna Pavlovna Sherer’s living room, the reader understands how false she is with her smiles and ostentatious hospitality. Scherer “... is full of animation and impulses,” because “being an enthusiast has become her social position...”.
The flirtatious 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 expression of fear that arouses compassion; She glanced from under her beautiful eyes at her husband, and on her face appeared that timid and confessing expression that appears on a dog quickly but weakly waving its lowered tail.” She does not want to change, develop, and does not see how the prince is bored 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 Rostova, destroying not only Natasha’s life, but also Prince Bolkonsky’s. 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 to us.
Conclusion
Reading the novel “War and Peace,” we plunge into the world of joys and sorrows together with the characters, are proud of their successes, and empathize with their grief. Tolstoy managed to convey all those subtle psychological nuances of human relationships that make up our lives.
Concluding 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 written. With what awe, love and respect Tolstoy treats some female characters. And how mercilessly and clearly he shows the immorality and falsehood of others.
Work test
What is a novel without women? He won't be interested. In relation to the main characters, we can judge their character, behavior, and inner world. War is war, but it ends someday. There are many women in the novel. Some images are positive, others negative.
One of the main female images beloved by the author is the image of Natasha Rostova. We watch her throughout the entire novel. Tolstoy constantly emphasizes that she is not a beauty. From a little girl who dances after a hunt, to an adult lady, wife and mother of the Bezukhov family. But she is beautiful with spiritual beauty. It was this kind of wife that Pierre needed, and not the cold beauty Helen Kuragina.
Some kind of inner fire burns in her. What is beauty? “...a vessel...in which there is emptiness, or a fire burning in the vessel...” Do you remember Zabolotsky’s poem “The Ugly Girl”? It was precisely in Natasha, as in a vessel, that this fire burned. And the reflections of this fire made her face so spiritual and alive. Therefore, she is so attractive to the opposite sex. Men like lively, smiling women, “laughing women”. How she danced after the hunt! Incendiary, selfless. The eyes are burning, the cheeks are flushed, the skirt is spinning like a top. Well, what man can resist here!
Yes, Natasha is wrong. And the arrogant and cold Prince Andrei does not forgive her. Or maybe Tolstoy did not specifically connect their destinies? Maybe he specifically gave her Pierre Bezukhov as a husband, this bear with the soul and heart of a child? He idolized her. Look how she blossomed with him, opened up like a woman. It seems to me that she would not be so happy with the prince.
Vera Rostova
The direct opposite of her is her older sister Vera. Her smile did not attract, but rather repelled. Children's laughter and squealing irritate her and prevent her from caring about herself.
It feels like Vera is a “foundling” in this family. She is not related to the Rostovs in spirit. Well, God apparently selects couples according to his image and likeness. He found the same husband for her. Two of a Kind.
Andrei Bolkonsky's sister is Princess Maria. If the prince can escape from his oppressive father to serve, then, alas, the girl cannot do this. And she is forced to endure it. She sacrifices her life for her father. For some reason, planting an inferiority complex in her, her father constantly humiliates her. But she also wants to be happy. She wants, like all women, a family, a husband, children.
Tolstoy describes her eyes in such a way that you don’t even pay attention to some of the flaws in her appearance. Moreover, as my mother said: “Beauty will fade, kindness will not deceive.” But she is very kind at heart. Her sacrifice finally finds a worthy recipient - Nikolai Rostov. He saves her, and she saves him.
Helen Kuragina
Here is the narcissistic soulless beauty Helen Kuragina. Dear painted doll without a soul, without a heart. Whether brother or sister, both are the same. Both are completely deceitful and inhumane. Someone else's life means nothing to them. She took it in passing and helped her brother deceive one person, Natasha. And ruin the lives of two people.
The second berry of the same field is Julie Kuragina, who became rich after the death of her brothers and became the richest bride. In order to somehow attract attention to herself, she put on a mask of decent melancholy. But one of the suitors, Boris, instinctively feels that she is “overacting” and turns away from her.
I remember the film adaptation of the novel “War and Peace” directed by Sergei Bondarchuk. Lyudmila Savelyeva played Natasha Rostova. I’m writing an essay and I see her in the Amazon galloping on the hunt. And then her fiery dance after the hunt. They picked the right actress for the character. For me, this is the best image of Natasha Rostova.
Option 2
No romance can do without charming representatives of the fair sex. Without women, any work will be boring and absolutely uninteresting. After all, it is in relation to women that the reader can judge the main characters. There are a lot of female images in the novel; Tolstoy managed to combine both negative and positive images.
One of the most beloved heroines, the author of this work himself, was Natasha Rostova. The reader can watch her throughout the entire work. The author more than once emphasized the fact that she was not particularly beautiful, rather the opposite. Natasha, as a race, is an example of a woman who is beautiful not in appearance, but in her soul. Her story begins with a little girl and extends to the wife and mother in the Bezukhov family. Tolstoy created her image exactly as Pierre needed it.
Many men liked Natasha precisely because she was distinguished by her smiling nature; she literally had a fire burning in her. She could dance uncontrollably, spin around, her eyes would glow and her cheeks would turn red, and men loved that about her.
The absolute opposite of this heroine was Vera. She was her sister, she really pushed people away. She was very irritated by extraneous noise, especially irritated by children's laughter and screams. She was a complete stranger in spirit to her family. Vera got the same husband; they really were a couple.
Another female image in the work is personified by Marya. She was unable to escape from her father's despot, as her brother was able to do. She was forced to endure him. Alas, Marya sacrificed her life for the sake of her father. He instilled in her an inferiority complex with his constant humiliations. But like any woman, she also wanted to be happy.
Lev Nikolaevich describes her eyes so vividly that other flaws in her were practically invisible. Yes, at heart, she was a very kind and gentle girl. Fate is favorable to her, Nikolai Rostov comes to her aid. With him she will find her happiness.
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The female image in the novel “War and Peace” by L. N. Tolstoy is, one might say, the theme of a separate work. With its help, the author shows us his attitude to life, understanding of a woman’s happiness and her purpose. The pages of the book present many characters and destinies of representatives of the fair sex: Natasha Rostova, Maria Bolkonskaya, Lisa Bolkonskaya, Sonya, Helen Kuragina. Each of them is worthy of our attention and shows the attitude of the great writer towards this. So, let’s try to remember who embodies the female character in the novel “War and Peace”. We will pay attention to several heroines who appear on the pages of the work.
Natasha Rostova at the beginning of the novel
This female image in the novel “War and Peace” requires the greatest attention of the author; it is to Natasha that he devotes many pages of his creation. The heroine, of course, arouses the keenest interest of readers. At the beginning of the work she is a child, but a little later a young enthusiastic girl appears before us. We can see her gracefully twirling in a dance, smiling, looking at life as if it were a just-opened book, full of mysteries, miracles, and adventures. This is an amazingly kind and open young lady who loves the whole world and trusts it. Every day of her life is a real holiday, she is her parents' favorite. It seems that such an easy character will definitely give her a happy, carefree life with a loving husband.
She is fascinated by the beauty of a moonlit night, she sees something beautiful in every moment. Such enthusiasm wins the heart of Andrei Bolkonsky, who accidentally overheard a conversation between Natasha and Sonya. Natasha, of course, also falls in love with him easily, joyfully, selflessly. However, her feeling has not stood the test of time; with the same readiness she accepts the courtship of Anatoly Kuragin. Andrei cannot forgive her for this, which he confesses to his friend, Pierre Bezukhov. It is difficult to blame Natasha for infidelity, because she is so young and so wants to learn more about life. This is the young female image in the novel War and Peace.
Natasha Rostova. Trials in life
However, the girl faces many trials that greatly change her character. Who knows, perhaps if Natasha had not faced life’s difficulties, she would have grown into a narcissistic egoist, thinking only about her interests and joys, unable to make her husband and children happy.
She readily undertakes to care for the dying Andrei Bolkonsky, showing herself as a completely mature, adult person.
After Andrei’s death, Natasha is very grieving and has a hard time experiencing his passing. Now we are no longer looking at a cheerful coquette, but a serious young woman who has experienced a loss.
The next blow in her life is the death of her brother Petya. She cannot indulge in grief, since her mother needs help, almost because of the loss of her son. Natasha spends day and night at her bedside, talking to her. Her gentle voice calms the countess, who has turned from a youthful woman into an old woman.
We see before us a completely different captivating female image in the novel War and Peace. Natasha Rostova is now completely different, she easily sacrifices her interests for the sake of the happiness of others. It seems as if all the warmth that her parents gave her is now poured out onto those around her.
Natasha Rostova at the end of the novel
For many, the favorite female character in the novel “War and Peace” is the image of Natasha Rostova. This heroine is loved by the author himself; it is not without reason that he pays so much attention to her. At the end of the work we see Natasha as the mother of a large family who lives by caring for loved ones. Now she does not at all resemble the young girl who was in front of us on the first pages of the work. The happiness of this woman is the well-being and health of her children and husband Pierre. Empty pastime and idleness are alien to her. She gives back with even greater force the love she received at a tender age.
Of course, Natasha is now not so graceful and beautiful, she doesn’t take very good care of herself, and wears simple clothes. This woman lives in the interests of people close to her, devoting herself entirely to her husband and children.
Surprisingly, she is absolutely happy. It is known that a person is capable only when he lives in the interests of loved ones, because loved ones are an extension of ourselves. Love for children is also love for oneself, only in a broader sense.
This is how L.N. Tolstoy described this amazing female image in the novel “War and Peace”. Natasha Rostova, it’s difficult to talk about her briefly, is the ideal woman of the writer himself. He admires her graceful youth, admires the matured heroine and makes her a happy mother and wife. Tolstoy believed that the greatest happiness for a woman is marriage and motherhood. Only then will her life be filled with meaning.
L.N. Tolstoy also shows us how different female attractiveness can be. At a young age, admiration for the world and openness to everything new certainly delight others. However, such behavior in an adult lady may seem ridiculous. Just imagine if it was not a young girl who admired the beauty of the night, but a lady of a more mature age. Most likely, she would look ridiculous. Every age has its own beauty. Caring for loved ones makes an adult woman happy, and her spiritual beauty makes others admire her.
When high school students are asked to write an essay on the topic “My favorite female character in the novel “War and Peace”,” everyone, without exception, writes about Natasha Rostova, although, if desired, of course, they could write about someone else. This once again confirms that generally accepted human values have been defined in the world for a long time, and the heroine of a novel written more than a hundred years ago still evokes sympathy.
Marya Bolkonskaya
Another favorite female character of the author in the novel “War and Peace” is Marya Bolkonskaya, Andrei Bolkonsky’s sister. Unlike Natasha, she did not have the liveliness of character and attractiveness. As Tolstoy writes about Marya Nikolaevna, she was ugly: weak body, thin face. The girl meekly obeyed her father, who wanted to develop her activity and intelligence, being confident in her daughter’s absolute unpretentiousness. Her life consisted of classes in algebra and geometry.
However, the extraordinary decoration of this woman’s face were her eyes, which the author himself calls the mirror of the soul. It was they who made her face “more attractive than beauty.” Marya Nikolaevna's eyes, large and always sad, radiated kindness. This author gives them an amazing description.
The female image in the novel “War and Peace”, embodied by Marya Nikolaevna, is an absolute virtue. From the way the author writes about her, it becomes clear how much he admires such women, whose existence is sometimes unnoticed.
Andrei Bolkonsky’s sister, like Natasha, loves her family, although she was never pampered, she was brought up in strictness. Marya tolerated her father and respected him. She couldn’t even think about discussing Nikolai Andreevich’s decisions; she was in awe of everything he did.
Marya Nikolaevna is very impressionable and kind. She is saddened by her father's bad mood, she sincerely rejoices at the arrival of her fiancé, Anatoly Kuragin, in whom she sees kindness, masculinity, and generosity.
Like any good woman, Marya, of course, dreams of children. She endlessly believes in fate, in the will of the Almighty. Bolkonsky’s sister does not dare to desire anything for herself; her noble, deep nature is incapable of envy.
Marya Nikolaevna's naivety does not allow her to see human vices. She sees in everyone a reflection of her own pure soul: love, kindness, decency.
Marya is one of those who are truly happy with the happiness of others. This smart and bright woman is simply not capable of anger, envy, revenge and other base feelings.
So, the second delightful female character in the novel “War and Peace” is Marya Bolkonskaya. Perhaps Tolstoy loves her no less than Natasha Rostova, although he does not pay so much attention to her. She is like the ideal author that Natasha will come to after many years. Having neither children nor family, she finds her happiness in giving warmth to other people.
Women's happiness of Marya Bolkonskaya
Bolkonsky’s sister was not mistaken: without wanting anything for herself, she nevertheless met a man who sincerely loved her. Marya became the wife of Nikolai Rostov.
Two seemingly completely different people were perfect for each other. Each of them experienced disappointment: Marya - in Anatol Kuragin, Nikolai - in Alexander the First. Nikolai turned out to be the person who was able to increase the wealth of the Bolkonsky family, making his wife’s life happy.
Marya surrounds her husband with care and understanding: she approves of his desire to improve himself through hard work, through housekeeping and caring for the peasants.
The female character in the novel “War and Peace,” embodied by Marya Bolkonskaya, is a portrait of a real woman, accustomed to sacrificing herself for the well-being of others and being happy because of this.
Marya Bolkonskaya and Natasha Rostova
Natasha Rostova, whom we see at the beginning of the work, is absolutely not like Marya: she wants happiness for herself. Andrei Bolkonsky’s sister, like her brother, puts a sense of duty, faith, and religion first.
However, the older Natasha gets, the more she resembles Princess Marya in that she wishes happiness for others. However, they are different. Natasha's happiness can be called more down-to-earth; she lives by everyday chores and activities.
Marya is more concerned about the mental well-being of loved ones.
Sonya
The niece of Natasha Rostova's father is another female image. In the novel War and Peace, Sonya seemingly exists only to show Natasha's best qualities.
This girl, on the one hand, is very positive: she is reasonable, decent, kind, and ready to sacrifice herself. If we talk about her appearance, then she is very good. She is a slender, graceful brunette with long eyelashes and a luxurious braid.
Initially, Nikolai Rostov was in love with her, but they were unable to get married because Nikolai's parents insisted on postponing the wedding.
A girl's life is more subordinated to reason than to feelings. Tolstoy does not really like this heroine, despite all of her. He leaves her lonely.
Lisa Bolkonskaya
Liza Bolkonskaya is, one might say, a supporting heroine, the wife of Prince Andrei. In the world they call her “the little princess.” She is remembered by readers thanks to her pretty upper lip with a mustache. Lisa is an attractive person, even this small flaw gives the young woman a unique charm that is unique to her. She is good, full of vitality and health. This woman easily endures her delicate position, and everyone around her has fun watching her.
It is important for Lisa to be in society; she is spoiled, even capricious. She is not inclined to think about the meaning of life, leads the usual lifestyle for a society lady, loves empty conversations in salons and at evenings, and enjoys new outfits. Bolkonsky's wife does not understand her husband, Prince Andrei, who considers it important to benefit society.
Lisa loves him superficially, as if they were just about to get married. For her, he is a background that fits into the ideas of society ladies about what a husband should be like. Lisa doesn’t understand his thoughts about the meaning of life; it seems to her that everything is simple.
It's hard for them to be together. Andrei is forced to accompany her to balls and other social events, which becomes completely unbearable for him.
This is perhaps the simplest female character in the novel War and Peace. Liza Bolkonskaya remained unchanged from the first edition of the novel. Its prototype was the wife of one of Tolstoy’s relatives, Princess Volkonskaya.
Despite the complete lack of mutual understanding between the spouses, Andrei Bolkonsky, in a conversation with Pierre, notes that she is a rare woman with whom you can be calm about your own honor.
When Andrei leaves for the war, Lisa moves into his father's house. Her superficiality is once again confirmed by the fact that she prefers to communicate with Mademoiselle Bourrienne rather than with Princess Marya.
Lisa had a presentiment that she would not be able to survive childbirth, and so it happened. She treated everyone with love and did not wish harm to anyone. Her face spoke of this even after death.
Lisa Bolkonskaya's character flaw is that she is superficial and selfish. However, this does not prevent her from being gentle, affectionate, and good-natured. She is a pleasant and cheerful conversationalist.
However, Tolstoy treats her coldly. He does not like this heroine because of her spiritual emptiness.
Helen Kuragina
The last female character in the novel “War and Peace” is Helen Kuragina. Or rather, this is the last heroine we will write about in this article.
Of all the women who appear on the pages of this grandiose novel, Helen is certainly the most beautiful and luxurious.
Behind her beautiful appearance are selfishness, vulgarity, intellectual and spiritual underdevelopment. Helen realizes the power of her beauty and uses it.
She achieves everything she wants through her own appearance. Having become accustomed to this state of affairs, this woman stopped striving for personal development.
Helene becomes the wife of Pierre Bezukhov solely because of his rich inheritance. She does not really strive to create a strong family, to give birth to children.
The War of 1812 finally puts everything in its place. For the sake of her own well-being, Helen converts to Catholicism, while her compatriots unite against the enemy. This woman, whose image can be called “dead,” really dies.
Of course, the most beautiful female character in the novel “War and Peace” is Helen. Tolstoy admires her shoulders at Natasha Rostova’s first ball, but he interrupts her life, considering such an existence meaningless.
Lisa Bolkonskaya, Helen Kuragina and Natasha Rostova
As mentioned above, the deaths of Lisa and Helen were not accidental. They both lived for themselves, were capricious, selfish.
Let's remember what Natasha Rostova was like at the beginning of the novel. Just like Liza Bolkonskaya, she admired balls and high society.
Like Helen Kuragina, she was attracted to something forbidden and inaccessible. It was for this reason that she was going to run away with Anatole.
However, Natasha’s high spirituality does not allow her to remain forever a superficial fool and plunge, like Helen, into a depraved life. The main character of the novel accepts the difficulties that befall her, helps her mother, and takes care of the terminally ill Andrei.
The deaths of Lisa and Helen symbolize that passion for social events and the desire to try the forbidden should remain in youth. Maturity requires us to be more balanced and willing to sacrifice our own interests.
Tolstoy created a whole gallery of female images. He loved some of them, others not, but for some reason he included them in his novel. It is difficult to determine what is the best female character in the novel War and Peace. Even negative and unloved heroines were invented by the author for a reason. They show us human vices, the inability to distinguish what is feigned and superficial from what is truly important. And let everyone decide for themselves what the most attractive female character in the novel “War and Peace” is.
Great Russian writers of the 19th century, creating positive female images, always focused attention not on 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. L.N. used the same artistic principle when creating female characters in his novel. Tolstoy. Female images in the novel "War and Peace" play an important role. They not only determine the behavior of the main characters, but also have independent meaning. Just like 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 were completely different in character, upbringing, aspirations and beliefs - Natasha Rostova, Marya Bolkonskaya and Helen Kuragina, Tolstoy sought to express the idea that behind external beauty there is often hidden emptiness and pretense, 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 reserved, well-mannered noble girls. She first appears in the novel as a thirteen-year-old, black-eyed, ugly, but lively girl who, flushed from running fast, literally bursts into the living room, where adults are having a boring conversation. Together with Natasha, a fresh breath of life bursts into this orderly world. More than once Tolstoy will emphasize that Natasha was not beautiful. She can be beautiful, or she can be ugly - it all depends on her state of mind. In her soul, hard work, inaccessible to prying eyes, does not stop for a second.
Natasha's spiritual beauty, her love of life, her thirst for life spread to people close and dear to her: Petya, Sonya, Boris, Nikolai. Prince Andrei Bolkonsky unwittingly found himself drawn into this same world. Boris Drubetskoy, a childhood friend with whom Natasha was bound by a childhood oath, could not resist her charm. Natasha dates Boris when she is already 16 years old. “He traveled with the firm intention of making it clear to both her and her family that the childhood relationship between him and Natasha could not be an obligation for either her or 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 to still be in love with Boris.” In any situation, she is extremely sincere and natural, there is not a shadow of pretense, hypocrisy or coquetry in her. In Natasha, according to Tolstoy, “an inner fire was constantly burning and the reflections of this fire imparted to her appearance something better than beauty.” It is no coincidence that Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov love Natasha, and 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 Rostov house, full of love, respect, patience and mutual understanding.
A different atmosphere reigns on the Bolkonsky estate. Princess Marya was raised by her father, a proud and self-satisfied man with a difficult character. It is worth remembering the lessons of mathematics, which he not so much taught as tormented his daughter. Princess Marya inherited his secrecy, restraint in expressing her own feelings and innate nobility. The old Prince Bolkonsky is despotic and strict with his daughter, but he loves her in his own way 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 in those moments when the best part of her spiritual being emerges. In the portrait of Marya Bolkonskaya, extremely laconic, one remembers her radiant eyes, which made the princess’s ugly face beautiful in moments of strong spiritual uplift.
Marya Bolkonskaya is the owner of a lively mind. Her father, who attached great importance to education, made a significant contribution to the development of her mental abilities. Natasha Rostova has a slightly different mindset. She does not reflect on events the way Marya does, seriously and deeply, but with her heart and soul she understands what another person cannot understand. Pierre answers the question about Natasha Rostova’s intellectual abilities perfectly: 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 experiences it holistically and imaginatively, like an artistically gifted person. She dances superbly, causing the delight of those around her, as the plastic language of dance helps her express her fullness of life, the joy of merging with it. Natasha has a beautiful voice that enchants listeners not only with its beauty and sonority, but also with the strength and sincerity of the feeling with which she devotes herself to singing. When Natasha sings, for her the whole world lies in sounds. But if this impulse is interrupted by someone else’s intrusion, for Natasha it is blasphemy, a shock. For example, after her enthusiastic younger brother ran into the room while she was singing with the news of the arrival of the mummers, Natasha burst into tears and could not stop for a long time.
One of Natasha's main character traits is falling in love. At her first adult ball in her life, she entered the hall and 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 acutely senses the beauty and harmony of nature. The charm of a moonlit night evokes in her a feeling of delight that literally overwhelms her: “Oh, how lovely! “Wake up, Sonya,” she said almost with tears in her voice. “After all, such a lovely night has never, never happened.”
In contrast to the emotional and lively Natasha, the meek Princess Marya combines humility and restraint with a thirst for simple human happiness. Unable to experience the joys of life, Marya finds joy and consolation in religion and communication with God's people. She meekly submits to her eccentric and oppressive father, not only out of fear, but also out of a sense of duty as a daughter who has no 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-esteem, which manifests itself, for example, in her refusal of Anatoly Kuragin’s proposal. Despite the desire for quiet family happiness, which this ugly girl deeply conceals within herself, she does not want to become the wife of a socially handsome man at the cost of humiliation and insult to her dignity.
Natasha Rostova is a passionate, impetuous person who cannot hide her feelings and experiences. Having fallen in love with Andrei Bolkonsky, she could not think about anything else. Separation becomes an unbearable test for her, because she lives every moment and cannot postpone happiness for any set period. This quality of Natasha’s character pushes her to betrayal, which in turn gives rise to a deep feeling 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 her state of painful crisis by the news of the threat of the French approaching Moscow. A common misfortune for the whole country makes the heroine forget about her sufferings and sorrows. Like other positive heroes of the novel, the main thing for Natasha is the thought of saving Russia. In these difficult days, her love for people and her desire to do everything possible to help them becomes especially strong. This selfless love of Natasha finds its highest expression in motherhood.
But, despite the external differences, the dissimilarity of 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, the inner beauty that Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky loved so much in Natasha and which Nikolai Rostov admires in his wife. Natasha and Marya completely surrender to each of their feelings, be it 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 during difficult periods of her life (for example, after the story with Anatoly Kuragin), gave herself over to a feeling of admiration for the Almighty. They both wanted moral purity, a spiritual life, where there would be no place for resentment, anger, envy, injustice, where everything would be sublime and beautiful.
Despite all the dissimilarities in their 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 clearly manifested 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 throw off their 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, amazing those around her, Natasha looked after Prince Andrei until the last day. The strength of character of the modest and shy Princess Marya manifested itself with particular force these days. A 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 Burien and left the Bogucharovo estate.
The human essence of Tolstoy’s heroines is defined by the word “femininity.” This includes Natasha’s charm, tenderness, passion, and the beautiful, radiant eyes of Marya Bolkonskaya, filled with some kind of inner light. Both of Tolstoy's favorite heroines find their happiness in the family, caring for their husband and children. But the writer takes them through serious trials, shocks and mental crises. When they first met (when Natasha was the bride of Prince Andrei), they did not understand each other. But having gone through a difficult path of disappointment and resentment, Princess Marya and Natasha became related not only by blood, but also by spirit. Fate accidentally brought them together, but they both 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 light, beauty and love to others.
The family life of Marya and Natasha is an ideal marriage, a strong family bond. Both heroines devote themselves to their husbands and children, devoting all their mental and physical strength to raising children and creating home comfort. Both Natasha (now Bezukhova) and Marya (Rostova) are happy in their family life, happy with the happiness of their children and beloved husbands. Tolstoy emphasizes the beauty of his heroines in a new capacity for them - a loving wife and a tender mother. Natasha Rostova at the end of the novel is no longer a charming thin and active girl, but a mature strong woman, a loving wife and mother. She devotes her whole being to caring for her husband and children. For her, her whole life is centered on the health of her children, their feeding, growth, and upbringing. 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 does not particularly understand her husband’s political activities, but she feels and knows the main thing - its kind, fair basis. Another happy union is the family of Marya Bolkonskaya and Nikolai Rostov. Princess Marya's selfless, tender love for her husband and children creates an atmosphere of spirituality in the family and has an ennobling effect on Nicholas, who feels the high morality of the world in which his wife lives.
Natasha Rostova and Marya Bolkonskaya are contrasted in the novel by Helen Kuragina. Behind the external brilliance of this heroine hides an evil and immoral creature. Before the readers' eyes, Helen consistently commits several betrayals. Like all representatives of the Kuragin family, she lives by the unchanging law of fulfilling personal desires and does not recognize any moral standards. Helene marries Pierre only for the purpose of enrichment. She openly cheats on her husband, not seeing anything shameful or unnatural in this. She doesn't want to have children because family means nothing to her. The consequence of her intrigues in the world is death. The author does not see a 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 guilt or condemn herself. The image of Helen embodied external beauty and internal emptiness. More than once in the novel we see her “monotonous,” “unchanging smile,” and more than once the author draws our attention to the “antique 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 with great love about the eyes of his beloved heroines: Princess Marya’s are “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 caring for children. Women who find themselves outside this sphere either turn into emptiness, 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 calling and purpose of a woman in motherhood, in raising children, for it is a woman who is the keeper of family foundations, that bright and good beginning that leads the world to harmony and beauty.
Female images in the novel "War and Peace"
In the novel "War and Peace" Tolstoy draws, masterfully and convincingly, several types of female characters and destinies. Impetuous and romantic Natasha, who becomes a “fertile female” in the epilogue of the novel; beautiful, depraved and stupid Helen Kuragina, who embodied all the advantages and disadvantages of metropolitan society; Princess Drubetskaya is a mother hen; the young “little princess” Liza Bolkonskaya is a gentle and mournful angel of the story and, finally, Princess Marya, the sister of Prince Andrei. All heroines have their own destiny, their own aspirations, their own world. Their lives are surprisingly intertwined, and in different life situations and problems they behave differently. Many of these well-developed characters had prototypes. Reading a novel, you involuntarily live life with its characters.
The novel contains a huge number of beautiful images of women from the early 19th century, some of which I would like to consider in more detail.
Marya Bolkonskaya
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It is believed that the prototype of Princess Marya was Tolstoy's mother. The writer did not remember his mother, even her portraits were not preserved, and he created her spiritual appearance in his imagination.
Princess Marya lives constantly on the Bald Mountains estate with her father, an illustrious nobleman of Catherine’s, exiled under Paul and who has not gone anywhere since then. Her father, Nikolai Andreevich, is not a pleasant person: he is often grumpy and rude, scolds the princess as a fool, throws notebooks and, to top it all off, is a pedant. But he loves his daughter in his own way and wishes her well. Old Prince Bolkonsky strives to give his daughter a serious education, giving her lessons himself.
And here is the portrait of the princess: “The mirror reflected an ugly, weak body and a thin face.” Tolstoy does not tell us the details of Princess Marya's appearance. An interesting point - Princess Marya “always looked prettier when she cried.” We know about her that she seemed “bad” to society dandies. She also seemed ugly to herself when she looked at herself in the mirror. Anatoly Kuragin, who immediately noted the merits of Natasha Rostova’s eyes, shoulders and hair, was not attracted to Princess Marya in any way. She does not go to balls because she lives alone in the village, she is burdened by the company of her empty and stupid French companion, she is mortally afraid of her strict father, but she is not offended by anyone.
Oddly enough, the main ideas about war and peace are expressed in Tolstoy’s book by a woman - Princess Marya. She writes in a letter to Julie that war is a sign that people have forgotten God. This is at the beginning of the work, even before 1812 and all its horrors. In fact, her brother, Andrei Bolkonsky, a professional military man who laughed at his sister and called her a “crybaby,” will come to the same thought after many brutal battles, after he saw death face to face, after captivity, after severe wounds. "
Princess Marya predicts to Prince Andrei that he will understand that there is “happiness in forgiving.” And he, having seen the East and the West, experienced happiness and sorrow, drew up laws for Russia and the disposition of battles, philosophized with Kutuzov, Speransky and other best minds, read a lot of books and was familiar with all the great ideas of the century - he will understand that she was right his younger sister, who spent her life in the outback, did not communicate with anyone, was in awe of her father and learned complex scales and cried over geometry problems. He really forgives his mortal enemy - Anatole. Did the princess convert her brother to her faith? It's hard to say. He is immeasurably superior to her in his insight and ability to understand people and events. Prince Andrei predicts the fate of Napoleon, Speransky, the outcome of battles and peace treaties, which more than once caused the amazement of critics who reproached Tolstoy for anachronism, for deviations from loyalty to the era, for “modernizing” Bolkonsky, etc. But this is a separate topic. But the fate of Prince Andrei himself was predicted by his sister. She knew that he did not die at Austerlitz, and she prayed for him as if he were alive (which probably saved him). She also realized that every minute counted when, without having any information about her brother, she set out on a difficult journey from Voronezh to Yaroslavl through the forests, in which detachments of the French had already met. She knew that he was going to his death, and predicted that he would forgive his worst enemy before his death. And the author, mind you, is always on her side. Even in the scene of Bogucharov’s rebellion, she is right, the timid princess who has never managed the estate, and not the men who assume
that they would be better off under Napoleon's rule.
It can be said that the princess herself almost made a fatal mistake in Anatole. But this mistake is of a different kind than Natasha’s mistake. Natasha is driven by vanity, sensuality - whatever. Princess Marya is driven by Duty and Faith. So she can't be wrong. She accepts fate as a test that God sends her. No matter what happens, she will bear her cross, and not cry and not try to poison herself, like Natasha Rostova. Natasha wants to be happy. Princess Marya wants to be submissive to God. She does not think about herself and never cries from “pain or resentment,” but only from “sadness or pity.” After all, you cannot hurt an angel, you cannot deceive or offend him. You can only accept his prediction, the message he brings, and pray to him for salvation.
Marya Bolkonskaya is certainly smart, but she does not flaunt her “learning”, so it is interesting and easy to communicate with her. Unfortunately, not everyone can understand and appreciate this. Anatol Kuragin, as a typical representative of secular society, cannot, and, most likely, simply does not want to discern this truly rare beauty of a soul. He sees only the plain appearance, not noticing everything else.
Despite their different characters, views, aspirations and dreams, Natasha Rostova and Marya Bolkonskaya are strong friends at the end of the novel. Although both of them had an unpleasant first impression of each other. Natasha sees Prince Bolkonsky's sister as an obstacle to her marriage, subtly feeling the negative attitude of the Bolkonsky family towards her person. Marya, for her part, sees a typical representative of secular society, young, beautiful, having enormous success with men. It seems to me that Marya is even a little jealous of Natasha.
But the girls are brought together by a terrible grief - the death of Andrei Bolkonsky. He meant a lot to his sister and ex-fiancee, and the feelings that the girls experienced during the prince’s death throes were understandable and similar for both.
The family of Marya Bolkonskaya and Nikolai Rostov is a happy union. Marya creates an atmosphere of spirituality in the family and has an ennobling effect on Nikolai, who feels the sublimity and high morality of the world in which his wife lives. In my opinion, it could not be otherwise. This quiet and meek girl, a real angel, definitely deserves all the happiness that Tolstoy awarded her at the end of the novel.
Natasha Rostova
Natasha Rostova is the central female character in the novel “War and Peace” and, perhaps, the author’s favorite. This image arose in the writer when the initial idea for a story about the Decembrist who returned to Russia and his wife, who endured with him all the hardships of exile, arose. The prototype of Natasha is considered to be the writer's sister-in-law Tatyana Andreevna Bers, married to Kuzminskaya, who had musicality and a beautiful voice. The second prototype is the wife of the writer, who admitted that “he took Tanya, mixed it with Sonya, and it turned out to be Natasha.”
According to this characterization of the heroine, she “does not deign to be smart.” This remark reveals the main distinguishing feature of Natasha's image - her emotionality and intuitive sensitivity; It is not for nothing that she is unusually musical, has a voice of rare beauty, is responsive and spontaneous. At the same time, her character has inner strength and an unbending moral core, which makes her similar to the best and most popular heroines of Russian classical literature.
Tolstoy presents us with the evolution of his heroine over the fifteen-year period of her life, from 1805 to 1820, and over more than one and a half thousand pages of the novel. It’s all here: the sum of ideas about a woman’s place in society and the family, and thoughts about the female ideal, and the disinterested romantic love of the creator for his creation.
We first meet her when the girl runs into the room, happiness and joy on her face. This creature cannot understand how others can be sad if she is happy. She doesn't try to restrain herself. All her actions are dictated by feelings and desires. Of course, she's a little spoiled. It already contains something characteristic of that time and for secular young ladies. It is no coincidence that Natasha thinks that she already loves Boris Drubetsky, that she will wait until she turns sixteen and she can marry him. This imaginary love is just fun for Natasha.
But little Rostova is not like other children, not like her in her sincerity and lack of falsehood. These qualities, characteristic of all Rostovs, with the exception of Vera, are especially clearly manifested when compared with Boris Drubetsky and Julie Karagina. Natasha knows French, but she does not act like a Frenchwoman, like many girls from noble families of that time. She is Russian, she has purely Russian features, she even knows how to dance Russian dances.
Natalya Ilyinichna is the daughter of the well-known Moscow hospitable, good-natured, bankrupt rich Counts of Rostov, whose family traits receive from Denisov the definition of “Rostov breed”. Natasha appears in the novel as perhaps the most prominent representative of this breed, thanks not only to her emotionality, but also to many other qualities that are important for understanding the philosophy of the novel. Rostova, as it were, unconsciously embodies that true understanding of life, participation in the national spiritual principle, the achievement of which is given to the main characters - Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky - only as a result of the most complex moral quests.
Natasha appears on the pages of the novel at thirteen years old. Half child, half girl. Everything about her is important to Tolstoy: the fact that she is ugly, the way she laughs, the things she says, and the fact that she has black eyes and her hair hangs back in black curls. This is the ugly duckling ready to turn into a swan. As the plot develops, Rostova turns into a girl attractive with her liveliness and charm, sensitively reacting to everything that happens. Most often, it is Natasha who gives the most accurate characteristics of other characters in the novel. She is capable of self-sacrifice and self-forgetfulness, high spiritual impulses (burns her hand with a hot ruler to prove her love and friendship to Sonya; actually decides the fate of the wounded, giving carts to take them out of burning Moscow; saves her mother from insanity after Petya’s death; selflessly cares for the dying Prince Andrei).The atmosphere of happiness, universal love, play and gaiety in the Moscow house of the Rostovs is replaced by the idyllic landscapes of the estate in Otradnoye. Landscapes and Christmas games, fortune telling. She even looks, and, I think, not by chance, similar to Tatyana Larina. The same openness to love and happiness, the same biological, unconscious connection with Russian national traditions and principles. And how Natasha dances after the hunt! “Clean business, march,” the uncle is surprised. It seems that the author is no less surprised: “Where, how, when did this countess, raised by a French emigrant, suck into herself from that Russian air that she breathed, this spirit... But the spirit and techniques were the same, inimitable, unstudied, Russian, which her uncle expected from her."
At the same time, Natasha can be very selfish, which is dictated not by reason, but rather by an instinctive desire for happiness and fullness of life. Having become the bride of Andrei Bolkonsky, she cannot stand the year-long test and becomes interested in Anatoly Kuragin, ready in her passion for the most reckless actions. After a chance meeting in Mytishchi with the wounded Prince Andrei, realizing her guilt and having the opportunity to atone for it, Rostova is again revived to life; and after Bolkonsky’s death (already in the epilogue of the novel) she becomes the wife of Pierre Bezukhov, who is close to her in spirit and truly loved by her. In the epilogue N.R. Tolstoy is presented as a wife and mother, completely immersed in her family concerns and responsibilities, sharing her husband’s interests and understanding him.
During the War of 1812, Natasha behaves confidently and courageously. At the same time, she does not evaluate and does not think about what she is doing. She obeys a certain “swarm” instinct of life. After the death of Petya Rostov, she is the head of the family. Natasha has been caring for the seriously wounded Bolkonsky for a long time. This is very difficult and dirty work. What Pierre Bezukhov saw in her immediately, when she was still a girl, a child - a tall, pure, beautiful soul, Tolstoy reveals to us gradually, step by step. Natasha is with Prince Andrei until the very end. The author's ideas about the human foundations of morality are concentrated around it. Tolstoy endows her with extraordinary ethical power. Losing loved ones, property, experiencing equally all the hardships that befell the country and the people, she does not experience a spiritual breakdown. When Prince Andrei awakens “from life,” Natasha awakens to life. Tolstoy writes about the feeling of “reverent tenderness” that gripped her soul. It, remaining forever, became a semantic component of Natasha’s further existence. In the epilogue, the author depicts what, in his opinion, is true female happiness. “Natasha got married in the early spring of 1813, and in 1820 she already had three daughters and one son, whom she wanted and now fed herself.” Nothing in this strong, broad mother reminds me of the old Natasha. Tolstoy calls her “a strong, beautiful and fertile female.” All Natasha’s thoughts are around her husband and family. And she thinks in a special way, not with her mind, “but with her whole being, that is, with her flesh.” Pierre speaks beautifully about her intellectual abilities, saying that she “does not deign to be smart,” because she is much higher and more complex than the concepts of intelligence and stupidity. It is like a part of nature, part of that natural incomprehensible process in which all people, land, air, countries and peoples are involved. It is not surprising that such a state of life does not seem primitive or naive to either the heroes or the author. Family is mutual and voluntary slavery. “In her house, Natasha put herself on the foot of her husband’s slave.” She only loves and is loved. And in this the true positive content of life is hidden for her.
War and Peace is Tolstoy's only novel with a classic happy ending. The state in which he leaves Nikolai Rostov, Princess Marya, Pierre Bezukhov and Natasha is the best that he could come up with and give them. It has its basis in Tolstoy’s moral philosophy, in his unique but very serious ideas about the role and place of women in the world and society.
Socialite ladies
(Helen Bezukhova, Princess Drubetskaya, A.P. Sherer)
Each person has his own advantages and disadvantages, some of which we sometimes don’t even notice, we simply don’t pay attention to them. Rarely is the balance of good and bad balanced; most often from each other we hear about someone: good, evil; beautiful, ugly; bad, good; smart, stupid. What makes us pronounce certain adjectives that characterize a person? Of course, the predominance of some qualities over others: evil over good, beauty over ugliness. At the same time, we consider both the inner world of the individual and the external appearance. And it happens that beauty is able to hide evil, and goodness manages to make ugliness invisible. When we see a person for the first time, we don’t think about his soul at all, we notice only his external attractiveness, but often the state of his soul is opposite to his external appearance: under a snow-white shell there is a rotten egg. L. N. Tolstoy convincingly showed us this deception using the example of ladies of high society in his novel
Helen Kuragina is the soul of society, she is admired, praised, people fall in love with her, but only... and because of her attractive outer shell. She knows what she is like and that's what she takes advantage of. And why not?.. Helen always pays great attention to her appearance. The writer emphasizes that the heroine wants to remain beautiful in appearance for as long as possible in order to hide the ugliness of her soul. No matter how mean and base it was, Helen forced Pierre to utter words of love. She decided for him that he loved her as soon as Bezukhov turned out to be rich. Having set a goal for herself, Kuragina coldly achieves it through deception, which makes us feel the cold and danger in the ocean of her soul, despite the superficial charm and sparkle. Even when, after her husband’s duel with Dolokhov and the break with Pierre, Helen understands what she has done (although this was part of her plans) in the name of achieving her goal, she still accepts it as inevitable, at least she is convinced that she did the right thing and In no case is she guilty of anything: these, they say, are the laws of life. Moreover, the money did not leave her - only her husband left. Helen knows the value of her beauty, but does not know how monstrous she is in nature, because the worst thing is when a person does not know that he is sick and does not take medicine.
“Elena Vasilievna, who has never loved anything except her body, and one of the stupidest women in the world,” thought Pierre, “seems to people to be the height of intelligence and sophistication, and they bow before her.” One cannot but agree with Bezukhov. A dispute may arise just because of her intelligence, but if you carefully study her entire strategy for achieving a goal, then you won’t even notice much intelligence, rather, insight, calculation, and everyday experience. When Helen sought wealth, she got it through a successful marriage. This is the simplest, most common way for a woman to get rich, which does not require intelligence. Well, when she desired freedom, then again the easiest way was found - to arouse jealousy in her husband, who in the end is ready to give everything so that she disappears forever, while Helen does not lose money, and also does not lose her position in society. Cynicism and calculation are the main qualities of the heroine, allowing her to achieve her goals.
People fell in love with Helen, but no one loved her. She is like a beautiful statue made of white marble, which they look at and admire, but no one considers her alive, no one is ready to love her, because what she is made of is stone, cold and hard, there is no soul there, but This means there is no response and warmth.
Among the characters Tolstoy disliked, one can single out Anna Pavlovna Sherer. On the very first pages of the novel, the reader gets acquainted with Anna Pavlovna’s salon and with herself. Her most characteristic feature is the constancy of deeds, words, internal and external gestures, even thoughts: “The restrained smile that constantly played on Anna Pavlovna’s face, although it did not match her outdated features, expressed, like spoiled children, a constant awareness of her dear shortcomings, from which she wants, cannot and does not find it necessary to correct herself.” Behind this characteristic is the author's irony.
Anna Pavlovna is a maid of honor and close associate of Empress Maria Feodorovna, the hostess of a fashionable high-society “political” salon in St. Petersburg, with a description of the evening in which Tolstoy begins his novel. Anna Pavlovna is 40 years old, she has “obsolete facial features,” expressing a combination of sadness, devotion and respect every time the empress is mentioned. The heroine is dexterous, tactful, influential at court, and prone to intrigue. Her attitude towards any person or event is always dictated by the latest political, court or secular considerations; she is close to the Kuragin family and is friendly with Prince Vasily. Scherer is constantly “full of animation and impulse,” “being an enthusiast has become her social position,” and in her salon, in addition to discussing the latest court and political news, she always “treats” guests to some new product or celebrity, and in 1812 her the circle demonstrates salon patriotism in the St. Petersburg world.
It is known that for Tolstoy, a woman is, first of all, a mother, the keeper of the family hearth. The high society lady, the owner of the salon, Anna Pavlovna, has no children and no husband. She is a "barren flower". This is the most terrible punishment that Tolstoy could come up with for her.
Another lady of high society is Princess Drubetskaya. We first see her in the A.P. salon. Scherer, asking for her son, Boris. We then watch her ask Countess Rostova for money. The scene in which Drubetskaya and Prince Vasily snatch Bezukhov’s briefcase from each other complements the image of the princess. This is an absolutely unprincipled woman, the main thing for her in life is money and position in society. For their sake, she is ready to go to any humiliation.
Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” begins with a description of high society gathered in the salon of the maid of honor Anna Pavlovna Scherer. This is “the highest nobility of St. Petersburg, people very different in age and character, but the same in the society in which they all lived...”. Everything here is false and for show: smiles, phrases, feelings. These people talk about their homeland, patriotism, politics, but are essentially not interested in these concepts. They only care about personal well-being, career, peace of mind. Tolstoy tears away the veils of external splendor and refined manners from these people, and their spiritual squalor and moral baseness appear before the reader. There is neither simplicity, nor goodness, nor truth in their behavior, in their relationships. Everything is unnatural, hypocritical in the salon of A.P. Scherer. Everything alive, be it a thought or a feeling, a sincere impulse or a topical wit, extinguishes in a soulless environment. That is why the naturalness and openness in Pierre’s behavior frightened Scherer so much. Here they are accustomed to “decently pulled masks”, to a masquerade. Tolstoy especially hated lies and falsehood in relationships between people. With what irony he talks about Prince Vasily, when he simply robs Pierre, appropriating income from his estates! And all this under the guise of kindness and care for the young man, whom he cannot leave to the mercy of fate. Helen Kuragina, who became Countess Bezukhova, is also deceitful and depraved. Even the beauty and youth of representatives of high society take on a repulsive character, because this beauty is not warmed by the soul. Julie Kuragina, who has finally become Drubetskaya, and people like her lie, playing at patriotism.
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