The best student essays. True and false heroism in the novel War and Peace
Grade 10
WORKS ON FOREIGN LITERATURE
LEV TOLSTOY
Good and evil in L. M. Tolstoy’s epic novel “War and Peace”
Long live the whole world!
L. Tolstoy
If we ask the question of what is the main idea of L. Tolstoy’s work, then, apparently, the most correct answer will be this: the affirmation of communication and unity of people and the denial of disunity and separation. These are two sides of the writer’s single and constant thought. In the epic, two camps of the Russia of that time were sharply contrasted - popular and pro-national.
As a result of the development of the novel over the course of two volumes, until the half that is devoted to the events of 1812, the main characters remain deceived by reality in all their hopes. Only insignificant people prosper: Drubetsko, Bergi, Kuragin. Only the era of 1812 was able to bring the heroes out of a state of disbelief into life. Andrei Volkonsky found his place in life, in heroic nationwide action. Prince Andrei - this knight without fear and reproach - as a result of painful spiritual quests joins the people, because he abandoned his old dreams of a commanding Napoleonic role in relation to the people. He came to understand that history is made here on the battlefield. He says to Pierre: “The French have ruined my house and are going to ruin Moscow, they have insulted and are insulting me every second.” The era of 1812 destroyed the barriers between Prince Andrey and the people. There is no longer any arrogant pride or aristocratic caste in him. The author writes about the hero: “He was devoted to the affairs of his regiment, he was caring towards his people and officers and affectionate with them. In the regiment they called him “our prince,” they were proud of him and loved him.” Likewise, the soldiers will call Pierre “our master.” All his life, Andrei Volkonsky was looking for an opportunity to participate in a real, big action, important for life, for people, in which mine and the common merge. And he came to understand that the possibility of such action is only in unity with the people. Prince Andrei's participation in the people's war broke his aristocratic isolation, opened his soul to the simple, natural, helped him understand Natasha, understand his love for her and her love for him.
For Pierre, who experiences the same thoughts and feelings as Prince Andrei, it is in Borodin’s chapters that a special understanding appears: they are soldiers, militias, people, and a particularly acute feeling arises that only they are the true exponents of action. Pierre is carried away by their greatness and self-sacrifice. “To be a soldier, just a soldier! - thought Pierre, falling asleep.
The novel "War and Peace" speaks of an era when man is in the foreground. People directly responsible for the development of action, who create it (the era), become great people from “little” people. This is exactly what Tolstoy shows in his paintings of the Battle of Borodino. It will be possible to say about all people - after the people's victory - what Natasha says about Pierre: all of them - all of Russia - have come out of the moral bathhouse! Pierre is the main character of War and Peace, this is proven by his entire position in the novel. It is above Pierre that the star of 1812 rises, foreshadowing both extreme troubles and extraordinary happiness. His happiness, his triumph are inseparable from the triumph of the people. Natasha Rostova, or rather her character, merges with the image of this star.
According to Tolstoy, Natasha is life itself. Her nature does not tolerate stopping, emptiness, or unfulfillment of life. She always feels everyone in herself.
Pierre tells Princess Marya about his love for Natasha: “I don’t know since when I love her. But I have loved only her all my life and I love her so much that I cannot imagine life without her.”
Tolstoy emphasizes the spiritual kinship of Natasha and Pierre, their traits: greed for life, passion, love of beauty, simple-minded gullibility. The role of Natasha’s character in “War and Peace” is large. She is the very soul of joyful human communication, she combines the desire for a real, full life for herself - at the desire of the same life for everyone; her soul is open to the whole world.
I wrote only about three characters who undoubtedly express Tolstoy’s main idea. The path of Pierre and Prince Andrei is a path of mistakes and false views, but still a path of gain, which cannot be said about the fate of Nikolai Rostov, whose path is a path of losses, when he could not defend his rightness in the episode with Telegin, when Telegin stole his wallet Rostov, “stole from his brother,” but this not only does not interfere, but seems to help him make a career. These episodes touch the soul of Nikolai Rostov.
When the veterans of the regiment accused Rostov of lying and that there were no thieves among the Pavlograd residents, Nikolai had tears in his eyes and said: “I am guilty.” Although Rostov was right. Then the Tilsit chapters, the triumph of negotiations between emperors - M. Rostov perceives all this strangely.
A rebellion arises in the soul of Nikolai Rostov, “strange thoughts” arise. But this rebellion ends with his complete human capitulation, when he shouts at the officers who condemn this union: “Our job is to do our duty, chop and not think.” These words complete the spiritual evolution of Nikolai Rostov. And this hero cut off his path to Borodino, he will be a faithful Arakcheevsky grunt, “when ordered.”
The grain grows in the FAMILY,
A person grows up in a FAMILY.
And everything that then acquires
It does not come to him from outside.
Family is kinship not only by blood.
In the novel “War and Peace” by L.N. Tolstoy, the family fulfills its high true purpose. The development of a person’s personality largely depends on the family in which he grows up. As Sukhomlinsky said, the family is the primary environment where a person must learn to do good. However, in the world there is not only good, but also evil in contrast to it. There are families connected only by last name. Its members have nothing in common with each other. But I wonder what a person will become, whose personality was formed in an atmosphere of indifference and lack of affection? Three families - the Bolkonskys, the Kuragins and the Rostovs - seem to represent that very good and evil. Using their example, one can examine in detail everything family-human that only happens in the world. And by putting them together, you get the ideal.
Representatives of the older generation are completely different from each other. Bolkonsky, who considers idleness and superstition to be vices, and activity and intelligence to be virtues. Hospitable, simple-minded, simple, trusting, generous Natalya and Ilya Rostov. A very famous and quite influential person in society, occupying an important court post, Kuragin. There is nothing in common between them, except that they are all family people. They have completely different hobbies and values, a different motto under which they walk with their family (if this family exists).
The relationship between the older generation and children is presented differently. By studying and comparing this “quality”, one can confirm or challenge the term “family” by which these people are united.
The Rostov family is filled with gullibility, purity and naturalness. Respect for each other, the desire to help without boring lectures, freedom and love, the absence of strict educational standards, loyalty to family relationships. All this includes a seemingly ideal family, the main thing in the relationships of which is love, life according to the laws of the heart. However, such a family also has vices, something that does not allow it to become a standard. Perhaps a little toughness and severity would not hurt the head of the family. Inability to manage a household led to ruin, and blind love for children really turned a blind eye to the truth.
The Bolkonsky family is alien to sentimentality. The father is an unquestioned authority, arousing reverence from those around him. He himself studied with Marya, denying the norms of education in court circles. A father loves his children, and they honor and love him. They are connected by reverent feelings for each other, a desire to care and protect. The main thing in the family is living according to the laws of the mind. Perhaps the lack of expression of feelings moves this family away from the ideal. Brought up in strictness, children wear masks, and only a tiny part of them radiates sincerity and enthusiasm.
Can you call it the Kuragin family? Their story does not carry that “tribal poetry” that is characteristic of the Bolkonsky and Rostov families. The Kuragins are united only by kinship; they do not even perceive each other as close people. Children for Prince Vasily are only a burden. He treats them indifferently, wanting to fuse them as quickly as possible. After rumors about Helen’s relationship with Anatole, the prince, caring about his name, alienated his son from himself. “Family” here means blood ties. Each member of the Kuragin family is accustomed to loneliness and does not feel the need for support from loved ones. Relationships are false, hypocritical. This union is one big minus. The family itself is negative. It seems to me that this is the very “evil”. An example of a family that simply shouldn't exist.
Family for me is a real little cult. A family is a home in which you want to stay forever, and its foundation should be people who love each other. I would like to embody the qualities of two families - the Rostovs and the Bolkonskys - in my family. Sincerity, care, understanding, love, concern for a loved one, the ability to assess the situation and not idealize your children, the desire to raise a full-fledged personality - this is what a real family should be. The rigor and prudence of the Bolkonskys, the love and peace of the Rostovs - this is what can make a family truly happy.
The concept of family in the novel is described from all sides.
Reflection of the moral views of L.N. Tolstoy in the novel “War and Peace”
Tolstoy created the novel “War and Peace” in his happiest years, at the height of his creative spirit, when he was worried about questions that were fully reflected in the novel and related to the essential aspects of human spiritual life. “War is the most disgusting thing in life, you need to understand this and not play at war,” said the hero of the novel Andrei Bolkonsky. This statement for Tolstoy was the beginning of a future denial of violence.
The “war” in the novel becomes that deceitful war waged by dignitaries and “staff influencers,” intriguing one against the other in order to strengthen their position and make a career through the use of lies.
In the novel, Tolstoy asserts the need to unite people of good will, who, having gathered together, will be able to resist those who impose war on people. In this statement, the author puts forward the idea of unifying opponents of war for the need to fight for peace.
The relevance of this novel is undeniable; this is the most important meaning of the word “peace”. The world of human relationships, the ordinary peaceful life of people with all the joys and sorrows, loves and disappointments, illnesses and delights - this world is revealed in detail by the author in the life of the Bolkonsky, Rostov, Kuragin, Drubetsky and Berg families, the most complex world of human happiness and misfortune.
In the novel, Lev Nikolaevich touches on and reveals the most important problems in life - problems of morality. Love and friendship, honor and nobility. The characters dream and doubt, think and solve problems that are important to them. Some of them are deeply moral people, while others are alien to the concept of nobility. To the modern reader, Tolstoy's heroes can be close and understandable. The author’s solution to moral problems can also be used by today’s reader to understand many complex issues of human relations. This makes the novel relevant today.
Love is perhaps one of the most exciting problems of human life. In the novel “War and Peace” many pages are devoted to this feeling. A lot of images pass before us. They all love, but they love in different ways. Love does not come to Prince Andrei right away. At the very beginning of the novel, it is clear how far he is from secular society, and his wife, Lisa, is a typical representative of the “society”. Although Prince Andrei loves Lisa in his own way, they are spiritually different and cannot be happy together. His love for Natasha is a completely different feeling. He found in her a close, understandable, natural, loving and understanding person, something that he himself loves and appreciates. His feeling is very pure, gentle, caring. He believes Natasha to the end and does not hide his love from anyone. His love makes him younger and stronger, ennobles him. He decides to marry Natasha because he loves her with all his heart.
Anatoly Kuragin has a completely different love for Natasha. He is handsome, rich, everything in life is easy for him, but he is stupid and superficial. He doesn't even think about his love. He does everything just like that, without thoughts. Words of love are familiar to him; he pronounces them mechanically. No emotional disturbance. He is absolutely not concerned about her future fate and happiness. This feeling cannot be called high.
Friendship... With his novel, Tolstoy helps the reader understand what true friendship is. Extreme frankness between two people, when neither can even entertain the thought of betrayal - Prince Andrei and Count Pierre develop just such a relationship. They deeply respect and understand each other in the most difficult moments. It is no coincidence that Prince Andrei, going abroad, tells Natasha to turn to Pierre for help. Pierre has loved Natasha for a long time, but he doesn’t even have the thought of taking advantage of Andrei’s departure to court Natasha. Although Pierre finds it difficult to fight his feelings, he helps her. He considers it his duty to help and protect his friend’s fiancée.
The relationship between Anatoly and Dolokhov is completely different, although in the “society” they are considered friends. Anatole sincerely loves Dolokhov for his intelligence and daring. Dolokhov, in turn, simply uses Anatoly. He needs his strength, nobility and connections to lure rich young people into his gambling society. There can be no talk of pure and honest friendship here.
“War and Peace” is the pinnacle of L.N.’s moral quest. Tolstoy. The heroes of War and Peace, like the heroes of Tolstoy’s early works, are very sensitive to nature and beauty. This is an integral part of their spiritual life. A deep revolution occurs in the soul of Prince Andrei when he, wounded at Austerlitz, understands that Napoleon and his dreams of his own Toulon are nothing before the eternity of the high sky that stretches above his head. He is able, upon seeing a green oak, to feel the analogy between the awakening of nature and what is happening in his soul. Also, Natasha, shocked by the beauty of the summer night, cannot sleep, striving with her soul to comprehend the beauty of nature.
2. The works of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky
2.1 “Little Man” F.M. Dostoevsky
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky is one of the most significant and famous Russian writers and thinkers in the world of the 60s of the 19th century. In his works he reflected the suffering of people from social reality. It was at that time that capitalism was developing, and people who could not exist in the conditions of difficult modernity found themselves in complete poverty. Dostoevsky's work is centered around questions of the philosophy of spirit - these are themes of anthropology, philosophy, history, ethics, religion.
Few Russian writers began their literary career as brilliantly as Dostoevsky. His first novel, “Poor People” (1846), immediately made him one of the most prominent representatives of the “natural school.” F.M. Dostoevsky explored the soul of the “little man” and delved into his inner world. The writer believed that the “little man” did not deserve such treatment as shown in many works. “Poor People” was the first novel in Russian literature where the “little man” spoke himself.
The main character of the novel, Makar Devushkin, is a poor official, oppressed by grief, poverty and social lack of rights. He is the subject of ridicule and his only joy is his distant relative - Varenka, the 17th orphan, for whom there is no one else to stand up for except Makar. For her, he rents a more expensive and comfortable apartment. In order to buy flowers and sweets for her, he denies himself food. But this heartfelt affection makes him happy. For a poor person, the basis of life is honor and respect, but the heroes of the novel “Poor People” know that it is almost impossible for a “small” person in social terms to achieve this. His protest against injustice is hopeless. Makar Alekseevich is very ambitious, and much of what he does, he does not for himself, but so that others can see it, for example, he drinks good tea. He tries to hide his shame about himself. Unfortunately, the opinion of others is more valuable to him than his own.
Makar Devushkin and Varenka Dobroselova are people of great spiritual purity and kindness. Each of them is ready to give up their last for the other. Makar is a person who knows how to feel, empathize, think and reason, and these are the best qualities of the “little man” according to Dostoevsky.
The author shows the “little man” as a deep personality with a rich inner world. The spiritual world of Makar Devushkin can be likened to a rapidly expanding universe. He is not limited either in his intellectual development, or in his spirituality, or in his humanity. Makar Devushkin’s personality potential is limitless. This transformation of the hero occurs despite his past, his upbringing, origin, environment, despite the hero’s social humiliation and cultural deprivation.
Previously, Makar Alekseevich did not even imagine that he had great spiritual wealth. His love for Varenka helped him realize that he, it turns out, could be useful and useful to someone. An extremely important process of “straightening” the human personality is taking place. Love opened Devushkin’s eyes to himself and allowed him to realize that he is a human being. He writes to Varenka:
“I know what I owe you, my dear! Having gotten to know you, I began, firstly, to know myself better, and I began to love you; and before you, my little angel, I was lonely and as if I was sleeping and not living in the world. ...and when you appeared to me, you illuminated my whole dark life, so that both my heart and soul were illuminated, and I found peace of mind and learned that I was no worse than others; That’s just it, I don’t shine with anything, there’s no gloss, I’m not drowning, but still I’m a man, that in my heart and thoughts I’m a man.”
These words sounded like a confession of faith, like a formula that explained and revealed the basic humanistic pathos of both the “natural school” and the entire work of Dostoevsky. Essentially, here his hero comes to deny the injustice of the social structure of society, which considers him only a rag and not a person. The main thing about the “little man” is his nature.
The “little man” turned out to be “big”. The dynamics of the unfolding of the spiritual greatness of the “little man” are unique. In the end, Makar Devushkin turned out to be a worthy hero of the novel, which, among other things, should be an example of “education of feelings.”
Makar Devushkin was the first revelation of Dostoevsky’s “great idea” - the idea of “restoration of man,” the spiritual resurrection of downtrodden and poor people.
Thus begins an entire era in Russian literature of the 19th century, associated with heightened attention to the inner world of man, which naturally led to increased socio-psychological analysis, to a sharp denunciation of the foundations of the autocratic serf system, which doomed “little people” to the role of humiliated and insulted.
2.2 Good and evil in the novel “Crime and Punishment.” Striving for a moral ideal
The theme of the “little man” continues in the novel Crime and Punishment. Here the “little people” are endowed with a certain philosophical idea. These are thinking people, but overwhelmed by life. For example, Semyon Zakharych Marmeladov. He enjoys beatings, and he trains himself not to pay attention to the attitude of those around him, and he is accustomed to spending the night wherever he has to. Marmeladov is not able to fight for life, for his family. He doesn't care about his family, society, or even Raskolnikov.
Dostoevsky describes a weak-willed man who drove his wife to consumption, let his daughter in with a “yellow ticket,” but while condemning him, the writer simultaneously appeals to people, asks them to show him at least a drop of pity, to take a closer look at him, whether he is really that bad. After all, he “offered his hand to the unfortunate woman with three children, because he could not look at such suffering.” He suffers most of all from the consciousness of guilt in front of his children. Is this “little man” really that bad? We can say that he was made this way by a society more indifferent and cruel than he himself in his drunkenness.
But still, the novel “Crime and Punishment” is a very bright work, although tragic. The writer expressed in it his innermost thoughts about the moral ideal of humanism.
The main character of the novel comes to a moral ideal after experiencing a lot of suffering. Tolstoy Dostoevsky moral hero
At the beginning of the work, this is a man who is disappointed in people and believes that only through violence can the desecrated goodness and justice be restored. Rodion Raskolnikov creates a cruel theory according to which the world is divided into “those who have the right” and “trembling creatures.” The first is allowed everything, the second - nothing. Gradually, this terrible idea captures the hero’s entire being, and he decides to test it on himself, to find out which category he belongs to.
Having coldly assessed everything, Raskolnikov comes to the conclusion that he is allowed to violate the moral laws of society and commit murder, which he justifies with the goal of helping the disadvantaged.
But much changes in him when feelings are mixed with the voice of reason. Raskolnikov did not take into account the main thing - his own character, and the fact that murder is contrary to human nature itself. Before committing a crime, the hero has a dream: he feels like a child who witnesses a barbarously cruel act - the beating of a cornered horse, which the owner beats to death in stupid anger. The terrible picture evokes in little Raskolnikov a furious desire to intervene and protect the animal, but no one prevents this senseless, cruel murder. The only thing the boy can do is scream his way through the crowd to the horse and, grasping its dead, bloody muzzle, kiss it.
Raskolnikov's dream has many meanings. Here is a clear protest against murder and cruelty, here is sympathy for the pain of others.
Under the influence of sleep, two motives for the alleged murder occur. One is hatred of the torturers. Another is the desire to rise to the position of judge. But Raskolnikov did not take into account the third factor - the inability of a good person to shed blood. And as soon as this thought occurred to him, he abandoned his plans in fear. In other words, even before lifting the ax, Raskolnikov understands the doom of his idea.
Having woken up, the hero was almost ready to abandon his plan: “God! - he exclaimed, “can it really be, really, I’ll take an ax, hit her on the head, crush her skull... I’ll slide in sticky, warm blood, pick the lock, steal and tremble; hiding, covered in blood... with an ax... Lord, really?”
However, the terrible theory wins. Raskolnikov kills the old money-lender, completely useless and even harmful, from his point of view. But along with her, he is forced to kill her sister, an accidental witness. The second crime is in no way included in the hero’s plans, because Lizaveta is precisely the one for whose happiness he is fighting. Destitute, defenseless, not raising her hands to protect her face. Now Raskolnikov understands: one cannot allow “blood according to conscience” - it will flow in a torrent.
By nature, the hero is a kind person, he does a lot of good to people. In his actions, statements, and experiences we see a high sense of human dignity, true nobility, and deepest selflessness. Raskolnikov perceives other people's pain more acutely than his own. Risking his life, he saves children from the fire, shares the last with the father of a deceased comrade, a beggar himself, gives money for the funeral of Marmeladov, whom he barely knew. The hero despises those who indifferently pass by human misfortunes. There are no bad or low traits in him. He also has an angelic appearance: “...remarkably good-looking, with beautiful dark eyes, dark blond, above average height, thin and slender.” How could a practically ideal hero become carried away by such an immoral idea? The author shows that Raskolnikov was literally driven into a dead end by his own poverty, as well as by the wretched, humiliated state of many worthy people around him. Rodion was disgusted by the power of the insignificant, stupid, but rich and the insulting position of the poor, but smart and noble in soul. It's a shame, but the hero's youthful maximalism and integrity, his pride and inflexibility did him a disservice and set him on the wrong path.
Having committed a villainous murder, the hero becomes seriously ill, which indicates the great sensitivity of his conscience. And before the crime, the good in his soul desperately fought against evil, and now he is experiencing hellish torment. It becomes very difficult for Raskolnikov to communicate with people; he seems to feel guilty before all of humanity. The warmer and more caring his loved ones treat him, the more he suffers. Subconsciously, the hero understands that he has violated the main law of life - the law of love for one's neighbor, and he is not just ashamed, he is hurt - he was too cruelly mistaken.
Mistakes need to be corrected, you need to repent in order to get rid of suffering. Raskolnikov begins the path to a moral life with confession. He tells Sonya Marmeladova about his crime, relieving his soul and asking for advice, because he does not know how to live further. And a friend helps Rodion.
The image of Sonya expresses the moral ideal of the writer. This woman is love itself. She sacrifices herself for people. Realizing that Raskolnikov needs him, Sonya is ready to follow him to hard labor: “Together we will go to suffer, together we will bear the cross!..” Thanks to her friend, the hero finds a new meaning in life.
Dostoevsky leads Raskolnikov to the idea of the need to live in the present, and not by an invented theory, to express oneself not through misanthropic ideas, but through love and kindness, through serving one’s neighbors. Raskolnikov’s path to a righteous life is complex and painful: from crime, which is atoned for by terrible suffering, to compassion and love for those people whom the proud young man wanted to despise, considering below himself.
The main philosophical question of the novel is the boundaries of good and evil. The writer seeks to define these concepts and show their interaction in society and in the individual.
In Raskolnikov's protest, it is difficult to draw a clear line between good and evil. Raskolnikov is unusually kind and humane: he passionately loves his sister and mother; feels sorry for the Marmeladovs and helps them, gives his last money for Marmeladov’s funeral; does not remain indifferent to the fate of the drunk girl on the boulevard. Raskolnikov's dream about a horse beaten to death emphasizes the hero's humanism, his protest against evil and violence.
At the same time, he exhibits extreme selfishness, individualism, cruelty and mercilessness. Raskolnikov creates an anti-human theory of “two classes of people,” which determines in advance who will live and who will die. He justifies the “idea of blood according to conscience,” when any person can be killed for the sake of higher goals and principles. Raskolnikov, who loves people and suffers for their pain, commits the villainous murder of the old pawnbroker and her sister, the meek Lizaveta. By committing murder, he tries to establish the absolute moral freedom of man, which essentially means permissiveness. This leads to the fact that the boundaries of evil cease to exist.
But Raskolnikov commits all crimes for the sake of good. A paradoxical idea arises: good is the basis of evil. Good and evil fight in Raskolnikov's soul. Evil, brought to the limit, brings him closer to Svidrigailov, good, brought to the point of self-sacrifice, brings him in common with Sonya Marmeladova.
In the novel, Raskolnikov and Sonya are the confrontation between good and evil. Sonya preaches goodness based on Christian humility, Christian love for one's neighbor and for all who suffer.
But even in Sonya’s actions, life itself blurs the line between good and evil. She takes a step full of Christian love and kindness towards her neighbor - she sells herself in order to prevent her sick stepmother and her children from starving. And she causes irreparable harm to herself, her conscience. And again, the basis of evil is good.
The interpenetration of good and evil can also be seen in Svidrigailov’s nightmare before suicide. This hero completes the chain of malicious crimes in the novel: rape, murder, child molestation. True, the author does not confirm the fact that these crimes were committed: this is mainly Luzhin’s gossip. But it is absolutely known that Svidrigailov arranged for the children of Katerina Ivanovna and helped Sonya Marmeladova. Dostoevsky shows how a complex struggle between good and evil takes place in the soul of this hero. Dostoevsky tries to draw the line between good and evil in the novel. But the human world is too complex and unfair, and the boundaries between these concepts are blurred. Therefore, Dostoevsky sees salvation and truth in faith. Christ for him is the highest criterion of morality, the bearer of true good on earth. And this is the only thing the writer does not doubt.
Conclusion
Summarizing all of the above, we can conclude that in the works of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, the psychological portraits of the heroes are very deeply developed. It seems to me that this is due to the fact that the authors are trying to convey to the reader what one can be, what one can become under the influence of society and how, under this influence, people remain themselves and do not contradict their state of mind and moral principles.
In the works of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, we can observe how he depicts the spiritual growth of man and his fall. What significance does the inner world have for the author? How society, the morality of the environment and the actions of others influence a person.
In his work, Tolstoy touches on and reveals the most important problems in life - problems of morality. Love and friendship, honor and nobility. His characters dream and doubt, think and solve problems that are important to them. Some of them are deeply moral people, while others are alien to the concept of nobility. To the modern reader, Tolstoy's heroes can be close and understandable. The author's solution to moral problems can still be used today.
The creativity of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky is centered around questions of the philosophy of spirit - these are themes of anthropology, philosophy, history, ethics, religion. In his works, Dostoevsky shows the tragic fates of “little people”. What deep feelings a “little man” oppressed by poverty, lawlessness, and inhumanity is capable of, what kind, compassionate soul he can possess. In his works, the author reveals the enormous spiritual wealth of the “little man,” his spiritual generosity and inner beauty, which did not perish under unbearable living conditions. The beauty of the soul of the “little man” is revealed, first of all, through the ability to love and compassion. F. M. Dostoevsky protests against indifference and indifference to the fate of “poor people.” He argues that every person has the right to empathy and compassion.
The heroes of the works of these two great Russian writers are memorable and atypical, which, nevertheless, are written in a deeply realistic way. Pierre Bezukhov, Natasha Rostova, Nekhlyudov, Raskolnikov, Makar Devushkin are unforgettable images. But at the same time, it is not difficult to notice a significant difference in their work. If Tolstoy analyzes his characters and the events that happen to them, then Dostoevsky, on the contrary, derives the entire logic of actions from the psychological state of his heroes. Thanks to these two writers, we can look at the 19th century from two sides.
Tolstoy focuses on the external side of events; for Dostoevsky, the inner feeling of a person is more important. Tolstoy’s morality is reminiscent of Kant’s: “Act in a certain situation in such a way that your choice can become a moral law for all people.” Dostoevsky believes that there are no identical situations, and a person always has to make a choice, and cannot rely on standard solutions.
Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky never met, although each of them dreamed of meeting each other.
And yet the meeting took place - at a distance, not in space - in time. They read each other's works. They admired some and protested against others. No effort was spared on critical analyses. Despite all the differences in their creative quests, they were united in the main thing - they believed in goodness and love, in the revival of man and humanity, in the moral progress of society through the free expression of the individual’s will.
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16. http:/soch.na5.ru
17. http://istina.rin.ru
18. http://ru.wikipedia.org
Leo Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” is one of the most famous works of Russian literature, the action of which is closely connected with the history of Russia at the beginning of the 19th century. This was the time of the Napoleonic wars, when the French army marched victoriously across Europe, moving towards the borders of our Motherland. The only force capable of stopping this movement was the Russian people, who rose up to fight the invaders. Most of the novel “War and Peace” is devoted to the theme of the Patriotic War of 1812, on the pages of which the author draws images of Russian soldiers who stood up to defend the Motherland, their exceptional heroism, courage, and loyalty to the oath.
But all these wonderful qualities appear only when the soldiers understand what they are fighting for. Therefore, the military campaign of 1805-1807 failed. It was a war on foreign territory for foreign interests. Started for the sake of glory, for the sake of the ambitious interests of court circles, it was incomprehensible and not needed by the people. Russian soldiers, being far from their homeland, not realizing the goals of the campaign, do not want to lay down their lives in vain. As a result, during the Battle of Austerlitz, Russian troops ran back in panic.
If battle turns out to be inevitable, Russian soldiers are ready to fight to the death. This is what happened during the Battle of Shengraben. Showing miracles of courage, the Russian troops took the main blow. A small detachment under the command of Bagration held back the onslaught of an enemy “eight times” outnumbered. Officer Timokhin’s unit also showed great courage. It not only did not retreat, but also struck back, which saved a significant part of the army.
The author has great sympathy for Captain Tushin. His portrait is unremarkable: “a small, dirty, thin artillery officer without boots... in only stockings.” There was something “completely unmilitary, somewhat comical, but extremely attractive” about his “figure.” The captain lives the same life with the soldiers: he eats and drinks with them, sings their songs, participates in their conversations. Tushin is shy in front of everyone: before his superiors, before senior officers. But during the Battle of Shengraben he is transformed: together with a handful of soldiers, he shows amazing courage and heroism, bravely fulfilling his military duty. His special attitude towards combat is striking. The captain calls the guns by name, speaks kindly to them, and imagines that he is throwing cannonballs at the enemy. The example of the commander makes the soldiers fight merrily and die merrily, laugh at the adjutant who orders them to leave the position and cowardly hides from the cannonballs. They all know that they are saving a retreating army, but they do not realize their own feat. Using the example of such modest heroes, Tolstoy showed the true patriotism of Russian soldiers, based on a sense of duty and loyalty to the oath.
But the patriotism of Russian soldiers manifested itself especially strongly during the Patriotic War of 1812, when the enemy invaded Russian territory.
According to Andrei Bolkonsky, the outcome of the battle depends on the feeling that lives in all participants in the battle. This feeling is popular patriotism, the huge rise of which on Borodin’s day convinces Bolkonsky that the Russians will certainly win: “Tomorrow, no matter what, we will win the battle!” Realizing the importance of the upcoming battle, the soldiers even refuse to drink the vodka they are given because it is “not that kind of day.”
Describing the battle through the eyes of Pierre Bezukhov, the author notes a high sense of camaraderie, a sense of duty, and the physical and moral strength of the soldiers and militia. On the Borodino field, the French army for the first time encountered an enemy whose morale was so high. Tolstoy believes that this is why the French were defeated.
The author shows us that the more menacing the danger becomes, the stronger the fire of patriotism flares up and the stronger the force of popular resistance becomes.
The consequence of this was a guerrilla war that unfolded in the territories occupied by the French. The entire people rose up against the invaders - soldiers, men, Cossacks and even women. A prominent representative of partisan warfare in the novel, a person who embodies the main moods and feelings of the Russian people, is the partisan of Denisov’s detachment Tikhon Shcherbaty. This is the “most needed person” in the squad. He is brave, brave, the French are his enemies, and he destroys them. It is Tikhon Shcherbaty who combines in himself those traits of the people that were especially evident during a threatening time for the Fatherland: hatred of invaders, unconscious but deep patriotism, courage and heroism in battle, perseverance and selflessness. Guerrilla warfare, in the understanding of Tikhon Shcherbaty, Denisov, Dolokhov and others, is retribution for the ruin and death of the Russian people, it is a club that “with all its formidable and majestic force... rose, fell and nailed the French until the entire invasion was destroyed” . This is the embodiment of “feelings of insult and revenge.”
But the quick-witted Russian heart cannot contain hatred and bitterness for long. They are quickly replaced by mercy towards the former invaders. Thus, having met the hungry and frozen captain Rambal and his orderly Morel in the forest, the Russians show compassion: “the soldiers surrounded the French, laid out an overcoat for the sick man and brought porridge and vodka to both of them.” At the same time, one of the privates says: “They are also people... And wormwood grows on its own root.” Former enemies, despite the harm they have caused, in their present pitiful and helpless state deserve leniency.
So, recreating pictures of the past, Tolstoy showed us many different, sometimes unfamiliar, Russian soldiers. We see that most of them are united by hatred of invaders, deep patriotism, loyalty to duty and oath, immense courage and perseverance. But most importantly, each of them is ready to sacrifice their life in the name of saving the Motherland. This is the strength of the Russian warrior.
Thus, L.N. Tolstoy, with his novel “War and Peace,” argues that a people with such defenders cannot be enslaved.
The image of a Russian warrior in the novel “War and Peace” (2nd version)
L.N. Tolstoy was a participant in the Sevastopol defense. During these tragic months of the shameful defeat of the Russian army, he understood a lot, realized how terrible war is, what suffering it brings to people, how a person behaves in war. He became convinced that true patriotism and heroism is manifested not in beautiful phrases or brilliant exploits, but in the honest performance of duty, military and human, no matter what. This experience was reflected in the novel War and Peace. It depicts two wars that are in many ways opposed to each other. The war on foreign territory for foreign interests took place in 1805 - 1807. And soldiers and officers showed true heroism only when they understood the moral purpose of the battle. That is why they stood heroically at Shengraben and shamefully fled at Austerlitz, as Prince Andrei recalls on the eve of the Battle of Borodino. The War of 1812 as depicted by Tolstoy has a completely different character. A mortal danger loomed over Russia, and those forces came into action that the author and Kutuzov call “national feeling, the hidden warmth of patriotism.” Kutuzov, on the eve of the Battle of Borodino, driving around the positions, saw militiamen wearing white shirts: they were ready to die for their Motherland. “Wonderful, incomparable people,” Kutuzov said with excitement and tears. Tolstoy put into the mouth of the people's commander words that express his thoughts. Tolstoy emphasizes that in 1812 Russia was saved not by individuals, but by the efforts of the entire people as a whole. In his opinion, the Russians won a moral victory in the Battle of Borodino. Tolstoy writes that not only Napoleon, but all the soldiers and officers of the French army experienced the same feeling of horror in front of that enemy, who, having lost half of the army, stood at the end of the battle the same way as at the beginning. The French were morally broken: it turns out that the Russians can be killed, but not defeated. The adjutant reports to Napoleon with hidden fear that the French artillery is hitting point blank, and the Russians continue to stand. What did this unshakable strength of the Russians consist of? From the joint actions of the army and the entire people, from the wisdom of Kutuzov, whose tactics are “patience and time,” whose focus is primarily on the spirit of the troops. This strength consisted of the heroism of the soldiers and best officers of the Russian army. Remember how the soldiers of Prince Andrei’s regiment behaved, placed in reserve on a targeted field. Their situation is tragic: under the ongoing horror of death, they stand for more than eight hours without food, without anything to do, losing people. But Prince Andrey “had nothing to do or order. Everything happened by itself. The dead were dragged behind the front, the wounded were carried, the ranks closed. If soldiers ran away, they immediately returned hastily." Here is an example of how the fulfillment of duty develops into a feat. This strength was formed from the patriotism not in words, but in deeds of the best people from the nobility, such as Prince Andrei. He refused to serve in headquarters, but took the regiment and received a mortal wound during the battle. And Pierre Bezukhov, a purely civilian man, goes to Mozhaisk, and then to the battlefield. He understood the meaning of the phrase he heard from the old soldier: “They want to attack all the people... .One end done. One word - Moscow." Through the eyes of Pierre, a picture of the battle was drawn, the heroism of the artillerymen on the Raevsky battery. This invincible force was made up of the heroism and patriotism of Muscovites who were leaving their hometown, no matter how sorry they were for leaving their property to perish. Let us remember how the Rostovs left Moscow, trying to take away the most valuable things from the house on carts: carpets, porcelain, clothes. And then Natasha and the old count decide to give the carts to the wounded and unload all the goods and leave them for plunder by the enemy. At the same time, the insignificant Berg asks for one cart to take out of Moscow has a beautiful wardrobe, which he bought cheap... Even during a patriotic upsurge, one can never do without bergs. The invincible strength of the Russians was formed from the actions of partisan detachments. One of them is described in detail by Tolstoy. This is Denisov’s detachment, where the most needed person is Tikhon Shcherbaty, people's avenger. Partisan detachments destroyed Napoleon's army piece by piece. On the pages of Volume IV, the image of the "club of the people's war" appears, which rose with all its formidable and majestic force and nailed the French until their invasion ended, until in the soul of the people the feeling of insult and revenge was replaced a feeling of contempt and pity for the defeated enemy. Tolstoy hates war, and he paints not only pictures of battles, but also the suffering of all people in war, whether enemies or not. The quick-witted Russian heart suggested that one could take pity on the frostbitten, dirty, hungry French captured. The same feeling is in the soul of old Kutuzov. Addressing the soldiers of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, he says that while the French were strong, we beat them, and now we can feel sorry for them, because we are people too. For Tolstoy, patriotism is inseparable from humanism, and this is natural: ordinary people have always had no need for war. So, Tolstoy portrays the war of 1812 as a people's war, a Patriotic War, when the entire people rose to defend the Motherland. And the writer did this with enormous artistic power, creating a grandiose novel - an epic that has no equal in the world.
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.
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