War and Peace Part 4 short epilogue. The main characters of the novel "War and Peace"

Natasha, left alone with her husband, also talked as only a wife and her husband talk, that is, with extraordinary clarity and speed, understanding and communicating each other’s thoughts, in a way contrary to all the rules of logic, without the mediation of judgments, inferences and conclusions, but completely in a special way. Natasha was so accustomed to speaking to her husband in this way that the surest sign for her that something was not right between her and her husband was Pierre’s logical train of thoughts. When he began to prove, to speak judiciously and calmly, and when she, carried away by his example, began to do the same, she knew that this would certainly lead to a quarrel.

From the very time they were left alone, Natasha, with wide-open, happy eyes, approached him quietly, and suddenly, quickly grabbing his head, pressed it to her chest and said: “Now all, all mine, mine!” You will not leave!" - from that time on, this conversation began, contrary to all the laws of logic, contrary only because at the same time they were talking about completely different subjects. This simultaneous discussion of many things not only did not interfere with the clarity of understanding, but, on the contrary, was the surest sign that they completely understood each other.

Just as in a dream everything is incorrect, meaningless and contradictory, except for the feeling that guides the dream, so in this communication, which is contrary to all the laws of reason, it is not the speech that is consistent and clear, but only the feeling that guides it.

Natasha told Pierre about her brother’s life, about how she suffered and did not live without her husband, and about how she fell in love with Marie even more, and about how Marie was better than her in every way. Saying this, Natasha sincerely admitted that she saw Marie’s superiority, but at the same time, saying this, she demanded from Pierre that he still prefer her to Marie and all other women, and now again, especially after he saw many women in St. Petersburg, he would repeat this to her.

Pierre, responding to Natasha’s words, told her how unbearable it was for him to attend evenings and dinners with ladies in St. Petersburg.

“I’ve completely forgotten how to talk to ladies,” he said, “it’s just boring.” Especially since I was so busy.

Natasha looked at him intently and continued:

- Marie, this is so lovely! - she said. - How she knows how to understand children. It’s as if she only sees their soul. Yesterday, for example, Mitinka began to act up...

“Oh, how he looks like his father,” Pierre interrupted.

Natasha understood why he made this remark about Mitinka’s similarity with Nikolai: he was unpleasant about the memory of his argument with his brother-in-law and wanted to know Natasha’s opinion about it.

- Nikolenka has this weakness that if something is not accepted by everyone, he will never agree. “And I understand that you value precisely the fact that ouvrir une carrière,” she said, repeating the words once spoken by Pierre.

“No, the main thing,” said Pierre, “for Nikolai, thoughts and reasoning are fun, almost a pastime.” “He’s collecting a library and has made it a rule not to buy a new book without reading the one he bought - Sismondi, Rousseau, and Montesquieu,” Pierre added with a smile. “You know how much I love him...” he began to soften his words; but Natasha interrupted him, making him feel that this was not necessary.

- So you say, for him thoughts are fun...

- Yes, but for me everything else is fun. All the time in St. Petersburg I saw everyone as if in a dream. When a thought occupies me, then everything else is fun.

“Oh, what a pity that I didn’t see how you greeted the children,” said Natasha. -Which one was the most happy? Right Lisa?

“Yes,” said Pierre and continued what was occupying him. - Nikolai says we shouldn’t think. Yes, I can't. Not to mention the fact that in St. Petersburg I felt (I can tell you this) that without me all this was falling apart, everyone was pulling in his own direction. But I managed to connect everyone, and then my thought was so simple and clear. After all, I’m not saying that we should oppose this and that. We may be wrong. But I say: join hands, those who love goodness, and let there be one banner - active virtue. Prince Sergius is a nice man and smart.

Natasha would have no doubt that Pierre’s thought was a great thought, but one thing confused her. It was that he was her husband. “Is it really possible that such an important and necessary person for society is at the same time my husband? Why did this happen like this? She wanted to express this doubt to him. “Who and who are the people who could decide whether he is really so smarter than everyone else?” she asked herself and went over in her imagination those people who were very respected by Pierre. Of all the people, judging by his stories, he respected no one as much as Platon Karataev.

- Do you know what I'm thinking? - she said: - about Platon Karataev. How is he? Would I approve of you now?

Pierre was not at all surprised by this question. He understood his wife's train of thought.

— Platon Karataev? - he said and thought, apparently sincerely trying to imagine Karataev’s judgment on this subject. “He wouldn’t understand, but then again, maybe yes.”

- I love you terribly! - Natasha suddenly said. - Terrible. Terrible!

“No, I wouldn’t approve,” Pierre said after thinking. “What he would approve of is our family life.” He so wanted to see beauty, happiness, tranquility in everything, and I would be proud to show him us. So you say separation. And you won’t believe what a special feeling I have for you after separation...

“Yes, here’s another thing...” Natasha began.

- No, not that. I never stop loving you. And you can’t love anymore; and this is especially... Well, yes... - He didn’t finish, because the glance they met finished the rest.

“What nonsense,” Natasha suddenly said, “the honeymoon and what happiness is at first.” On the contrary, now is the best. If only you hadn't left. Do you remember how we quarreled? And it was always my fault. Always me. And I don’t even remember what we quarreled about.

“It’s all about one thing,” said Pierre, smiling, jealously...

“Don’t tell me, I can’t stand it,” Natasha screamed. And a cold, evil gleam shone in her eyes. “You saw her,” she added after a pause.

- No, and if I had seen it, I wouldn’t have recognized it.

They were silent.

- Oh, you know? “When you spoke in the office, I looked at you,” Natasha spoke, apparently trying to drive away the cloud that had come. - Well, two peas in a pod you look like him, like a boy. (That’s what she called her son.) Oh, it’s time to go to him... It’s come... But it’s a pity to leave.

They fell silent for a few seconds. Then suddenly at the same time they turned to each other and began to say something. Pierre began with complacency and enthusiasm; Natasha, with a quiet, happy smile. Having collided, they both stopped, giving each other way.

- No, what are you doing? Say Say.

“No, just tell me, I’m being stupid,” said Natasha.

Pierre said what he started. This was a continuation of his smug talk about his success in St. Petersburg. It seemed to him at that moment that he was called to give a new direction to the entire Russian society and the whole world.

“I just wanted to say that all thoughts that have huge consequences are always simple. My whole idea is that if vicious people are connected with each other and constitute a force, then honest people need to do only the same. It's so simple.

- What did you want to say?

- Yes, that's nonsense.

- No, after all.

“Nothing, nothing,” said Natasha, beaming with an even brighter smile; - I just wanted to say about Petya: today the nanny comes to take him from me, he laughed, closed his eyes and pressed himself against me - he really thought he was hiding. - Terribly sweet. - Here he is screaming. Well, goodbye! - And she left the room.

At the same time, downstairs, in Nikolinka Bolkonsky’s department, in his bedroom, as always, a lamp was burning (the boy was afraid of the dark, and they could not wean him off this shortcoming). Desalle slept high on his four pillows, his Roman nose making a steady snoring sound. Nikolinka, having just woken up, in a cold sweat, with wide-open eyes, sat on his bed and looked ahead. A terrible dream woke him up. He saw in a dream himself and Pierre wearing helmets, such as those depicted in Plutarch’s edition. He and Uncle Pierre walked ahead of a huge army. This army was composed of white, oblique lines that filled the air like those cobwebs that fly in the fall and which Desalles called le fil de la Vierge. Ahead was glory, the same as these threads, but only somewhat denser. - They - he and Pierre - rushed easily and joyfully closer and closer to the goal. Suddenly the threads that moved them began to weaken and become tangled; it became difficult. And Uncle Nikolai Ilyich stopped in front of them in a menacing and stern pose.

- Did you do this? - he said, pointing to the broken sealing wax and feathers. “I loved you, but Arakcheev ordered me, and I will kill the first one who moves forward.” - Nikolinka looked back at Pierre; but Pierre was no longer there. Pierre was a father - Prince Andrey, and the father had no image or form, but he was there, and seeing him, Nikolinka felt the weakness of love: he felt powerless, boneless and liquid. His father caressed and pitied him. But Uncle Nikolai Ilyich was moving closer and closer towards them. Horror gripped Nikolinka and he woke up.

“Father,” he thought. - Father (despite the fact that there were two similar portraits in the house, Nikolinka never imagined Prince Andrei in human form), father was with me and caressed me. He approved of me, he approved of Uncle Pierre. - Whatever he says, I will do it. Mucius Scaevola burned his hand. But why won’t I have the same thing in my life? I know they want me to study. And I will study. But someday I will stop; and then I will do it. I only ask God for one thing: that what happened to Plutarch’s people should happen to me, and I will do the same. I'll do better. Everyone will recognize me, everyone will love me, everyone will admire me.” And suddenly Nikolinka felt sobs engulfing his chest and began to cry.

“Non,” Nikolinka answered and lay down on the pillow. “He is kind and good, I love him,” he thought about Desalles. “And Uncle Pierre! Oh, what a wonderful man! And the father? Father! Father! Yes, I'll do whatever it takes He was satisfied..."

Notes

147. *[open a field,]*

148. *[threads of the Virgin.]*

We offer for your consideration a brief summary of the epilogue of part one of the famous novel War and Peace, which will give you the opportunity to very quickly get acquainted with the content and meaning of each part. To make it convenient to study the epilogue of the novel War and Peace, we offer chapter by chapter.

Chapter 1

In the first chapter of the epilogue, the author discusses history and reaction. Seven years have already passed since the events described in the fourth volume. And so the author began to talk about Alexander the First and. About the fact that all historians accuse Alexander of liberal endeavors. Everyone argues that he should have acted this way and not that way, which is why his actions are wrong. But as he writes, if Alexander had acted differently, there would still have been those who would have been dissatisfied again. It is impossible to evaluate the actions of Napoleon and Alexander the First, whether they are good or bad. However, we can say with confidence that if everything were different, then there would be no life, nothing would have happened.

Chapter 2

Tolstoy continues his thoughts. Now he is trying to understand two definitions. This is genius and chance. It is impossible to explain them exactly, but in general, when there is no explanation for what is happening, then the word chance is used, and if a person sees what is happening, which cannot be compared with universal human principles, laws, opinions, then this is a genius.

Chapter 3

In the third chapter of the Epilogue, Tolstoy again discusses the movement of European peoples. The author talks about fame, greatness and millions of coincidences. At the same time, he writes that Bonaparte took his position by accident, and his actions were stupid and vile. In the case of Napoleon, one cannot talk about his genius.

Chapter 4

The author writes about diplomats who believe that it is they who influence the lull of movement in history. The author further writes that Napoleon’s random role ends exactly when actions are taken. He reflects on the role Alexander played in the popular movement. During the people's war, no one needed Alexander, but in the European war the sovereign comes to the fore.

Chapter 5

In the fifth chapter of the epilogue, the writer introduces the life of the Rostovs. He writes how badly all the events that the family faced affected Count Rostov. This includes the fire of Moscow, their flight from the capital, the death of Petya and the death of Andrei Bolkonsky, Natasha’s despair. Each event had a blow to the health of the count, who at one point fell ill. At first he tried to seem cheerful, he also had fun at Natasha’s wedding with Bezukhov, but it was all for show. And as soon as the young people left, their health immediately began to deteriorate. In the last days of his life, the count constantly asked for forgiveness from his wife, who did not leave her husband a single step. The count was very sorry that he had ruined his estate.

The Count dies. Nikolai, having learned about his father’s death, takes a vacation and goes home. After the death of his father, all the debts that no one had suspected became known. However, Nikolai did not renounce the inheritance, but took over the rights with the obligation to pay everything. However, there were so many of them that there was not enough money from the sale of the estate. Nikolai, in order to avoid being arrested for debts that creditors began to demand, resigned and entered the civil service. Nikolai borrows about 30 thousand rubles from Pierre. He himself lives with his mother and Sonya in a small apartment.

Natasha and Pierre live in St. Petersburg and are not aware of the Rostovs’ problems. Things are getting worse for Nikolai. It was impossible to postpone it, since he hid his plight from his mother, who, in turn, lived in grand style. The solution was to marry a rich heiress or the death of his mother, but he did not dare to think about either one.

Chapter 6

Princess Marya in Moscow. She had heard a lot about the Rostovs' problems, and respected Nikolai for what he did for his mother. Marya goes to the Rostovs. Nikolai met her. Seeing the girl, he showed coldness and dryness, although Marya hoped for a different reception. Nikolai Sonya said that he couldn’t stand young ladies like Marya. He tried to forget about the princess, but his mother constantly reminded her. The Countess told him to take a closer look at the girl, described all her advantages and asked him to go and visit her.

Marya herself regretted her first visit to the Rostovs; she could not forgive Nikolai’s coldness, but she consoled herself by giving the position to Rostova, because she was always kind to her.

And after a while, Nikolai visited Marya, but from his cold gaze, Marya saw that this was just a position of respect. The princess decided to treat him just as coldly. But the ice has melted. Talking with the count, the princess understands his cold reception. The reason for this was her wealth while he was poor. This noble act of Nikolai tied Marya to himself even more. The young people decide to be together.

Chapter 7

Marya and Nikolai get married and the whole family leaves for Bald Mountains. In three years, the count manages to pay off all his debts, and having received an inheritance from his deceased cousin, he also paid the debt to Pierre. Rostov's affairs have gone up, he plans to buy out the family estate. He became interested in farming, which became his life's work. Nikolai did not like innovations and was sure, and he was not mistaken, that success lies in the strength of the peasant worker. Marya was jealous of her husband’s business, and did not understand his delightful conversations about housekeeping, and was offended when he said not to interfere at the wrong time. However, she still supported her husband. And things were going up. The men themselves came to him and asked him to ransom them.

Chapter 8

The author continues to describe the life of the Rostovs. Nikolai began to notice his cruelty towards men. Very often he raises his hand. And then the last time, when the punishment happened, there was a conversation with my wife. Marya asked to never raise a hand to people again. The Count gave his word and always tried to keep it, but it happened that he broke down and then he repented again and made promises not to do such a thing.

Nikolai tells Marie about Sonya and asks her to love her and take pity on her. In Marya’s conversation with Natasha about Sonya, the second calls her a barren flower, but Sonya does not notice anything, she lives as it turns out, she is like that cat that is used to the house.

Chapter 9

On the eve of St. Nicholas Day, Rostov decided to get down to business, imagining what would happen tomorrow, when the guests would arrive and he would have to listen to their congratulations.
In the evening, all the relatives gathered at the table. Marya saw that Nikolai was out of sorts and decided to find out the reason. Minor quarrel between husband and wife. Marie thinks that her husband has stopped loving her, and even more so now that she is pregnant. Next, we briefly meet the Rostov children, after which Nikolai and Marya make up. Nikolai said that he could not live without her. Marya was happy.

Chapter 10

Natasha managed to give birth to two daughters and a son in seven years. This was reflected in her figure. Now, the once thin and agile girl has turned into a plump woman who has stopped appearing in society. She devoted herself entirely to her children and husband. She stopped caring for herself, saying that there was simply no time, and there was no point in it. She began to demand from Pierre that he always be in the family and not go to any clubs or flirt with other women. Natasha herself fulfilled her husband’s every whim and it was her pleasure.

Chapter 11

Bezukhov needs to go to St. Petersburg. I left for three weeks, but stayed late. Natasha is not herself, she is worried and jealous. Just on the eve of the holiday, Pierre returned. Natasha was in seventh heaven, but didn’t show it right away. She reproached her husband for not arriving on time, for having fun there while their child was dying. Pierre in the nursery with the children. Natasha watches them and realizes that he is a wonderful father.

Chapter 12

Pierre's arrival pleased not only Natasha, because with his arrival everything immediately changed. Everyone was in a good mood, and everyone was happy with the gifts. Pierre also did not forget about the old countess, who lost the meaning of life when her husband and son passed away. Now she simply existed, but her family did not let her be sad and took care of her as best they could.

Chapter 13

The Countess did not immediately begin to examine the gifts. First I finished playing solitaire, and only then unpacked everything. She was pleased. Everyone gathered for tea, but with the old countess they didn’t talk about politics, since she was behind the times and would have to constantly tell her everything, she would interrupt the conversation with unnecessary questions, so they talked about general topics in her presence. A little later, the children ran in and Pierre went to play with them.

Chapter 14

Nikolenka Bolonsky really likes to spend time next to Pierre. Pierre says that he is becoming like his father. Then the men moved to a separate office and started talking about Russian affairs. Pierre is sure that there will soon be a coup, that the sovereign believes in a hoax and has abandoned the matter. However, Nikolai is confident that there will be no coup. Bezukhov said that he joined a secret society.

Chapter 15

During dinner, no one spoke about politics. Later, Nikolai entered the room and saw his wife. She was writing something. As it turned out, it was a diary, where she writes in detail about children and their activities. Then the couple talked about Pierre, that he had joined a secret society. The couple worries about the children, especially about Nikolenka Bolkonsky, who was delighted with Pierre’s speeches. Marya asks Nikolai to bring Bolkonsky into society.

Chapter 16

The author talks about Pierre and Natasha. They have an ideal relationship, they can talk on different topics and understand everything perfectly. They talked, confessed their love, then Natasha ran away to her little son, who woke up and demanded food. At this time, the author took the reader to the room of Nikolenka Bolkonsky, who was having a dream. In a dream, he saw himself and Pierre, with whom he was walking across the battlefield, then he saw his father in Pierre’s place, and later woke up sweating. Having woken up, he decided that he must and will study so that everyone would be proud of him.

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Epilogue of the novel "War and Peace" Like in a real family, several completely different worlds lived together in the Lysogorsk house, which, each maintaining its own peculiarity and making concessions to one another, merged into one harmonious whole.

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Vladimir Nabokov’s student Alfred Appel recalled one of his mentor’s lectures: “...Suddenly Nabokov interrupted the lecture, walked, without saying a word, along the stage to the right wall and turned off the three lamps under the ceiling. Then he went down the steps - there were five or six of them - into the hall, walked heavily along the entire aisle between the rows, followed by the astonished turn of two hundred heads, and silently lowered the curtains on three or four large windows... The hall was plunged into darkness. ...Nabokov returned to the stage, climbed the steps and approached the switches. “In the firmament of Russian literature,” he announced, “this is Pushkin!” A lamp flashed in the far left corner of our planetarium. “This is Gogol!” A lamp flashed in the middle of the hall. “It’s Chekhov!” The lamp on the right flashed. Then Nabokov again came down from the stage, went to the central window and unhooked the curtain, which flew up with a loud thud: “Bam!” As if by magic, a wide, dense beam of dazzling sunlight burst into the audience. “And this is Tolstoy!” thundered Nabokov.”

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The epilogue is the logical conclusion of the main idea of the novel - the thought about the purpose of man, about how to live. Tolstoy showed two main paths that a person chooses: for some, the main thing is external well-being, external values (wealth, career), for others, spiritual values (life is not only for oneself).

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For Prince Andrei, this is the need to express himself, to accomplish something big; for Pierre, Princess Marya - to do good; for Natasha - to love. And to love for her means to be happy herself and to give happiness to another person. In the epilogue we see heroes who found true happiness along this path. In the sense of deep satisfaction with my life. Pierre, after a long and difficult search, found happiness in the harmonious fusion of social activities and a happy family life. The family thought was voiced in the epilogue of the novel.

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We think... we reflect... Chapter 1.12 - why is Pierre’s arrival a joyful event for everyone? For wife, children, old people, servants? 2.Pierre and Natasha are a good family? 3. Princess Marya as a wife and mother. What was the main thing for Princess Marya in raising children?

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She does not strive for an external result, not for the children to be comfortable for her, obedient and quiet, but for them to grow up to be good, kind people. Mitya was naughty at the table, Nikolai ordered not to give him sweets. The boy became silent - the external result was achieved. But the mother sees the boy’s gaze and understands: with this punishment, bad feelings entered the child’s soul - envy and greed. And this is much more important to her.

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Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy managed to do a unique thing - to show the poetry and prose of family life in their inextricable connection. His happy families have prose, but no earthiness. Prose does not contradict the high poetry of feelings and relationships. Here Natasha meets Pierre, who stayed in St. Petersburg longer than the agreed time, with angry, unfair reproaches. But Pierre believes that this is due to fear for his son, anxiety, and not Natasha herself. He understands that Natasha loves him. That's why he doesn't take offense at his wife. Natasha was afraid of being a hindrance to her husband in his affairs; she believed in them, and had deep respect for everything that concerned her husband’s spiritual life. This is the main thing.

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And Pierre, with his characteristic tolerance and ability to understand another person, forgives Natasha for outbursts of irritation and anger. This episode teaches a lot. The significance of a happy family life in the system of main human values is emphasized by the writer with a reference to Platon Karataev. Pierre tells Natasha: “He would approve of our family life.” Platon Karataev, according to L. Tolstoy, is an exponent of the national spirit, folk wisdom.

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The image of Nikolai Rostov Pierre expresses the views of the Decembrists, and Nikolai objects. It is Nikolai who believes that he must obey the government. Whatever it is. Why does such a kind, generous, noble person as Nikolai Rostov stand in such a terrible position? He doesn't think. Why is he limited, why doesn’t he think about it? Why doesn't he think? Is it by nature that she cannot, or does not want, is afraid to think? He doesn't want to complicate his life. A person who does not want to think, even a kind and noble one, may turn out to be an accomplice of dark forces. Not everyone can think about everything in the world, right? There are people who are not inclined to analysis and reflection.

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Or a person’s life may turn out in such a way that he does not have the strength and time to think. What does such a person need to do so as not to turn out to be a blind executor of someone else’s evil will or simply someone else’s mistakes? Don't participate in something you don't understand. It's worthy. And this sometimes requires more courage than the riskiest action. Only a courageous person, putting aside self-esteem, can say to himself and others: “I’m not good at this. And therefore I cannot, I have no right to act.”

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In the epilogue, the main characters of the novel are depicted at the mature stage of their lives. Showing their selfless service to people (society or just family, loved ones), Tolstoy describes them with love. The untimely end of Prince Andrei’s life did not disappear either - Nikolenka Bolkonsky, worthy of a father, is growing up. The author's attitude towards Nikolai Rostov is not so clear. While his terrible words are just words, he is likable. However, this image also contains a warning to all of us: against blindly following generally accepted views, against an uncritical attitude towards reality. From thoughtlessness.

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The final question: what kind of life is real: live for yourself or for others? How should you live your life? It was very important for Tolstoy to show through Natasha’s fate that all her talents were realized in the family. Natasha, a mother, will be able to instill in her children both a love of music and the ability for the most sincere friendship and love; she will teach children the most important talent in life - the talent to love life and people, to love selflessly, sometimes forgetting about themselves; and this study will take place not in the form of lectures, but in the form of daily communication between children and very kind, honest, sincere and truthful people: mother and father. And this is the real happiness of the family, because each of us dreams of having the kindest and fairest person next to us. Pierre's dream came true...

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L. N. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" can be called "an encyclopedia of man and life." This work is filled with love for the Motherland and pride in its past. The writer showed on the pages of the book everything that a person faces: good and evil, love and hate, wisdom and stupidity, life and death, war and peace. The writer endowed his “favorite” heroes with a beautiful soul. And only he was able to show this with such strength and convincingness.

The epilogue has two parts. In the first part, the author reflects on the role that Emperor Alexander the First and Napoleon played in the War of 1812 and in history in general. The area of philosophical questions such as what is “chance” and “genius” is touched upon. The further life of the Rostov and Bolkonsky families is also described. Pierre and Natasha, Nikolai and Marya get married, and their family life is described: everyday life, relationships between them, and how they raise children.

In the second part, the author raises various philosophical questions (what is freedom, power, etc.), to which, probably, it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer. This part is more intended for the reader to try to find the answers to the questions that the author discusses. Thus, it turns out that the epilogue was written not only to tell what happened to the main characters, but also to encourage the reader to think. Also in the first chapters of the first part, the writer, discussing war from a philosophical point of view, tries to help the reader consider the topic of war and peace from different points of view. To do this, in addition to his own, the author cites the opinions of various historians so that readers can, after reading several opinions, choose the correct one or create their own.

Read summary of Tolstoy War and Peace Epilogue in parts and chapters