Anatol Kuragin honor. The Kuragin family in the novel “War and Peace”: characteristics and image of the Kuragin family, description in quotes

In this article we will talk about Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”. Special attention let's focus on Russian noble society, carefully described in the work, in particular, we will be interested in the Kuragin family.

Novel "War and Peace"

The novel was completed in 1869. In his work, Tolstoy depicted Russian society era of the war with Napoleon. That is, the novel covers the period from 1805 to 1812. The writer nurtured the idea of ​​the novel for a very long time. Initially, Tolstoy intended to describe the story of the Decembrist hero. However, gradually the writer came to the idea that it would be best to start the work in 1805.

First started publishing separate chapters in 1865 the novel "War and Peace". The Kuragin family already appears in these passages. Almost at the very beginning of the novel, the reader becomes acquainted with its members. However, let's talk in more detail about why this great place The novel is occupied by a description of high society and noble families.

The role of high society in the work

In the novel, Tolstoy takes the place of the judge who begins the trial high society. The writer first of all evaluates not a person’s position in the world, but his moral qualities. And the most important virtues for Tolstoy were truthfulness, kindness and simplicity. The author strives to tear off the shiny veils of secular gloss and show true essence nobility. Therefore, from the first pages the reader becomes a witness to the base deeds committed by the nobles. Just remember the drunken revelry of Anatoly Kuragin and Pierre Bezukhov.

The Kuragin family, among other noble families, finds itself under the gaze of Tolstoy. How does the writer see each member of this family?

General idea of ​​the Kuragin family

Tolstoy saw the family as the basis human society, so I gave it this great importance depiction of noble families in the novel. The writer presents the Kuragins to the reader as the embodiment of immorality. All members of this family are hypocritical, selfish, ready to commit a crime for the sake of wealth, irresponsible, selfish.

Among all the families depicted by Tolstoy, only the Kuragins are guided in their actions solely by personal interest. It was these people who destroyed the lives of other people: Pierre Bezukhov, Natasha Rostova, Andrei Bolkonsky, etc.

Even family bonds The Kuragins are different. The members of this family are connected not by poetic closeness, kinship of souls and care, but by instinctive solidarity, which in practice is more reminiscent of the relations of animals than of people.

Composition of the Kuragin family: Prince Vasily, Princess Alina (his wife), Anatole, Helen, Ippolit.

Vasily Kuragin

Prince Vasily is the head of the family. The reader first sees him in Anna Pavlovna's salon. He was dressed in a court uniform, stockings and heads and had a "bright expression on his flat face." The prince speaks French, always on display, lazily, like an actor playing a role in an old play. The prince was a respected person among the society of the novel "War and Peace". The Kuragin family was generally received quite favorably by other nobles.

Prince Kuragin, kind to everyone and complacent to everyone, was a close associate of the emperor, he was surrounded by a crowd of enthusiastic fans. However, behind the external well-being there was an ongoing internal struggle between the desire to appear moral and worthy person and the real motives for his actions.

Tolstoy liked to use the technique of discrepancy between internal and external character character. It was this that he used when creating the image of Prince Vasily in the novel War and Peace. The Kuragin family, whose characteristics interest us so much, generally differs from other families in this duplicity. Which is clearly not in her favor.

As for the count himself, he true face manifested itself in the scene of the struggle for the inheritance of the deceased Count Bezukhov. It is here that the hero’s ability to intrigue and dishonest acts is shown.

Anatol Kuragin

Anatole is also endowed with all the qualities that the Kuragin family personifies. The characterization of this character is primarily based on the words of the author himself: “Simple and with carnal inclinations.” For Anatole, life is continuous fun, which everyone is obliged to arrange for him. This man never thought about the consequences of his actions and about the people around him, being guided only by his desires. The idea that one must be held accountable for one’s actions never even occurred to Anatoly.

This character is completely free of responsibility. Anatole's egoism is almost naive and good-natured, comes from his animal nature, which is why it is absolute. is an integral part of the hero, it is inside him, in his feelings. Anatole is deprived of the opportunity to think about what will happen after the momentary pleasure. He lives only in the present. Anatole has a strong belief that everything around him is intended only for his pleasure. He knows no regrets or doubts. At the same time, Kuragin is confident that he is wonderful person. That is why there is so much freedom in his very movements and appearance.

However, this freedom stems from the meaninglessness of Anatole, since he sensually approaches the perception of the world, but does not realize it, does not try to comprehend it, like, for example, Pierre.

Helen Kuragina

Another character who embodies the duality that the family carries within itself, like Anatole, is perfectly described by Tolstoy himself. The writer describes the girl as beautiful antique statue which is empty inside. There is nothing behind Helen's appearance; she is soulless, although beautiful. It is not for nothing that the text constantly compares it with marble statues.

The heroine becomes in the novel the personification of depravity and immorality. Like all Kuragins, Helen is an egoist who does not recognize moral standards; she lives by the laws of fulfilling her desires. An excellent example of this is her marriage to Pierre Bezukhov. Helen marries only to improve her well-being.

After marriage, she did not change at all, continuing to follow only her base desires. Helen begins to cheat on her husband, while she has no desire to have children. That is why Tolstoy leaves her childless. For a writer who believes that a woman should be devoted to her husband and raise children, Helen became the embodiment of the most unflattering qualities that a female representative can have.

Ippolit Kuragin

The Kuragin family in the novel “War and Peace” personifies destructive force, which causes harm not only to others, but also to herself. Each family member is a carrier of some kind of vice, from which he himself ultimately suffers. The only exception is Hippolytus. His character only harms him, but does not destroy the lives of those around him.

Prince Hippolyte looks very similar to his sister Helen, but at the same time he is completely ugly. His face was “clouded with idiocy,” and his body was weak and thin. Hippolytus is incredibly stupid, but because of the confidence with which he speaks, everyone cannot understand whether he is smart or impenetrably stupid. He often speaks out of place, inserts inappropriate remarks, and does not always understand what he is talking about.

Thanks to his father's patronage, Hippolytus makes military career, however, among the officers he is considered a buffoon. Despite all this, the hero is successful with women. Prince Vasily himself speaks of his son as a “dead fool.”

Comparison with other noble families

As noted above, noble families are important to understanding the novel. And it’s not for nothing that Tolstoy takes several families at once to describe. Thus, the main characters are members of five noble families: the Bolkonskys, Rostovs, Drubetskys, Kuragins and Bezukhovs.

Each noble family describes different human values and sins. The Kuragin family in this regard stands out from other representatives of high society. And not in better side. In addition, as soon as Kuragin’s egoism invades someone else’s family, it immediately causes a crisis in it.

The Rostov and Kuragin family

As noted above, Kuragins are low, callous, depraved and selfish people. They do not feel any tenderness or care for each other. And if they provide help, it is only for selfish reasons.

The relationships in this family contrast sharply with the atmosphere that reigns in the Rostov house. Here family members understand and love each other, they sincerely care about loved ones, showing warmth and concern. So, Natasha, seeing Sonya’s tears, also begins to cry.

We can say that the Kuragin family in the novel “War and Peace” is contrasted with the Rostov family, in which Tolstoy saw the embodiment

The marriage relationship between Helen and Natasha is also indicative. If the first cheated on her husband and did not want to have children at all, then the second became the personification of the feminine principle in Tolstoy’s understanding. Natasha became ideal wife and a wonderful mother.

Episodes of communication between brothers and sisters are also interesting. How different the intimate, friendly conversations of Nikolenka and Natasha are from the cold phrases of Anatole and Helen.

The Bolkonsky and Kuragin family

These noble families are also very different from each other.

First, let's compare the fathers of the two families. Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky is an extraordinary person who values ​​intelligence and activity. If necessary, he is ready to serve his Fatherland. Nikolai Andreevich loves his children and sincerely cares about them. Prince Vasily is not at all like him, who thinks only about his own benefit and does not worry at all about the well-being of his children. For him, the main thing is money and position in society.

In addition, Bolkonsky Sr., like his son later, became disillusioned with the society that so attracted everyone to the Kuragins. Andrei is the continuator of the affairs and views of his father, while the children of Prince Vasily go their own way. Even Marya inherits strictness in raising children from Bolkonsky Sr. And the description of the Kuragin family clearly indicates the absence of any continuity in their family.

Thus, in the Bolkonsky family, despite the apparent severity of Nikolai Andreevich, love and mutual understanding, continuity and care reign. Andrey and Marya are sincerely attached to their father and have respect for him. Relations between brother and sister were cool for a long time, until common grief- the death of their father did not unite them.

All these feelings are alien to Kuragin. They are unable to sincerely support each other in difficult situation. Their destiny is only destruction.

Conclusion

In his novel, Tolstoy wanted to show what ideal family relationships. However, he also needed to imagine the worst possible scenario for the development of family ties. This option was the Kuragin family, which embodied the worst human qualities. Using the example of the fate of the Kuragins, Tolstoy shows what moral failure and animal egoism can lead to. None of them ever found such desired happiness precisely because they thought only about themselves. People with such an attitude towards life, according to Tolstoy, do not deserve prosperity.

Leo Tolstoy’s favorite heroes in the novel “War and Peace” are compared on the principle of contrast with egoistic heroes, hypocrites, representing a smug, depraved world. Among them, the image of Anatoly Kuragin especially stands out.

From the first pages of meeting him, his personal characteristics are given, which evolve slightly and become more complex throughout the novel. The choice of the first and last name of this hero is not accidental. The author took a very responsible approach to choosing a name for each of his characters. Name Kuragin French origin. Most he spent his life abroad, receiving the typical European home education. Hence his extreme egocentrism, self-confidence, and insatiable thirst for pleasure. The hero devotes his entire life to satisfying his whims and entertainment.

Anatole is used to living life easily, without thinking. His son’s adventures cause his father, the subtle businessman Prince Vasily, a lot of trouble. Every year, Anatole spent significant financial resources of the family. That is why his father secured a place for him at headquarters. All of St. Petersburg knew the evenings of the “golden youth” with revelry, wine, and bears, in which Anatole could not help but take part. Together with Dolokhov he was a real celebrity in the world “the rake and reveler of St. Petersburg.”

Only in chapter 3. Part 4 of volume 1, the author gives a psychological portrait of his hero: a beautiful, self-confident look, a courteous appearance, a constant expression of “good-natured fun and contentment” on his face, a “perfumed beautiful head,” a restrained, youthful gait. It’s not the spiritual that comes to the fore here, personal qualities, but external shine, surroundings. It is clear that Anatoly took pleasure in attracting the glances of young ladies and liked to make an impression. The main, defining character trait of Anatole is his narcissism. It is expressed in everything. The laws of morality and morality do not exist for him. He was used to looking at people as pawns. Psychological picture Kuragin contrasts with the image of Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov, in whose character the spiritual was decisive, moral principle.

In the flow of life, Anatole’s fate intersected with life's roads Natasha, Pierre Bezukhov, Princess Marya, Andrei Bolkonsky. He took part in large-scale historical events(Battle of Borodino). At the same time, he brought only suffering and destruction to all the people he met along the way, just like his sister, the cold, cruel Helen. The episode of Anatoly Kuragin's matchmaking is connected with the Bolkonsky family. From Princess Marya he only needed money and an inheritance; he treated her appearance with irony and spoke with contempt about the old prince.

His matchmaking was more like a farce. Gallant appearance Anatoly influenced Princess Marya. It seemed to her that in the face of this stately man, strong hero she will find protection, support, a chosen one. But behind Anatole’s external shine there was emptiness, animal instincts that he unmistakably guessed in him old prince. The hero did not stop looking at the legs of Mademoiselle Burien, with whom he later cheated on Princess Marya. Panache and endless love affairs became familiar to him: “He looked at his whole life as a continuous entertainment that someone like that for some reason had undertaken to arrange for him.”

What is the secret of his corrupting charm? By nature, Anatole was not a careerist; he did not have resourcefulness or eloquence. But “he had the ability of calm and unchangeable confidence, precious to the world.” At the old prince's estate, he felt "vain pleasure, seeing his influence on three women." The feeling of sincere love, respect, tenderness for a woman is unfamiliar to Anatoly. For him, every girl is an object of pleasure, a toy. At the same time, the hero was absolutely convinced that he had never done anything bad, that “he could not live differently than the way he lived.” Anatole is the focus and logical development vice. His only passion there was fun and women.

Natasha Rostova also came under the monstrous influence of Anatole in one of turning points own life. Separation from Prince Andrey became a difficult test for her. Anatole easily took advantage of the heroine’s confusion and inexperience. Their meeting took place in a theater box during the performance of an opera. Tolstoy in every possible way emphasizes the artificiality and vulgarity of the atmosphere of the performance on stage and in the lives of the characters. The whole world knew Anatole's sad past. Once upon a time, for a careless relationship on the border, a Polish landowner forced him to marry his daughter. However, Anatole soon left his wife and child, returning to his usual way of life. He did not take his impudent eyes off Natasha for so long that a poor girl I no longer felt the boundaries of modesty between them.

Anatole stops at nothing to satisfy his whim. Not realizing the catastrophic consequences and recklessness of his actions, he tries to secretly take Natasha away from Moscow and marry her. But, fortunately, his selfish plans were not destined to come true. At the same time, seeing the girl’s reputation trampled upon, he feels neither compassion nor regret. This man’s heart was so deeply hardened. Even during the decisive conversation with Pierre, the “timid, vile smile” that was so characteristic of Pierre’s wife does not leave Anatole’s face. No wonder he says to Anatoly: “Where you are, there is debauchery and evil.” Anatole is the personification of meanness, lies of everything secular society, cut off from national roots, mired in endless pleasures and intrigues. And evil sooner or later destroys itself from within. There comes an inevitable reckoning for what he has done.

The main test in the life of Anatoly Kuragin is participation in the Battle of Borodino. This battle is the plot point of the entire novel. All lines of hero development are drawn here. This is a kind of moment of truth in which the character of a person facing death is tested. But, most likely, the most important thing for Anatole was not the participation in the historically important battle itself, but the logical meeting with Andrei Bolkonsky. After the events that happened to Natasha, Prince Andrei hated her offender and vowed to take revenge on him. But when he saw Anatole, whose leg had just been taken away, his heart trembled. In front of Bolkonsky lay not a dandy or a metropolitan dandy, but an unfortunate, “suffering, exhausted man.” Prince Andrei immediately remembered his childhood, his first insults and failures. He realized that true meaning life is about love and forgiveness.

As you know, ego and love are incompatible. This characteristic contains the humanistic position of the author, for whom there is no division of people according to their level of success or position in society. The main thing is what a person comes to, what spiritual discoveries he makes. Contrasting the selfishness and depravity of Anatoly Kuragin with the moral core of Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov, the author highlights the true, enduring values ​​of life. Anatole became crippled even before participating in the Battle of Borodino. The worst thing is that he was morally crippled since childhood. He is accustomed not to living, but to appearing. Constant fears of losing his sphere of influence on others, the lack of sincere affection destroyed his soul. Life path Anatolya proves once again that passion and selfishness destroy their bearer.

One of the bright and revealing images in the novel “War and Peace” by A.N. Tolstoy is Anatol Kuragin. The hero of the novel is good-looking. His appearance is attractive because Anatole has high growth, well built. His face has regular features. Particularly noteworthy beautiful hair, eyes, mouth.

Behind the external gloss lies outright stupidity and inability to live independently, at one’s own expense. All expenses for the maintenance of Anatole were covered by his father, Prince Vasily. Kuragin Jr. does not hesitate to ask for money from his sister Helen. And the hero needs a lot of money, because his whole life is spent in entertainment and amusement. He couldn’t live any other way and didn’t want to. For Anatole, there were only two passions: women and entertainment.

He treats women conscientiously. For him the opposite sex was beautiful toys created for entertainment. Kuragin made almost no effort to seduce young ladies. His gaze was detached, everything about him showed complete indifference. This was enough for inexperienced girls paid attention to him. Sometimes he used other seduction techniques. This is clearly seen in the example of Natasha Rostova, whom Kuragin was able to captivate.

Anatole, who received a good education, however, has no abilities. He did not succeed in anything except drinking and having fun. But a difficult time has come for the Fatherland, and the hardened spendthrift and dandy were called into service. The author of the novel gives almost no description of how Anatole behaved during the Battle of Borodino. Most likely, the hero accepted military service with all his characteristic indifference. What is known is that he was wounded and his leg was amputated. And this became the biggest and most terrible test in his life.

From birth, Anatol Kuragin lived without worries or troubles. He had no attachments, did not love anyone. He even needed his friends to have fun. And it was not the wound that crippled him. His lifestyle made him a moral monster.

Option 2

The image of Anatoly Kuragin does not occupy the main, leading places in the novel, it is not deep and not so interesting to the author, and even to the reader himself, but this hero plays a very important role. compositional role in the novel, and also thanks to his presence, the characters of the remaining main characters are most deeply revealed: Natasha, Pierre, Andrei and Sonya.

Very few facts are reported about Kuragin himself in the novel, which emphasizes his not particularly important as of a separate nature and image. This is a tall, very handsome and charming young man who knows how to charm women at first sight, and does not use this ability for the best purposes. Tolstoy does not plunge the reader into the depths of Kuragin’s soul, but gives him the necessary characteristics that allow him to understand what kind of person he is and how these qualities of his influence other characters.

What information does Tolstoy give about Anatol? First of all, this is information about his family; by origin, Anatole belongs to a noble noble family; thanks to his father’s connections and funds, he receives an education abroad, but the author emphasizes that young Kuragin did not have any special abilities or knowledge. He was not in the family only child, he had a brother Ipollit and a sister Helen, or as they called her in the French manner, Helen. She was Pierre's wife, had bad reputation and relationships outside of marriage. There were even rumors about her love relationships with brother Anatoly.

In addition to this story, Kuragin was involved in other love affairs, and one of them, the most serious one, becomes known to Natasha Rostova at the moment when she is about to run away with him. Anatole turns out to be a married man; one day his regiment, in which he served, stopped in Poland, where he seduced the daughter of a small landowner, who did not let him get away with it and forced him to marry. Later, Anatole, who loved freedom and revelry, left the girl under the obligation to pay her father a certain amount. This plot and his other intrigues related to women emphasize his dishonesty and depravity, and also speak of his inability to truly sincere love, which the naive Natasha believed in by trusting him.

In general, Anatole is presented in the novel as a lover of revelry, balls, drinking and women. He is quite stupid, has no special abilities or talents, the most remarkable thing about him is only his appearance. Anatole is also shown to be too wasteful, he plays cards and loses a lot, spends large amounts for a fun pastime, for which he borrows a lot, but does not care about returning it. This fact also speaks of him as a person who does not fulfill given word, he is a man of the present moment, in which he is ready to promise everything in order to get exactly what at that moment he wants most. In the same vein, it is worth considering his story with Natasha, to whom he managed to inspire that he loves her and will do everything for her happiness. In fact, he just wanted to get her at any cost, without thinking about whether he could fulfill his promises to her.

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In the novel “War and Peace,” a description of the Kuragin family can be made from the depiction of various actions of members of this family.

The Kuragin family is, rather, a formality, a group of not spiritually close people, united together by predatory instincts. For Tolstoy, family, home and children are life, happiness and the meaning of life. But the Kuragin family is the complete opposite of the author’s ideal, because they are empty, selfish and narcissistic.

First, Prince Vasily tries to steal the will of Count Bezukhov, then, almost by deception, his daughter Helen marries Pierre and mocks his kindness and naivety.

Anatole, who tried to seduce Natasha Rostova, is no better.

And Hippolyte appears in the novel as an extremely unpleasant strange man, whose “face was clouded with idiocy and invariably expressed self-confident grumbling, and his body was thin and weak.”

Deceitful, calculating, low people, bringing destruction to the lives of those who encounter them during the course of the novel.

All the Kuragin children only know how to take everything they can from life, and Tolstoy did not consider any of them worthy to continue his family line.

The author uses the technique of antithesis when creating the Kuragin family. They turn out to be capable only of destruction. Anatole causes the breakup sincerely loving friend friend of Natasha and Andrey; Helen almost ruins Pierre's life, plunging him into the abyss of lies and falsehood. They are deceitful, selfish and calm. They all bear the shame of matchmaking easily. Anatole is only slightly annoyed by the unsuccessful attempt to take Natasha away. Only once will their “control” change for them: Helen will scream for fear of being killed by Pierre, and her brother will cry like a woman who has lost his leg. Their calmness comes from indifference to everyone except themselves. Anatole is a dandy “who wears his beautiful head high.” In dealing with women he had a manner of contemptuous consciousness of his superiority. How accurately Tolstoy will define this pomposity and importance of face and figure in the absence of intelligence (“he didn’t think much at all”) in the children of Prince Vasil! Their spiritual callousness and meanness will be branded by the most honest and delicate Pierre, and therefore the accusation will sound from his lips like a shot: “Where you are, there is depravity and evil.”

They are alien to Tolstoy's ethics. We know that children are happiness, the meaning of life, life itself. But the Kuragins are selfish, they are focused only on themselves. Nothing will be born from them, because in a family one must be able to give others the warmth of the soul and care. They only know how to take: “I’m not a fool to give birth to children,” says Helen. Shamefully, as she lived, Helen will end her life on the pages of the novel.

Everything in the Kuragin family is the opposite of the Bolkonsky family. In the house of the latter there is a confidential, homely atmosphere and sincere words: “darling”, “buddy”, “darling”, “my friend”. Vasil Kuragin also calls his daughter “my dear child.” But this is insincere, and therefore ugly. Tolstoy himself will say: “There is no beauty where there is no truth.”

In his novel “War and Peace” Tolstoy showed us an ideal family (Bolkonskys) and only a formal family (Kuragins). And Tolstoy’s ideal is a patriarchal family with its sacred care of the elders for the younger and the younger for the elders, with the ability of everyone in the family to give more than to take, with relationships built on “goodness and truth.” Everyone should strive for this. After all, happiness is in the family.

The family is the basis of human society. The writer expresses in the Kuragins all the immorality that prevailed in noble families in those days.

Kuragins are selfish, hypocritical, selfish people. They are ready to commit any crime for the sake of wealth and fame. All their actions are committed to achieve their personal goals. They destroy the lives of other people and use them as they want. Natasha Rostova, Ippolit, Pierre Bezukhov - all those people who suffered because of the “evil family.” The members of the Kuragins themselves are connected not by love, warmth and care, but by purely solidarity relations.

The entire Kuragin family are individualists who do not recognize moral standards, living according to the constant law of fulfilling their insignificant desires.