Tolstoy, “War and Peace. Life path of Andrei Bolkonsky

One of the main images of the novel “War and Peace” by the great Russian humanist Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy - Andrei Bolkonsky - is an example of an aristocrat, the owner of the best traits that can only be characteristic of a person. The moral quest of Andrei Bolkonsky and his relationships with other characters only serve as clear evidence that the author managed to embody willpower and realism in this.

General information

Being the son of Prince Bolkonsky, Andrei inherited a lot from him. In the novel "War and Peace" he is contrasted with Pierre Bezukhov, who is more romantic, although he has a complex character. The younger Bolkonsky, working with commander Kutuzov, has a sharply negative attitude towards Vyatka society. In his soul he harbors romantic feelings for Natasha Rostova, whose poetry captivated the hero. His whole life is a path of quest and attempts to find the worldview of the common people.

Appearance

For the first time this hero appears on the pages of the novel “War and Peace” at the very beginning, namely at the evening of Anna Pavlovna Scherer. His behavior clearly indicates that he is not only not seduced, but in the most literal sense repulsed, and he does not find anything pleasant here. He makes no effort to hide how disappointed he is in these mannered, deceitful speeches, and calls all the visitors to such meetings “stupid society.” The image of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky is a reflection of a man who is disappointed in false morality and who is disgusted by the manner of falsity that reigns in high circles.

The prince is not attracted by such communication, but he is much more disappointed that his wife, Lisa, cannot do without small talk and superficial people. He is here only for her sake, because he himself feels like a stranger at this celebration of life.

Pierre Bezukhov

The only person whom Andrei can consider his friend, close to him in spirit, is Pierre Bezukhov. Only with Pierre can he be frank and, without any pretense, admit to him that such a life is not for him, that he lacks sharpness, that he cannot fully self-realize, using the inexhaustible source of thirst for real life inherent in him.

The image of Andrei Bolkonsky is the image of a hero who does not want to remain in the shadows behind the backs of his colleagues. He wants to do serious things and make important decisions. Although he has the opportunity to stay in St. Petersburg and become an aide-de-camp, he wants much more. On the eve of serious battles, he goes to the very heart of the fighting. For the prince, such a decision becomes a treatment for his long-term dissatisfaction with himself and an attempt to achieve something more in life.

Service

In the army, the prince does not behave exactly as many would act if they were in his place. He does not even think about immediately obtaining a high position, taking advantage of his aristocratic origins. He deliberately wants to start his service from the lowest positions in Kutuzov's army.

In his aspirations, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky differs sharply not only from representatives of high society who find themselves in the war, but also from ordinary employees who, at any cost, want to get the coveted high post. Their main goal is regalia and recognition, no matter how useful they are or how brave they are in battle.

Bolkonsky is no stranger to vanity, but it is expressed completely differently. Prince Andrei Bolkonsky feels that he is to some extent responsible for the fate of Russia and the people. He was especially influenced by the Ulm defeat and the appearance of General Mack. During this period, important changes occur in the hero’s soul that will affect his entire future life. He felt “at ease” and realized that it was in the army that he could realize his powerful potential. The boredom disappeared from his face, and from his entire appearance it became clear that the prince was full of energy, which he wanted to direct to achieve his goals, that is, to protect the Russian people.

The prince becomes ambitious, he wants to accomplish a feat so that his name will be etched in history for many centuries. Kutuzov is pleased with his employee and considers him one of the best officers.

The life of Andrei Bolkonsky in the army is radically different from the “insipid” existence among society ladies that he led earlier. He is ready to take action and does not hesitate to do so. The hero demonstrated honor and courage already during the Battle of Shengraben, when he bravely circled around the positions, despite the relentless, non-stop fire of the enemy. During this battle, the younger Bolkonsky had the opportunity to witness the heroism shown by the artillerymen. In addition, the prince showed his courage by standing up for the captain.

Battle of Austerlitz

Recognition, honor and eternal memory are the most basic goals that are a priority in order to fully reveal the image of Andrei Bolkonsky. A brief summary of the events of the Battle of Austerlitz will only help to understand how important it became for the prince. This battle was a turning point in moral quests and an attempt to accomplish a feat for the younger Bolkonsky.

He hoped that during this battle he would be lucky enough to show all his courage and become a hero. He actually managed to accomplish a feat during the battle: when the ensign carrying the banner fell, the prince raised him and led the battalion into the attack.

However, Andrei did not succeed in becoming a hero to the fullest, because it was during the Battle of Austerlitz that many soldiers were killed, and the Russian army suffered terrible losses. Here the prince realized that his desire to gain world fame was just an illusion. After such a fall, the plans of the ambitious prince undergo dramatic changes. He no longer admires the image of the great Napoleon Bonaparte; now this brilliant commander becomes for him just a simple soldier. This battle and the reasoning inspired by it are completely new and one of the most important stages in the quest of Tolstoy’s hero.

Return to secular society

Significant changes in the prince’s worldview occur upon his return to where he was sent after a serious injury received on the battlefield. The image of Andrei Bolkonsky becomes more pragmatic, especially after new tragic events occur in his life. Soon after his return, his wife dies in birth pangs, giving birth to her son Nikolenka, who will later become the continuer of his father’s spiritual quest.

It seems to Andrei that he is guilty of what happened, that his actions are the cause of his wife’s death. This state, close to depression, together with the mental disorder that appeared after the defeat, leads the prince to the idea that he should renounce his claims to military glory, and at the same time stop any public activity.

Renaissance

The arrival of Pierre Bezukhov at Bolkonsky's estate brings radical changes to the prince's life. He takes an active position and begins to make many changes in his possessions: he makes the peasants free, exchanges corvée for quitrent, writes out a maternity grandmother and pays the salary of the priest who teaches peasant children.

All this brings him a lot of positive emotions and satisfaction. Although he did all this “for himself,” he managed to do much more than Pierre.

Natasha Rostova

The image of Andrei Bolkonsky cannot be fully analyzed without mentioning Natasha. Meeting this young girl leaves an indelible imprint on the prince’s soul. Her energy, sincerity and spontaneity allow Andrey to once again feel a taste for life and take part in social activities.

He decided to set about drawing up state laws and entered the service of a certain Speransky. Soon he becomes deeply disillusioned with the usefulness of such activities and realizes that he is surrounded by complete falsehood. However, after returning, he sees Natasha again and perks up. The characters flare up feelings that, it would seem, should end in a happy marriage. However, many obstacles appear on their way, and everything ends in a break.

Borodino

Disillusioned with everything and everyone, the prince goes to the army. He is again fascinated by military affairs, and aristocrats who crave only glory and profit arouse more and more disgust in him. He is confident of his victory, but, alas, Tolstoy prepared a different end for his hero. During the battle, Andrei was mortally wounded and soon died.

Before his death, an understanding of the essence of life descended on the prince. Lying on his deathbed, he realized that the guiding star of every person should be love and mercy for his neighbor. He is ready to forgive Natasha, who betrayed him, and believed in the infinite wisdom of the Creator. The image of Andrei Bolkonsky embodies all the best and purest that should be in a person’s soul. Having gone through a difficult but short one, he still understood something that many would not be able to comprehend in an eternity.

Prince Andrei Bolkonsky is certainly one of the most interesting characters in the novel War and Peace. Ambitious, brave, noble, he goes through numerous trials in order to know in the last days of his life an all-forgiving and patient love for the whole world. Andrei was endowed with many virtues: a clear analytical mind, willpower, honesty, patriotism, intolerance to lies and hypocrisy. All these qualities were brought up in him by his family, and it was precisely because of this that he could not imagine life without a high and wonderful goal. At the beginning of the novel, Bolkonsky’s goal is military glory, world fame, so he leaves his family and goes to war, plotting his Toulon and secretly worshiping Napoleon’s military talent. However, in my opinion, it was not the thirst for glory, but love for the homeland and courage that forced Andrei to pick up the banner and lead the temporarily confused soldiers. He performed a miracle - the army went on the attack again, but, unfortunately, this did not bring victory. Feeling pain from the wound, Andrei falls to the ground and sees that “there was nothing above him but the sky - a high sky, not clear, but still immeasurably high, with gray clouds quietly creeping across it.” At this time, he realizes the meaninglessness of his previous dreams, and Napoleon’s personality loses all its former attractiveness for him. Andrei’s deep spiritual drama is further aggravated by the death of his wife, but the birth of his son and the need to take care of him give him the opportunity to take a fresh look at life and enjoy the simplest things. Prince Andrei moves to Bogucharovo, begins farming, carries out liberal reforms, but soon such a pastime bothers him, it seems too measured and meaningless. He comes to the conclusion that his whole life has already passed, and time is slipping through his fingers. Oppressed by the consciousness of his mature age and the uncertainty of the future, Andrei mentally agrees with the old oak tree that did not bloom with the arrival of spring. But spring brings renewal to Bolkonsky’s soul - he meets his love, Natasha Rostova, who amazed him with her simplicity and sincerity. Driving past that same old oak tree some time later, Andrei was surprised to notice fresh light foliage under the gentle spring sun and finally left sad thoughts about the “end of life.” Confident in himself and his strengths, he returns to service and begins legislative work, gets engaged to Natasha, but the long-awaited happiness does not last long: the military reform project proposed by Bolkonsky is not approved, because another, much worse one, has already been approved; Natasha, like a flighty and unrestrained girl, tries to run away with Kuragin. Feeling humiliated and insulted, Andrei goes to war: his only desire is to find Anatoly Kuragin and kill him. In the struggle of feelings, patriotism wins: Prince Andrei refuses to serve at Kutuzov’s headquarters and becomes regiment commander. He managed to become a fair mentor and even a friend to his subordinates, and during the battle he never hid behind their backs. The culmination of Andrei Bolkonsky's experiences is the Battle of Borodino. Before him, he remembers the three main troubles of his life: love for a woman, the death of his father and the French invasion, and cannot fall asleep, thinking about the meaning of life and the essence of war. The next day, during the battle itself, he, despite the danger, is in the line of fire to support his soldiers, and as a result of this he is seriously wounded. On the one hand, it seems that this act was senseless, that Bolkonsky should not have risked his life so absurdly, and on the other, high ideals of honor would not have allowed him to throw himself to the ground and lie there, setting a negative example for the soldiers. I think that the great Battle of Borodino, which broke the power of Napoleon’s army, was victorious for the Russian troops thanks to commanders like Andrei Bolkonsky. Already in the operating room, he remembers Natasha and realizes that he loves her more than ever, and not only her, but the whole world. Noticing Kuragin on the next table, Andrei does not find in his heart the former hatred and thirst for revenge. After a complex operation, he is on the verge of life and death, all the thoughts in his head are confused, and he does not even immediately understand that in front of him is not a disembodied ghost, but the real Natasha, who still loves him. The lovers' happiness does not last long, and, foreseeing the approach of death, Andrei hides his feelings under a mask of indifference and coldness. I always wanted to ask Tolstoy why he killed such a wonderful character...

The best quotes about Prince Andrei Bolkonsky will be useful when writing essays dedicated to one of the main characters of the epic novel L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace". The quotations present the characteristics of Andrei Bolkonsky: his external appearance, inner world, spiritual quests, a description of the main episodes of his life, the relationship between Bolkonsky and Natasha Rostova, Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov are presented, Bolkonsky’s thoughts about the meaning of life, about love and happiness, his opinion about war.

Quick transition to quotes from the volumes of the book “War and Peace”:

Volume 1 part 1

(Description of Andrei Bolkonsky’s appearance at the beginning of the novel. 1805)

At this time a new face entered the living room. The new face was the young Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, the husband of the little princess. Prince Bolkonsky was small in stature, a very handsome young man with definite and dry features. Everything about his figure, from his tired, bored look to his quiet, measured step, presented the sharpest contrast with his little, lively wife. Apparently, everyone in the living room was not only familiar to him, but he was so tired of it that he found it very boring to look at them and listen to them. Of all the faces that bored him, the face of his pretty wife seemed to bore him the most. With a grimace marring his handsome face, he turned away from her. He kissed Anna Pavlovna's hand and, squinting, looked around at the whole company.

(Character qualities of Andrei Bolkonsky)

Pierre considered Prince Andrei to be a model of all perfections precisely because Prince Andrei united to the highest degree all those qualities that Pierre did not have and which can be most closely expressed by the concept of willpower. Pierre was always amazed at Prince Andrei's ability to calmly deal with all kinds of people, his extraordinary memory, erudition (he read everything, knew everything, had an idea about everything) and most of all his ability to work and study. If Pierre was often struck by Andrei’s lack of ability for dreamy philosophizing (to which Pierre was especially prone), then in this he saw not a disadvantage, but a strength.

(Dialogue between Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov about the war)

“If everyone fought only according to their convictions, there would be no war,” he said.
“That would be wonderful,” said Pierre.
Prince Andrei grinned.
“It may very well be that it would be wonderful, but it will never happen...
- Well, why are you going to war? - asked Pierre.
- For what? I don't know. That's how it should be. Besides, I’m going...” He stopped. “I’m going because this life that I lead here, this life is not for me!”

(Andrei Bolkonsky, in a conversation with Pierre Bezukhov, expresses his disappointment with marriage, women and secular society)

Never, never marry, my friend; Here's my advice to you, don't get married until you tell yourself that you did everything you could, and until you stop loving the woman you chose, until you see her clearly, and then you will make a cruel and irreparable mistake. Marry an old man, good for nothing... Otherwise, everything that is good and lofty in you will be lost. Everything will be spent on little things.

“My wife,” continued Prince Andrei, “is a wonderful woman. This is one of those rare women with whom you can be at peace with your honor; but, my God, what I wouldn’t give now not to be married! I’m telling you this alone and first, because I love you.

Living rooms, gossip, balls, vanity, insignificance - this is a vicious circle from which I cannot escape. I am now going to war, to the greatest war that has ever happened, but I know nothing and am no good for anything.<…>Selfishness, vanity, stupidity, insignificance in everything - these are women when they show themselves as they are. If you look at them in the light, it seems that there is something, but there is nothing, nothing, nothing! Yes, don’t get married, my soul, don’t get married.

(Conversation between Andrei Bolkonsky and Princess Marya)

I cannot reproach myself for anything, I have not reproached and will never reproach my wife, and I myself cannot reproach myself for anything in relation to her, and this will always be so, no matter what my circumstances. But if you want to know the truth... do you want to know if I'm happy? No. Is she happy? No. Why is this? Don't know...

(Bolkonsky is going to leave for the army)

In moments of departure and change of life, people who are able to think about their actions usually find themselves in a serious mood of thought. At these moments the past is usually reviewed and plans for the future are made. Prince Andrei's face was very thoughtful and tender. He, with his hands behind him, quickly walked around the room from corner to corner, looking ahead of him, and thoughtfully shaking his head. Was he afraid to go to war, was he sad to leave his wife - maybe it was both, but, apparently, not wanting to be seen in this position, hearing footsteps in the hallway, he hastily freed his hands, stopped at the table, as if he was tying the cover of a box, and assumed his usual calm and impenetrable expression.

Volume 1 part 2

(Description of Andrei Bolkonsky’s appearance after he joined the army)

Despite the fact that not much time has passed since Prince Andrei left Russia, he has changed a lot during this time. In the expression of his face, in his movements, in his gait, the former pretense, fatigue and laziness were almost not noticeable; he had the appearance of a man who does not have time to think about the impression he makes on others, and is busy doing something pleasant and interesting. His face expressed more satisfaction with himself and those around him; his smile and gaze were more cheerful and attractive.

(Bolkonsky is Kutuzov’s adjutant. The attitude of the army towards Prince Andrei)

Kutuzov, whom he caught up with in Poland, received him very kindly, promised him not to forget him, distinguished him from other adjutants, took him with him to Vienna and gave him more serious assignments. From Vienna, Kutuzov wrote to his old comrade, the father of Prince Andrei.
“Your son,” he wrote, “shows hope of becoming an officer, out of the ordinary in his knowledge, firmness and diligence. I consider myself lucky to have such a subordinate at hand.”

At Kutuzov's headquarters, among his fellow soldiers and in the army in general, Prince Andrei, as well as in St. Petersburg society, had two completely opposite reputations. Some, a minority, recognized Prince Andrei as something special from themselves and from all other people, expected great success from him, listened to him, admired him and imitated him; and with these people Prince Andrei was simple and pleasant. Others, the majority, did not like Prince Andrei, considered him a pompous, cold and unpleasant person. But with these people, Prince Andrei knew how to position himself in such a way that he was respected and even feared.

(Bolkonsky strives for fame)

This news was sad and at the same time pleasant for Prince Andrei. As soon as he learned that the Russian army was in such a hopeless situation, it occurred to him that he was precisely destined to lead the Russian army out of this situation, that here was Toulon, who would lead him out of the ranks of unknown officers and reveal to him the first path to glory! Listening to Bilibin, he was already thinking how, having arrived at the army, he would present an opinion at the military council that alone would save the army, and how he alone would be entrusted with the execution of this plan.

“Stop joking, Bilibin,” said Bolkonsky.
- I tell you sincerely and in a friendly manner. Judge. Where and why will you go now that you can stay here? One of two things awaits you (he gathered the skin above his left temple): either you don’t reach the army and peace will be concluded, or defeat and disgrace with the entire Kutuzov army.
And Bilibin loosened his skin, feeling that his dilemma was irrefutable.
“I can’t judge this,” Prince Andrei said coldly, but he thought: “I’m going to save the army.”

(Battle of Shengraben, 1805. Bolkonsky hopes to prove himself in battle and find “his Toulon”)

Prince Andrei stood on horseback on the battery, looking at the smoke of the gun from which the cannonball flew out. His eyes darted across the vast space. He only saw that the previously motionless masses of the French began to sway and that there really was a battery to the left. The smoke has not yet cleared from it. Two French cavalry, probably adjutants, galloped along the mountain. A clearly visible small column of the enemy was moving downhill, probably to strengthen the chain. The smoke of the first shot had not yet cleared when another smoke and a shot appeared. The battle has begun. Prince Andrei turned his horse and galloped back to Grunt to look for Prince Bagration. Behind him, he heard the cannonade becoming more frequent and louder. Apparently, our people were starting to respond. Below, in the place where the envoys were passing, rifle shots were heard.

"Began! Here it is!" - thought Prince Andrei, feeling how the blood began to flow more often to his heart. “But where? How will my Toulon be expressed? - he thought.

Volume 1 part 3

(Andrei Bolkonsky's dreams of military glory on the eve of the Battle of Austerlitz)

The military council, at which Prince Andrei was not able to express his opinion, as he had hoped, left a vague and alarming impression on him. He did not know who was right: Dolgorukov with Weyrother or Kutuzov with Langeron and others who did not approve of the attack plan. “But was it really impossible for Kutuzov to directly express his thoughts to the sovereign? Can't this really be done differently? Is it really necessary to risk tens of thousands and my, my life because of court and personal considerations?” - he thought.

“Yes, it’s very possible they’ll kill you tomorrow,” he thought. And suddenly, at this thought of death, a whole series of memories, the most distant and most intimate, arose in his imagination; he remembered the last farewell to his father and wife; he remembered the first times of his love for her; remembered her pregnancy, and he felt sorry for both her and himself, and in a primarily softened and excited state, he left the hut in which he had stood with Nesvitsky, and began to walk in front of the house.

The night was foggy, and moonlight mysteriously broke through the fog. “Yes, tomorrow, tomorrow! - he thought. “Tomorrow, perhaps, everything will be over for me, all these memories will no longer exist, all these memories will no longer have any meaning for me.” Tomorrow, maybe - even probably tomorrow, I have a presentiment of it, for the first time I will finally have to show everything that I can do.” And he imagined the battle, its loss, the concentration of the battle on one point and the confusion of all the commanders. And now that happy moment, that Toulon, which he had been waiting for so long, finally presented itself to him. He firmly and clearly speaks his opinion to Kutuzov, and Weyrother, and the emperors. Everyone is amazed at the correctness of his idea, but no one undertakes to carry it out, and so he takes a regiment, a division, pronounces the condition that no one should interfere with his orders, and leads his division to the decisive point and alone wins. What about death and suffering? - says another voice. But Prince Andrei does not answer this voice and continues his successes. He holds the rank of army duty officer under Kutuzov, but he does everything alone. The next battle was won by him alone. Kutuzov is replaced, he is appointed... Well, and then? - says another voice again, - and then, if you are not wounded, killed or deceived ten times before this; Well, then what? “Well, and then...” Prince Andrei answers himself, “I don’t know what will happen next, I don’t want and can’t know; but if I want this, I want fame, I want to be known to people, I want to be loved by them, then it’s not my fault that I want this, that this is what I want, this is what I live for. Yes, for this alone! I'll never tell anyone this, but oh my God! What should I do if I love nothing but glory, human love? Death, wounds, loss of family, nothing scares me. And no matter how dear or dear many people are to me - my father, sister, wife - the most dear people to me - but, no matter how scary and unnatural it seems, I will give them all now for a moment of glory, triumph over people, for love people whom I don’t know and won’t know, for the love of these people,” he thought, listening to the conversation in Kutuzov’s yard. In Kutuzov's yard the voices of the orderlies were heard; one voice, probably of a coachman, teasing the old Kutuzov cook, whom Prince Andrei knew and whose name was Titus, said: “Titus, what about Titus?”

“Well,” answered the old man.

“Titus, go thresh,” said the joker.

“And yet I love and treasure only the triumph over all of them, I treasure this mysterious power and glory that floats above me here in this fog!”

(1805 Battle of Austerlitz. Prince Andrei leads the battalion into the attack with a banner in his hands)

Kutuzov, accompanied by his adjutants, rode at a pace behind the carabinieri.

Having traveled half a mile at the tail of the column, he stopped at a lonely abandoned house (probably a former inn) near the fork of two roads. Both roads went downhill, and troops marched along both.

The fog began to disperse, and vaguely, about two miles away, enemy troops were already visible on opposite hills. To the left below the shooting became louder. Kutuzov stopped talking with the Austrian general. Prince Andrei, standing somewhat behind, peered at them and, wanting to ask the adjutant for a telescope, turned to him.

“Look, look,” said this adjutant, looking not at the distant troops, but down the mountain in front of him. - These are the French!

Two generals and adjutants began to grab the pipe, snatching it from one another. All the faces suddenly changed, and everyone expressed horror. The French were supposed to be two miles away from us, but they suddenly appeared in front of us.

- Is this the enemy?.. No!.. Yes, look, he... probably... What is this? - voices were heard.

Prince Andrey with a simple eye saw below to the right a dense column of French rising towards the Absheronians, no further than five hundred steps from the place where Kutuzov stood.

“Here it is, the decisive moment has come! The matter has reached me,” thought Prince Andrey and, hitting his horse, rode up to Kutuzov.

“We must stop the Absheronians,” he shouted, “Your Excellency!”

But at that very moment everything was covered in smoke, close shooting was heard, and a naively frightened voice two steps from Prince Andrei shouted: “Well, brothers, it’s a Sabbath!” And it was as if this voice was a command. At this voice, everyone started running.

Mixed, ever-increasing crowds fled back to the place where five minutes ago the troops had passed by the emperors. Not only was it difficult to stop this crowd, but it was impossible not to move back along with the crowd. Bolkonsky only tried to keep up with Kutuzov and looked around, perplexed and unable to understand what was happening in front of him. Nesvitsky, with an embittered look, red and not like himself, shouted to Kutuzov that if he did not leave now, he would probably be captured. Kutuzov stood in the same place and, without answering, took out a handkerchief. Blood was flowing from his cheek. Prince Andrei pushed his way up to him.

-Are you injured? - he asked, barely keeping his lower jaw from trembling.

- The wound is not here, but here! - said Kutuzov, pressing a handkerchief to his wounded cheek and pointing at the fleeing people.

- Stop them! - he shouted and at the same time, probably making sure that it was impossible to stop them, he hit the horse and rode to the right.

The newly surging crowd of fleeing people took him with them and dragged him back.

The troops fled in such a dense crowd that, once they got into the middle of the crowd, it was difficult to get out of it. Who shouted: “Get off, why did you hesitate?” Who immediately turned around and fired into the air; who beat the horse on which Kutuzov himself was riding. With the greatest effort, getting out of the flow of the crowd to the left, Kutuzov, with his retinue, reduced by more than half, rode towards the sounds of close gun shots. Having emerged from the crowd of those running, Prince Andrei, trying to keep up with Kutuzov, saw on the descent of the mountain, in the smoke, a Russian battery still firing and the French running up to it. The Russian infantry stood higher up, moving neither forward to help the battery nor back in the same direction as those fleeing. The general on horseback separated from this infantry and rode up to Kutuzov. Only four people remained from Kutuzov’s retinue. Everyone was pale and silently looked at each other.

- Stop these scoundrels! - Kutuzov said breathlessly to the regimental commander, pointing to the fleeing; but at the same instant, as if in punishment for these words, like a swarm of birds, bullets whistled through Kutuzov’s regiment and retinue.

The French attacked the battery and, seeing Kutuzov, fired at him. With this volley, the regimental commander grabbed his leg; Several soldiers fell, and the ensign standing with the banner released it from his hands; the banner swayed and fell, lingering on the guns of neighboring soldiers. The soldiers began to shoot without a command.

- Oooh! - Kutuzov muttered with an expression of despair and looked around. “Bolkonsky,” he whispered, his voice trembling from the consciousness of his senile impotence. “Bolkonsky,” he whispered, pointing to the disorganized battalion and the enemy, “what is this?”

But before he finished his word, Prince Andrei, feeling tears of shame and anger rising in his throat, was already jumping off his horse and running to the banner.

- Guys, go ahead! - he shouted childishly.

"Here it is!" - thought Prince Andrei, grabbing the flagpole and hearing with pleasure the whistle of bullets, obviously aimed specifically at him. Several soldiers fell.

- Hooray! - Prince Andrei shouted, barely holding the heavy banner in his hands, and ran forward with undoubted confidence that the entire battalion would run after him.

And indeed, he only ran a few steps. One soldier set off, then another, and the whole battalion shouted “Hurray!” ran forward and overtook him. The non-commissioned officer of the battalion ran up and took the banner, which was shaking from the weight in the hands of Prince Andrei, but was immediately killed. Prince Andrei again grabbed the banner and, dragging it by the pole, fled with the battalion. Ahead of him, he saw our artillerymen, some of whom fought, others abandoned their cannons and ran towards him; he also saw French infantry soldiers who grabbed artillery horses and turned the guns. Prince Andrei and his battalion were already twenty steps from the guns. He heard the incessant whistling of bullets above him, and soldiers constantly groaned and fell to the right and left of him. But he didn't look at them; he peered only at what was happening in front of him - on the battery. He clearly saw one figure of a red-haired artilleryman with a shako knocked to one side, pulling a banner on one side, while a French soldier was pulling the banner towards himself on the other side. Prince Andrey already clearly saw the confused and at the same time embittered expression on the faces of these two people, who apparently did not understand what they were doing.

"What are they doing? - thought Prince Andrei, looking at them. “Why doesn’t the red-haired artilleryman run when he doesn’t have a weapon?” Why doesn't the Frenchman stab him? Before he can reach him, the Frenchman will remember the gun and stab him to death.”

Indeed, another Frenchman, with a gun at the ready, ran up to the fighters, and the fate of the red-haired artilleryman, who still did not understand what awaited him and triumphantly pulled out his banner, was to be decided. But Prince Andrei did not see how it ended. As if with a strong stick, one of the nearest soldiers, as if with full swing, hit him in the head. It hurt a little, and most importantly, it was unpleasant, because this pain entertained him and prevented him from seeing what he was looking at.

"What is this? I'm falling! My legs are giving way,” he thought and fell on his back. He opened his eyes, hoping to see how the fight between the French and the artillerymen ended, and wanting to know whether the red-haired artilleryman was killed or not, whether the guns were taken or saved. But he didn't see anything. There was nothing above him anymore except the sky—a high sky, not clear, but still immeasurably high, with gray clouds quietly creeping across it. “How quiet, calm and solemn, not at all like how I ran,” thought Prince Andrei, “not like how we ran, shouted and fought; It’s not at all like how the Frenchman and the artilleryman pulled each other’s banners with embittered and frightened faces - not at all like how the clouds crawl across this high endless sky. How come I haven’t seen this high sky before? And how happy I am that I finally recognized him. Yes! everything is empty, everything is deception, except this endless sky. There is nothing, nothing, except him. But even that is not there, there is nothing but silence, calm. And thank God!.."

(The Sky of Austerlitz as an important episode on the path of the spiritual formation of Prince Andrei. 1805)

On Pratsenskaya Mountain, in the very place where he fell with the flagpole in his hands, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky lay, bleeding, and, without knowing it, moaned a quiet, pitiful and childish groan.

By evening he stopped moaning and became completely quiet. He didn't know how long his oblivion lasted. Suddenly he felt alive again and suffering from a burning and tearing pain in his head.

“Where is it, this high sky, which I did not know until now and saw today? - was his first thought. “And I didn’t know this suffering until now.” But where am I?

He began to listen and heard the sounds of approaching horses and the sounds of voices speaking in French. He opened his eyes. Above him was again the same high sky with floating clouds rising even higher, through which a blue infinity could be seen. He did not turn his head and did not see those who, judging by the sound of hooves and voices, drove up to him and stopped.

The horsemen who arrived were Napoleon, accompanied by two adjutants. Bonaparte, driving around the battlefield, gave the last orders to strengthen the batteries firing at the Augesta Dam, and examined the dead and wounded remaining on the battlefield.

- De beaux hommes! (Glorious people!) - said Napoleon, looking at the killed Russian grenadier, who, with his face buried in the ground and the back of his head blackened, was lying on his stomach, throwing one already numb arm far away.

- Les munitions des pièces de position sont épuisées, sire! (There are no more battery shells, Your Majesty!) - said at that time the adjutant, who arrived from the batteries that were firing at Augest.

“Faites avancer celles de la réserve (Tell them to bring it from the reserves),” said Napoleon, and, having driven off a few steps, he stopped over Prince Andrei, who was lying on his back with the flagpole thrown next to him (the banner had already been taken by the French, like a trophy).

“Voilà une belle mort (Here is a beautiful death),” said Napoleon, looking at Bolkonsky.

Prince Andrei realized that this was said about him and that Napoleon was saying this. He heard the one who spoke these words called sire (Your Majesty). But he heard these words as if he heard the buzzing of a fly. Not only was he not interested in them, but he did not even notice them, and immediately forgot them. His head was burning; he felt that he was emanating blood, and he saw above him the distant, high and eternal sky. He knew that it was Napoleon - his hero, but at that moment Napoleon seemed to him such a small, insignificant person in comparison with what was now happening between his soul and this high, endless sky with clouds running across it. He didn’t care at all at that moment, no matter who stood above him, no matter what they said about him; He was only glad that people were standing over him, and he only wished that these people would help him and return him to life, which seemed so beautiful to him, because he understood it so differently now. He mustered all his strength to move and make some sound. He weakly moved his leg and produced a pitying, weak, painful groan.

- A! “He’s alive,” said Napoleon. - Raise this young man, ce jeune homme, and carry him to the dressing station!

Prince Andrei did not remember anything further: he lost consciousness from the terrible pain that was caused to him by being placed on a stretcher, jolts while moving, and probing the wound at the dressing station. He woke up only at the end of the day, when he was united with other Russian wounded and captured officers and carried to the hospital. During this movement he felt somewhat fresher and could look around and even speak.

The first words he heard when he woke up were the words of the French escort officer, who hurriedly said:

- We must stop here: the emperor will pass by now; it will give him pleasure to see these captive gentlemen.

“There are so many prisoners these days, almost the entire Russian army, that he’s probably bored with it,” said another officer.

- Well, however! This one, they say, is the commander of the entire guard of Emperor Alexander,” said the first, pointing to a wounded Russian officer in a white cavalry uniform.

Bolkonsky recognized Prince Repnin, whom he had met in St. Petersburg society. Next to him stood another, nineteen-year-old boy, also a wounded cavalry officer.

Bonaparte, galloping up, stopped his horse.

-Who is the eldest? - he said, seeing the prisoners.

They named the colonel, Prince Repnin.

—Are you the commander of the cavalry regiment of Emperor Alexander? - asked Napoleon.

“I commanded a squadron,” answered Repnin.

“Your regiment honestly fulfilled its duty,” said Napoleon.

“The praise of a great commander is the best reward for a soldier,” said Repnin.

“I give it to you with pleasure,” said Napoleon. -Who is this young man next to you?

Prince Repnin named Lieutenant Sukhtelen.

Looking at him, Napoleon said, smiling:

- Il est venu bien jeune se frotter à nous (He came to fight with us when he was young).

“Youth doesn’t stop you from being brave,” Sukhtelen said in a breaking voice.

“Excellent answer,” said Napoleon, “young man, you will go far!”

Prince Andrei, who, to complete the trophy of the captives, was also put forward, in full view of the emperor, could not help but attract his attention. Napoleon apparently remembered that he had seen him on the field, and, addressing him, used the same name of the young man - jeune homme, under which Bolkonsky was reflected in his memory for the first time.

- Et vous, jeune homme? Well, what about you, young man? - he turned to him. - How are you feeling, mon brave?

Despite the fact that five minutes before this, Prince Andrei could say a few words to the soldiers carrying him, he now, directly fixing his eyes on Napoleon, was silent... All the interests that occupied Napoleon seemed so insignificant to him at that moment, so petty it seemed to him that his hero himself, with this petty vanity and joy of victory, in comparison with that high, fair and kind sky that he saw and understood, that he could not answer him.

And everything seemed so useless and insignificant in comparison with the strict and majestic structure of thought that was caused in him by the weakening of his strength from the bleeding, suffering and the imminent expectation of death. Looking into the eyes of Napoleon, Prince Andrei thought about the insignificance of greatness, about the insignificance of life, the meaning of which no one could understand, and about the even greater insignificance of death, the meaning of which no one living could understand and explain.

The emperor, without waiting for an answer, turned away and, driving away, turned to one of the commanders:

“Let them take care of these gentlemen and take them to my bivouac; let my doctor Larrey examine their wounds. Goodbye, Prince Repnin. - And he, having touched the horse, galloped further.

There was a radiance of self-satisfaction and happiness on his face.

The soldiers who brought Prince Andrei and removed from him the golden icon they found, hung on his brother by Princess Marya, seeing the kindness with which the emperor treated the prisoners, hastened to return the icon.

Prince Andrei did not see who put it on again or how, but on his chest, above his uniform, suddenly there was an icon on a small gold chain.

“It would be good,” thought Prince Andrei, looking at this icon, which his sister hung on him with such feeling and reverence, “it would be good if everything was as clear and simple as it seems to Princess Marya. How nice it would be to know where to look for help in this life and what to expect after it, beyond the grave! How happy and calm I would be if I could now say: Lord, have mercy on me!.. But to whom will I say this? Either the power is indefinite, incomprehensible, which I not only cannot address, but which I cannot express in words - great all or nothing,” he said to himself, “or is it that God who is sewn up here, in this amulet, Princess Marya? Nothing, nothing is true, except the insignificance of everything that is clear to me, and the greatness of something incomprehensible, but most important!

The stretcher started moving. With each push he again felt unbearable pain; the feverish state intensified, and he began to become delirious. Those dreams of his father, wife, sister and future son and the tenderness that he experienced on the night before the battle, the figure of the small, insignificant Napoleon and the high sky above all this - formed the main basis of his feverish ideas.

A quiet life and calm family happiness in Bald Mountains seemed to him. He was already enjoying this happiness when suddenly little Napoleon appeared with his indifferent, limited and happy look at the misfortune of others, and doubts and torment began, and only the sky promised peace. By morning, all the dreams mixed up and merged into the chaos and darkness of unconsciousness and oblivion, which, in the opinion of Larrey himself, Doctor Napoleon, were much more likely to be resolved by death than by recovery.

“C"est un sujet nerveux et bilieux," said Larrey, "il n"en réchappera pas (This is a nervous and bilious subject - he will not recover).

Prince Andrey, among other hopelessly wounded, was handed over to the care of the residents.

Volume 2 part 1

(The Bolkonsky family does not know whether Prince Andrei is alive or died in the Battle of Austerlitz)

Two months passed after news was received in Bald Mountains about the Battle of Austerlitz and the death of Prince Andrei. And despite all the letters through the embassy and despite all the searches, his body was not found, and he was not among the prisoners. The worst thing for his relatives was that there was still hope that he had been raised by the inhabitants on the battlefield and, perhaps, was lying recovering or dying somewhere alone, among strangers, and unable to let himself be carried . In the newspapers, from which the old prince first learned about the defeat of Austerlitz, it was written, as always, very briefly and vaguely, that the Russians, after brilliant battles, had to retreat and carried out the retreat in perfect order. The old prince understood from this official news that ours were defeated. A week after the newspaper brought news of the Battle of Austerlitz, a letter arrived from Kutuzov, who informed the prince of the fate that befell his son.

“Your son, in my eyes,” wrote Kutuzov, “with a banner in his hands, in front of the regiment, fell as a hero worthy of his father and his fatherland. To my general regret and that of the entire army, it is still unknown whether he is alive or not. I flatter myself and you with hope that your son is alive, for otherwise he would have been named among the officers found on the battlefield, about whom the list was given to me through the envoys.”

(March 1806. Prince Andrei returns home after being wounded. His wife Lisa dies after giving birth to a son)

Princess Marya threw on her shawl and ran towards those traveling. When she passed the front hall, she saw through the window that some kind of carriage and lanterns were standing at the entrance. She went out onto the stairs. There was a tallow candle on the railing post and it was flowing from the wind. The waiter Philip, with a frightened face and with another candle in his hand, stood below, on the first landing of the stairs. Even lower, around the bend, along the stairs, moving footsteps in warm boots could be heard. And some familiar voice, as it seemed to Princess Marya, was saying something.

Then the voice said something else, Demyan answered something, and footsteps in warm boots began to approach faster along the invisible bend of the stairs. "This is Andrey! - thought Princess Marya. “No, this cannot be, it would be too unusual,” she thought, and at the same moment as she was thinking this, on the platform on which the waiter stood with a candle, the face and figure of Prince Andrei appeared in a fur coat with a collar. , sprinkled with snow. Yes, it was him, but pale and thin and with a changed, strangely softened, but alarming expression on his face. He walked onto the stairs and hugged his sister.

—You didn’t receive my letter? - he asked, and without waiting for an answer, which he would not have received, because the princess could not speak, he returned and with the obstetrician, who entered after him (he had met him at the last station), with quick steps he again entered the the stairs and hugged his sister again.

- What fate! - he said. - Masha, dear! - And, taking off his fur coat and boots, he went to the princess’s half.

The little princess was lying on the pillows, wearing a white cap (suffering had just released her), her black hair curled in strands around her sore, sweaty cheeks; her rosy, lovely mouth, with a sponge covered with black hairs, was open, and she smiled joyfully. Prince Andrei entered the room and stopped in front of her, at the foot of the sofa on which she was lying. Brilliant eyes, looking childishly scared and excited, stopped at him without changing expression. “I love you all, I haven’t done harm to anyone, why am I suffering? Help me,” her expression said. She saw her husband, but did not understand the significance of his appearance now before her. Prince Andrei walked around the sofa and kissed her on the forehead.

- My darling! - he said a word that he had never spoken to her. “God is merciful...” She looked at him questioningly, childishly and reproachfully.

“I expected help from you, and nothing, nothing, and you too!” - said her eyes. She wasn't surprised that he came; she did not understand that he had arrived. His arrival had nothing to do with her suffering and its relief. The torment began again, and Marya Bogdanovna advised Prince Andrei to leave the room.

The obstetrician entered the room. Prince Andrei went out and, meeting Princess Marya, again approached her. They started talking in whispers, but every minute the conversation fell silent. They waited and listened.

“Allez, mon ami (Go, my friend),” said Princess Marya. Prince Andrey again went to his wife and sat down in the next room, waiting. Some woman came out of her room with a frightened face and was embarrassed when she saw Prince Andrei. He covered his face with his hands and sat there for several minutes. Pathetic, helpless animal groans were heard from behind the door. Prince Andrei stood up, went to the door and wanted to open it. Someone was holding the door.

- You can’t, you can’t! - a frightened voice said from there. He began to walk around the room. The screams stopped and a few seconds passed. Suddenly a terrible scream - not her scream - she could not scream like that - was heard in the next room. Prince Andrei ran to her door; The scream stopped, but another scream was heard, the cry of a child.

“Why did they bring the child there? - Prince Andrey thought at first. - Child? What?.. Why is there a child there? Or was it a baby born?

When he suddenly realized all the joyful meaning of this cry, tears choked him, and he, leaning with both hands on the windowsill, sobbed, began to cry, as children cry. The door opened. The doctor, with his shirt sleeves rolled up, without a frock coat, pale and with a shaking jaw, left the room. Prince Andrey turned to him, but the doctor looked at him in confusion and, without saying a word, walked past. The woman ran out and, seeing Prince Andrei, hesitated on the threshold. He entered his wife's room. She lay dead in the same position in which he had seen her five minutes ago, and the same expression, despite the fixed eyes and the paleness of her cheeks, was on that lovely, timid childish face with a sponge covered with black hairs.

“I loved you all and never did anything bad to anyone, and what did you do to me? Oh, what have you done to me? - said her lovely, pitiful dead face. In the corner of the room, something small, red, grunted and squeaked in the white, shaking hands of Marya Bogdanovna.

Two hours after this, Prince Andrei entered his father’s office with quiet steps. The old man already knew everything. He stood right at the door, and as soon as it opened, the old man silently, with his senile, hard hands, like a vice, grabbed his son’s neck and sobbed like a child.

Three days later the funeral service was held for the little princess, and, bidding farewell to her, Prince Andrei ascended the steps of the coffin. And in the coffin was the same face, although with closed eyes. “Oh, what have you done to me?” - it all said, and Prince Andrei felt that something had been torn away in his soul, that he was guilty of a guilt that he could not correct or forget. He couldn't cry. The old man also entered and kissed her wax hand, which lay calmly and high on the other, and her face said to him: “Oh, what and why did you do this to me?” And the old man turned away angrily when he saw this face.

Five days later, the young Prince Nikolai Andreich was baptized. The mother held the diapers with her chin, while the priest smeared the boy’s wrinkled red palms and steps with a goose feather.

The godfather - the grandfather, afraid to drop him, shuddering, carried the baby around the dented tin font and handed him over to the godmother, Princess Marya. Prince Andrei, frozen with fear that the child would not be drowned, sat in another room, waiting for the end of the sacrament. He looked joyfully at the child when the nanny carried him out to him, and nodded his head approvingly when the nanny told him that a piece of wax with hairs thrown into the font did not sink, but floated along the font.

Volume 2 part 2

(Meeting of Prince Andrei and Pierre Bezukhov in Bogucharovo, which was of great importance for both and largely determined their future path.1807)

In the happiest state of mind, returning from his southern trip, Pierre fulfilled his long-standing intention - to call on his friend Bolkonsky, whom he had not seen for two years.

At the last station, having learned that Prince Andrei was not in Bald Mountains, but in his new separated estate, Pierre went to see him.

Pierre was struck by the modesty of the small, albeit clean, house after the brilliant conditions in which he last saw his friend in St. Petersburg. He hurriedly entered the still pine-smelling, unplastered small room and wanted to move on, but Anton tiptoed forward and knocked on the door.

- Well, what's there? - a sharp, unpleasant voice was heard.

“Guest,” answered Anton.

“Ask me to wait,” and I heard a chair being pushed back. Pierre walked quickly to the door and came face to face with the frowning and aged Prince Andrei, who was coming out to him. Pierre hugged him and, raising his glasses, kissed him on the cheeks and looked at him closely.

“I didn’t expect it, I’m very glad,” said Prince Andrei. Pierre said nothing; He looked at his friend in surprise, without taking his eyes off. He was struck by the change that had taken place in Prince Andrei. The words were affectionate, a smile was on Prince Andrei’s lips and face, but his gaze was dull, dead, to which, despite his apparent desire, Prince Andrei could not give a joyful and cheerful shine. It’s not that his friend has lost weight, turned pale, and matured; but this look and the wrinkle on his forehead, expressing long concentration on one thing, amazed and alienated Pierre until he got used to them.

When meeting after a long separation, as always happens, the conversation could not be established for a long time; they asked and answered briefly about things that they themselves knew should have been discussed at length. Finally, the conversation gradually began to dwell on what had previously been said fragmentarily, on questions about his past life, about plans for the future, about Pierre’s travels, about his activities, about the war, etc. That concentration and depression that Pierre noticed in the look of Prince Andrei now was expressed even more strongly in the smile with which he listened to Pierre, especially when Pierre spoke with animated joy about the past or the future. It was as if Prince Andrei wanted, but could not, take part in what he said. Pierre began to feel that enthusiasm, dreams, hopes for happiness and goodness in front of Prince Andrei were indecent. He was ashamed to express all his new, Masonic thoughts, especially those renewed and excited in him by his last journey. He restrained himself, was afraid to be naive; at the same time, he irresistibly wanted to quickly show his friend that he was now a completely different, better Pierre than the one who was in St. Petersburg.

“I can’t tell you how much I experienced during this time.” I wouldn't recognize myself.

“Yes, we have changed a lot, a lot since then,” said Prince Andrei.

- Well, what about you? - asked Pierre. — What are your plans?

- Plans? - Prince Andrey repeated ironically. - My plans? - he repeated, as if surprised by the meaning of such a word. - Yes, you see, I’m building, I want to move completely by next year...

Pierre silently peered intently into Andrei's aged face.

“No, I’m asking,” said Pierre, but Prince Andrei interrupted him:

- But what can I say about me... tell me, tell me about your journey, about everything you did there on your estates?

Pierre began to talk about what he had done on his estates, trying as much as possible to hide his participation in the improvements made by him. Prince Andrei several times suggested to Pierre what he was telling, as if everything that Pierre had done was a long-known story, and he listened not only not with interest, but even as if ashamed of what Pierre was telling.

Pierre felt awkward and even difficult in the company of his friend. He fell silent.

“Well, here’s the thing, my soul,” said Prince Andrei, who, obviously, was also hard and shy with his guest, “I’m here in bivouacs, I just came to look.” And now I’m going back to my sister. I'll introduce you to them. “Yes, you seem to know each other,” he said, obviously entertaining the guest with whom he now felt nothing in common. “We’ll go after dinner.” Now do you want to see my estate? “They went out and walked around until lunch, talking about political news and mutual acquaintances, like people who are not very close to each other. With some animation and interest, Prince Andrei spoke only about the new estate and building he was organizing, but even here, in the middle of the conversation, on the stage, when Prince Andrei was describing to Pierre the future location of the house, he suddenly stopped. “However, there is nothing interesting here, let’s go to dinner.” and let's go. — At dinner the conversation turned to Pierre’s marriage.

“I was very surprised when I heard about this,” said Prince Andrei.

Pierre blushed the same way he always blushed at this, and hastily said:

“I’ll tell you someday how it all happened.” But you know it's all over, and forever.

- Forever? - said Prince Andrei. - Nothing happens forever.

- But do you know how it all ended? Have you heard about the duel?

- Yes, you went through that too.

“The one thing I thank God for is that I didn’t kill this man,” Pierre said.

- From what? - said Prince Andrei. “It’s even very good to kill an angry dog.”

- No, killing a person is not good, it’s unfair...

- Why is it unfair? - repeated Prince Andrei. - What is fair and unfair is not given to people to judge. People have always been mistaken and will continue to be mistaken, and in nothing more than in what they consider just and unjust.

“It is unfair that there is evil for another person,” said Pierre, feeling with pleasure that for the first time since his arrival, Prince Andrei became animated and began to speak and wanted to express everything that made him what he was now.

- Who told you what evil is for another person? - he asked.

- Evil? Evil? - said Pierre. - We all know what evil is for ourselves.

“Yes, we know, but the evil that I know for myself, I cannot do to another person,” said Prince Andrei, becoming more and more animated, apparently wanting to express to Pierre his new view of things. He spoke French. - Je ne connais dans la vie que maux bien réels: c"est le remord et la maladie. Il n"est de bien que l"absence de ces maux (I know in life only two real misfortunes: remorse and illness. And happiness is only the absence of these two evils.) Living for yourself, avoiding only these two evils, that is all my wisdom now.

- What about love for one's neighbor, and self-sacrifice? - Pierre spoke. - No, I cannot agree with you! To live only in such a way as not to do evil, so as not to repent, this is not enough. I lived like this, I lived for myself and ruined my life. And only now, when I live, at least try (Pierre corrected himself out of modesty) to live for others, only now I understand all the happiness of life. No, I don’t agree with you, and you don’t mean what you say. “Prince Andrei silently looked at Pierre and smiled mockingly.

“You’ll see your sister, Princess Marya.” You’ll get along with her,” he said. “Maybe you’re right for yourself,” he continued, after a pause, “but everyone lives in their own way: you lived for yourself and you say that you almost ruined your life by doing this, and you only knew happiness when you began to live for others.” But I experienced the opposite. I lived for fame. (After all, what is glory? the same love for others, the desire to do something for them, the desire for their praise.) So I lived for others and not almost, but completely ruined my life. And since then I have become calm, as if I live for myself.

- How can you live for yourself? - Pierre asked, getting excited. - What about your son, sister, father?

“Yes, it’s still the same me, it’s not others,” said Prince Andrey, “but others, neighbors, le prochain, as you and Princess Mary call it, this is the main source of error and evil.” Le prochain are those Kyiv men of yours to whom you want to do good.

And he looked at Pierre with a mockingly defiant gaze. He apparently called Pierre.

“You’re joking,” Pierre said more and more animatedly. - What kind of error and evil can there be in the fact that I wanted (very little and poorly fulfilled), but wanted to do good, and at least did something? What evil can it be that unfortunate people, our men, people just like us, growing up and dying without another concept of God and truth, like an image and meaningless prayer, will be taught in the comforting beliefs of a future life, retribution, reward, consolation ? What evil and delusion is it that people die from illness without help, when it is so easy to help them financially, and I will give them a doctor, and a hospital, and a shelter for an old man? And isn’t it a tangible, undoubted blessing that a man, a woman and a child have no rest day and night, and I will give them rest and leisure?.. - said Pierre, hurrying and lisping. “And I did it, at least poorly, at least a little, but I did something for this, and not only will you not disbelieve me that what I did is good, but you will also not disbelieve me, so that you yourself do not think so.” . “And most importantly,” Pierre continued, “I know this, and I know it correctly, that the pleasure of doing this good is the only true happiness in life.

“Yes, if you put the question like that, then that’s a different matter,” said Prince Andrei. - I build a house, plant a garden, and you are a hospital. Both can serve as a pastime. But what is fair, what is good - leave it to the one who knows everything, and not to us, to judge. Well, you want to argue,” he added, “come on.” “They left the table and sat on the porch, which served as a balcony.

“Well, let’s argue,” said Prince Andrei. “You say school,” he continued, bending his finger, “teachings and so on, that is, you want to take him out of his animal state and give him moral needs,” he said, pointing to the man who took off his hat and walked past them. . But it seems to me that the only possible happiness is animal happiness, and you want to deprive it of it. I envy him, and you want to make him me, but without giving him my mind, my feelings, or my means. Another thing you say is to make his job easier. But in my opinion, physical labor is the same necessity for him, the same condition of his existence, as mental labor is for you and me. You can't help but think. I go to bed at three o’clock, thoughts come to me, and I can’t sleep, I toss and turn, I don’t sleep until the morning because I’m thinking and I can’t help but think, just as he can’t help plowing, not mowing, otherwise he’ll go to the tavern or will become sick. Just as I cannot bear his terrible physical labor and die in a week, so he cannot bear my physical idleness, he will get fat and die. Third, what else did you say?

Prince Andrey bent his third finger.

- Oh yes. Hospitals, medicines. He has a stroke, he dies, and you bleed him, cure him, he will be crippled for ten years, a burden for everyone. It is much calmer and easier for him to die. Others will be born, and there are so many of them. If you were sorry that your extra worker was missing, the way I look at him, otherwise you want to treat him out of love for him. But he doesn't need that. And besides, what kind of imagination is there that medicine could cure anyone... Kill! - So! - he said, frowning angrily and turning away from Pierre.

Prince Andrei expressed his thoughts so clearly and distinctly that it was clear that he had thought about this more than once, and he spoke willingly and quickly, like a man who had not spoken for a long time. His gaze became more animated the more hopeless his judgments were.

- Oh, this is terrible, terrible! - said Pierre. “I just don’t understand how you can live with such thoughts.” The same moments came over me, it happened recently, in Moscow and on the road, but then I sink to such a degree that I don’t live, everything is disgusting to me, most importantly, myself. Then I don’t eat, I don’t wash... well, what about you...

“Why not wash your face, it’s not clean,” said Prince Andrei. “On the contrary, you should try to make your life as pleasant as possible.” I live and this is not my fault, therefore, I need to live until death somehow better, without disturbing anyone.

- But what motivates you to live? With such thoughts you will sit motionless, doing nothing.

- Life doesn’t leave you alone anyway. I would be glad to do nothing, but, on the one hand, the nobility here has awarded me the honor of being elected leader; I got away with violence. They could not understand that I did not have what was needed, that I did not have that well-known good-natured and concerned vulgarity that was needed for this. Then there was this house that had to be built in order to have our own corner where we could be calm. Now the militia.

- Why don’t you serve in the army?

- After Austerlitz! - Prince Andrey said gloomily. - No, I humbly thank you, I promised myself that I would not serve in the active Russian army. And I will not. If Bonaparte had stood here, near Smolensk, threatening the Bald Mountains, then I would not have served in the Russian army. Well, so I told you,” Prince Andrei continued, calming down, “now the militia, father is the commander-in-chief of the third district, and the only way for me to get rid of service is to be with him.

- So you are serving?

- I serve. - He was silent for a moment.

- So why do you serve?

- But why? My father is one of the most remarkable people of his century. But he is getting old, and he is not only cruel, but he is too active. He is terrible for his habit of unlimited power and now this power given by the sovereign to the commander-in-chief over the militia. If I had been two hours late two weeks ago, he would have hanged the protocol officer in Yukhnov,” said Prince Andrei with a smile. “So I serve because, besides me, no one has influence on my father, and here and there I will save him from an act from which he would suffer later.”

- Oh, well, you see!

“Yes, mais ce n"est pas comme vous l"entendez (but not in the way you think), continued Prince Andrei. “I did not and do not wish the slightest good to this bastard protocol officer who stole some boots from the militia; I would even be very pleased to see him hanged, but I feel sorry for my father, that is, again for myself.

Prince Andrei became more and more animated. His eyes sparkled feverishly as he tried to prove to Pierre that his actions never contained a desire for good to his neighbor.

“Well, you want to free the peasants,” he continued. - This is very good; but not for you (you, I think, did not detect anyone and did not send them to Siberia) and even less for the peasants. If they are beaten, flogged and sent to Siberia, then I think that it is no worse for them. In Siberia he leads the same bestial life, and the scars on his body will heal, and he is as happy as he was before. And this is necessary for those people who are perishing morally, making repentance for themselves, suppressing this repentance and becoming rude because they have the opportunity to execute right or wrong. This is who I feel sorry for and for whom I would like to free the peasants. You may not have seen it, but I have seen how good people, brought up in these traditions of unlimited power, over the years, when they become more irritable, become cruel, rude, know this, cannot resist and become more and more unhappy.

Prince Andrei said this with such enthusiasm that Pierre involuntarily thought that these thoughts were suggested to Andrei by his father. He didn't answer him.

- So this is who and what you feel sorry for - human dignity, peace of conscience, purity, and not their backs and foreheads, which, no matter how much you cut, no matter how much you shave, will all remain the same backs and foreheads.

- No, no, and a thousand times no! “I will never agree with you,” said Pierre.

In the evening, Prince Andrei and Pierre got into a carriage and drove to Bald Mountains. Prince Andrei, glancing at Pierre, occasionally broke the silence with speeches that proved that he was in a good mood.

He told him, pointing to the fields, about his economic improvements.

Pierre was gloomily silent, answering in monosyllables, and seemed lost in his thoughts.

Pierre thought that Prince Andrei was unhappy, that he was mistaken, that he did not know the true light, and that Pierre should come to his aid, enlighten him and lift him up. But as soon as Pierre figured out how and what he would say, he had a presentiment that Prince Andrei with one word, one argument would destroy all his teaching, and he was afraid to start, afraid to expose his beloved shrine to the possibility of ridicule.

“No, why do you think,” Pierre suddenly began, lowering his head and taking on the appearance of a butting bull, “why do you think so?” You shouldn't think like that.

- What am I thinking about? - Prince Andrei asked in surprise.

— About life, about the purpose of a person. It can't be. I thought the same thing and it saved me, you know what? Freemasonry No, don't smile. Freemasonry is not a religious, not a ritual sect, as I thought, but Freemasonry is the best, the only expression of the best, eternal sides of humanity. - And he began to explain Freemasonry to Prince Andrey, as he understood it.

He said that Freemasonry is the teaching of Christianity, freed from state and religious shackles; teachings of equality, brotherhood and love.

- Only our holy brotherhood has real meaning in life; “everything else is a dream,” said Pierre. “You understand, my friend, that outside of this union everything is full of lies and untruths, and I agree with you that an intelligent and kind person has no choice but to live out his life, like you, trying only not to interfere with others.” But assimilate our basic convictions, join our brotherhood, give yourself to us, let us guide you, and you will now feel, as I did, part of this huge, invisible chain, the beginning of which is hidden in the heavens,” said Pierre.

Prince Andrei silently, looking ahead, listened to Pierre's speech. Several times, unable to hear from the noise of the stroller, he repeated the unheard words from Pierre. By the special sparkle that lit up in the eyes of Prince Andrei, and by his silence, Pierre saw that his words were not in vain, that Prince Andrei would not interrupt him and would not laugh at his words.

They arrived at a flooded river, which they had to cross by ferry. While the carriage and horses were being installed, they went to the ferry.

Prince Andrei, leaning on the railing, silently looked along the flood glittering from the setting sun.

- Well, what do you think about this? - asked Pierre. - Why are you silent?

- What I think? I listened to you. “All this is true,” said Prince Andrei. “But you say: join our brotherhood, and we will show you the purpose of life and the purpose of man and the laws that govern the world.” Who are we? - People. Why do you know everything? Why am I the only one who doesn’t see what you see? You see the kingdom of goodness and truth on earth, but I don’t see it.

Pierre interrupted him.

- Do you believe in a future life? - he asked.

- To the future life? - Prince Andrei repeated, but Pierre did not give him time to answer and took this repetition as a denial, especially since he knew Prince Andrei’s previous atheistic beliefs.

“You say that you cannot see the kingdom of goodness and truth on earth. And I didn’t see him; and it cannot be seen if we look at our life as the end of everything. On earth, precisely on this earth (Pierre pointed into the field), there is no truth - everything is lies and evil; but in the world, in the whole world, there is a kingdom of truth and we are now children of the earth, and forever - children of the whole world. Do I not feel in my soul that I am part of this vast, harmonious whole? Don’t I feel that in this countless number of beings in which the deity is manifested, the highest power, whatever you want, that I constitute one link, one step from lower beings to higher ones? If I see, clearly see this staircase that leads from a plant to a person, then why should I assume that this staircase, which I do not see the end of below, is lost in the plants. Why should I assume that this ladder stops with me, and does not lead further and further to higher beings? I feel that not only can I not disappear, just as nothing disappears in the world, but that I will always be and always have been. I feel that besides me, spirits live above me and that there is truth in this world.

“Yes, this is Herder’s teaching,” said Prince Andrei, “but that’s not what convinces me, my soul, but life and death, that’s what convinces me.” What is convincing is that you see a being dear to you, who is connected with you, before whom you were guilty and hoped to justify yourself (Prince Andrei’s voice trembled and turned away), and suddenly this being suffers, is tormented and ceases to be... Why? It cannot be that there is no answer! And I believe that he exists... That’s what convinces, that’s what convinced me,” said Prince Andrei.

“Well, yes, well,” said Pierre, “isn’t that what I’m saying too!”

- No. I’m only saying that it’s not arguments that convince you of the need for a future life, but when you walk in life hand in hand with a person, and suddenly this person disappears out there into nowhere, and you yourself stop in front of this abyss and look into it. And I looked...

- Well, then! Do you know what is there and that there is someone? There is a future life there. There is someone - God.

Prince Andrei did not answer. The carriage and horses had long been taken to the other side and laid down, and the sun had already disappeared halfway and the evening frost covered the puddles near the ferry with stars, and Pierre and Andrey, to the surprise of the footmen, coachmen and carriers, were still standing on the ferry and talking.

- If there is God and there is a future life, then there is truth, there is virtue; and man's highest happiness consists in striving to achieve them. We must live, we must love, we must believe, said Pierre, that we do not live now only on this piece of land, but have lived and will live forever there, in everything (he pointed to the sky). “Prince Andrey stood, leaning on the ferry railing, and, listening to Pierre, without taking his eyes off, looked at the red reflection of the sun on the blue flood. Pierre fell silent. It was completely silent. The ferry had landed long ago, and only the waves of the current hit the bottom of the ferry with a faint sound. It seemed to Prince Andrei that this rinsing of the waves was saying to Pierre’s words: “It’s true, believe it.”

Prince Andrei sighed and with a radiant, childish, tender gaze looked into Pierre’s flushed, enthusiastic, but still timid face in front of his superior friend.

- Yes, if only it were so! - he said. “However, let’s go sit down,” added Prince Andrey, and, getting off the ferry, he looked at the sky that Pierre pointed out to him, and for the first time after Austerlitz he saw that high, eternal sky that he had seen while lying on the Field of Austerlitz, and something that had long fallen asleep, something better that was in him, suddenly woke up joyfully and youthfully in his soul. This feeling disappeared as soon as Prince Andrei returned to the usual conditions of life, but he knew that this feeling, which he did not know how to develop, lived in him. The meeting with Pierre was for Prince Andrei the era from which, although in appearance the same, but in the inner world, his new life began.

Volume 2 part 3

(The life of Prince Andrei in the village, transformations on his estates. 1807-1809)

Prince Andrei lived in the village for two years without a break. All those enterprises on estates that Pierre started and did not bring to any result, constantly moving from one thing to another, all these enterprises, without expressing them to anyone and without noticeable labor, were carried out by Prince Andrei.

He had, to a high degree, that practical tenacity that Pierre lacked, which, without scope or effort on his part, set things in motion.

One of his estates of three hundred peasant souls was transferred to free cultivators (this was one of the first examples in Russia); in others, corvee was replaced by quitrent. In Bogucharovo, a learned grandmother was written out to his account to help mothers in labor, and for a salary the priest taught the children of peasants and courtyard servants to read and write.

Prince Andrei spent one half of his time in Bald Mountains with his father and son, who was still with the nannies; the other half of the time in the Bogucharov monastery, as his father called his village. Despite the indifference he showed Pierre to all external events of the world, he diligently followed them, received many books and, to his surprise, noticed when fresh people came to him or his father from St. Petersburg, from the very whirlpool of life, that these people in knowledge of everything that is happening in foreign and domestic policy, they are far behind him, who sits in the village all the time.

In addition to classes on names, in addition to general reading of a wide variety of books, Prince Andrei was at this time engaged in a critical analysis of our last two unfortunate campaigns and drawing up a project to change our military regulations and regulations.

(Description of an old oak tree)

There was an oak tree on the edge of the road. Probably ten times older than the birches that made up the forest, it was ten times thicker and twice as tall as each birch. It was a huge oak tree, two girths wide, with branches that had been broken off for a long time and with broken bark overgrown with old sores. With his huge, clumsy, asymmetrically splayed, gnarled hands and fingers, he stood like an old, angry and contemptuous freak between the smiling birch trees. Only he alone did not want to submit to the charm of spring and did not want to see either spring or the sun.
“Spring, and love, and happiness!” - as if this oak tree was saying, - “and how can you not get tired of the same stupid and senseless deception. Everything is the same, and everything is a lie! There is no spring, no sun, no happiness. Look, there are the crushed dead spruce trees sitting, always the same, and there I am, spreading out my broken, skinned fingers, wherever they grew - from the back, from the sides; As we grew up, I still stand, and I don’t believe your hopes and deceptions.”
Prince Andrei looked back at this oak tree several times while driving through the forest, as if he was expecting something from it. There were flowers and grass under the oak tree, but he still stood in the midst of them, frowning, motionless, ugly and stubborn.
“Yes, he is right, this oak tree is right a thousand times,” thought Prince Andrei, let others, young people, again succumb to this deception, but we know life, our life is over! A whole new series of hopeless, but sadly pleasant thoughts in connection with this oak tree arose in the soul of Prince Andrei. During this journey, he seemed to think over his whole life again, and came to the same old reassuring and hopeless conclusion that he did not need to start anything, that he should live out his life without doing evil, without worrying and without wanting anything.

(Spring 1809. Bolkonsky’s business trip to Otradnoye to see Count Rostov. First meeting with Natasha)

On guardianship matters of the Ryazan estate, Prince Andrei had to see the district leader. The leader was Count Ilya Andreevich Rostov, and Prince Andrei went to see him in mid-May.

It was already a hot period of spring. The forest was already completely dressed, there was dust and it was so hot that, driving past the water, I wanted to swim.

Prince Andrei, gloomy and preoccupied with considerations about what and what he needed to ask the leader about matters, drove up the garden alley to the Rostovs’ Otradnensky house. To the right, from behind the trees, he heard a woman's cheerful cry and saw a crowd of girls running across his stroller. Ahead of the others, closer, a black-haired, very thin, strangely thin, black-eyed girl in a yellow chintz dress, tied with a white handkerchief, was running up to the carriage, from under which strands of combed hair were sticking out. The girl shouted something, but, recognizing the stranger, without looking at him, she ran back laughing.

Prince Andrey suddenly felt pain for some reason. The day was so good, the sun was so bright, everything was so cheerful; and this thin and pretty girl did not know and did not want to know about his existence and was content and happy with some kind of separate - probably stupid - but cheerful and happy life. “Why is she so happy? What is she thinking about? Not about the military regulations, not about the structure of the Ryazan quitrents. What is she thinking about? And what makes her happy?” - Prince Andrei involuntarily asked himself with curiosity.

Count Ilya Andreich in 1809 lived in Otradnoye in the same way as before, that is, hosting almost the entire province, with hunts, theaters, dinners and musicians. He, like any new guest, visited Prince Andrei once and almost forcibly left him to spend the night.

During the boring day, during which Prince Andrei was occupied by the senior hosts and the most honorable of the guests, with whom the old count’s house was full on the occasion of the approaching name day, Bolkonsky, glancing several times at Natasha, who was laughing at something, having fun among the other, young half of the company, I kept asking myself: “What is she thinking about? Why is she so happy?

In the evening, left alone in a new place, he could not fall asleep for a long time. He read, then put out the candle and lit it again. It was hot in the room with the shutters closed from the inside. He was annoyed with this stupid old man (as he called Rostov), ​​who detained him, assuring him that the necessary papers in the city had not yet been delivered, and he was annoyed with himself for staying.

Prince Andrei stood up and went to the window to open it. As soon as he opened the shutters, moonlight, as if he had been on guard at the window for a long time waiting for it, rushed into the room. He opened the window. The night was fresh and stillly bright. Just in front of the window there was a row of trimmed trees, black on one side and silver-lit on the other. Under the trees there was some kind of lush, wet, curly vegetation with silvery leaves and stems here and there. Further behind the black trees there was some kind of roof shining with dew, to the right a large curly tree with a bright white trunk and branches, and above it an almost full moon in a bright, almost starless spring sky. Prince Andrei leaned his elbows on the window, and his eyes stopped at this sky.

Prince Andrei's room was on the middle floor; They also lived in the rooms above it and did not sleep. He heard a woman talking from above.

“Just one more time,” said a female voice from above, which Prince Andrei now recognized.

- When will you sleep? - answered another voice.

- I won’t, I can’t sleep, what should I do! Well, last time...

- Oh, how lovely! Well, now go to sleep and that's the end.

“You sleep, but I can’t,” answered the first voice approaching the window. She apparently leaned completely out of the window, because the rustling of her dress and even her breathing could be heard. Everything became silent and petrified, like the moon and its light and shadows. Prince Andrei was also afraid to move, so as not to betray his involuntary presence.

Sonya reluctantly answered something.

- No, look what a moon it is!.. Oh, how lovely! Come here. Darling, my dear, come here. Well, do you see? So I would squat down, like this, grab myself under the knees - tighter, as tight as possible, you have to strain - and fly. Like this!

- Come on, you'll fall.

- It's two o'clock.

- Oh, you're just ruining everything for me. Well, go, go.

Again everything fell silent, but Prince Andrei knew that she was still sitting here, he sometimes heard quiet movements, sometimes sighs.

- Oh my god! My God! What is it! - she suddenly screamed. - Sleep like that! - and slammed the window.

“And they don’t care about my existence!” - thought Prince Andrei as he listened to her conversation, for some reason expecting and fearing that she would say something about him. “And there she is again! And how on purpose!” - he thought. In his soul suddenly arose such an unexpected confusion of young thoughts and hopes, contradicting his whole life, that he, feeling unable to understand his condition, immediately fell asleep.

(Renewed old oak. Bolkonsky’s thoughts that life is not over at 31)

The next day, having said goodbye to only one count, without waiting for the ladies to leave, Prince Andrei went home.

It was already the beginning of June when Prince Andrei, returning home, again drove into that birch grove in which this old, gnarled oak had struck him so strangely and memorably. The bells rang even more muffled in the forest than a month ago; everything was full, shady and dense; and the young spruces, scattered throughout the forest, did not disturb the overall beauty and, imitating the general character, were tenderly green with fluffy young shoots.

It was hot all day, a thunderstorm was gathering somewhere, but only a small cloud splashed on the dust of the road and on the succulent leaves. The left side of the forest was dark, in shadow; the right one, wet, glossy, glistened in the sun, slightly swaying in the wind. Everything was in bloom; the nightingales chattered and rolled, now close, now far away.

“Yes, here, in this forest, there was this oak tree with which we agreed,” thought Prince Andrei. - Where is he? “- Prince Andrei thought again, looking at the left side of the road and, without knowing it, without recognizing him, admired the oak tree that he was looking for. The old oak tree, completely transformed, spread out like a tent of lush, dark greenery, swayed slightly, swaying slightly in the rays of the evening sun. No gnarled fingers, no sores, no old grief and mistrust - nothing was visible. Juicy, young leaves broke through the hundred-year-old hard bark without knots, so it was impossible to believe that it was the old man who produced them. “Yes, this is the same oak tree,” thought Prince Andrei, and suddenly an unreasonable spring feeling of joy and renewal came over him. All the best moments of his life suddenly came back to him at the same time. And Austerlitz with the high sky, and the dead, reproachful face of his wife, and Pierre on the ferry, and the girl excited by the beauty of the night, and this night, and the moon - and all this suddenly came to his mind.

“No, life is not over even for thirty-one years,” Prince Andrei suddenly finally and irrevocably decided. “Not only do I know everything that is in me, it is necessary for everyone to know it: both Pierre and this girl who wanted to fly into the sky, it is necessary for everyone to know me, so that my life is not just for me.” life, so that they don’t live like this girl, regardless of my life, so that it affects everyone and so that they all live with me!”

Returning from his trip, Prince Andrei decided to go to St. Petersburg in the fall and came up with various reasons for this decision. A whole series of reasonable, logical arguments why he needed to go to St. Petersburg and even serve were ready at his service every minute. Even now he did not understand how he could ever doubt the need to take an active part in life, just as a month ago he did not understand how the thought of leaving the village could have occurred to him. It seemed clear to him that all his experiences in life would have been in vain and would have been meaningless if he had not applied them to action and taken an active part in life again. He did not even understand how, on the basis of the same poor reasonable arguments, it had previously been obvious that he would have humiliated himself if now, after his life lessons, he again believed in the possibility of being useful and in the possibility of happiness and love. Now my mind suggested something completely different. After this trip, Prince Andrei began to get bored in the village, his previous activities did not interest him, and often, sitting alone in his office, he got up, went to the mirror and looked at his face for a long time. Then he would turn away and look at the portrait of the deceased Lisa, who, with her curls whipped up a la grecque, tenderly and cheerfully looked at him from the golden frame. She no longer spoke the same terrible words to her husband; she simply and cheerfully looked at him with curiosity. And Prince Andrei, clasping his hands back, walked around the room for a long time, now frowning, now smiling, reconsidering those unreasonable, inexpressible in words, secret as a crime thoughts associated with Pierre, with fame, with the girl on the window, with the oak tree, with female beauty and love that changed his whole life. And at these moments, when someone came to him, he was especially dry, strictly decisive and especially unpleasantly logical.

(Prince Andrei arrives in St. Petersburg. Bolkonsky’s reputation in society)

Prince Andrei was in one of the most favorable positions to be well received into all the most diverse and highest circles of the then St. Petersburg society. The Party of Reformers cordially received and lured him, firstly, because he had a reputation for intelligence and great reading, and secondly, because by his release of the peasants he had already made himself a reputation as a liberal. The party of dissatisfied old men, just like their father’s son, turned to him for sympathy, condemning the reforms. Women's society and the world welcomed him cordially, because he was a groom, rich and noble, and almost a new face with the aura of a romantic story about his imaginary death and the tragic death of his wife. In addition, the general voice about him from everyone who knew him before was that he had changed a lot for the better in these five years, had softened and matured, that there was no former pretense, pride and mockery in him and that there was that calmness that is acquired for years. They started talking about him, they were interested in him, and everyone wanted to see him.

(Bolkonsky’s attitude towards Speransky)

Speransky, both on his first meeting with him at Kochubey’s, and then in the middle of the house, where Speransky, face to face, having received Bolkonsky, spoke with him for a long time and trustingly, made a strong impression on Prince Andrei.

Prince Andrei considered such a huge number of people to be despicable and insignificant creatures, he so wanted to find in another the living ideal of the perfection for which he was striving, that he easily believed that in Speransky he found this ideal of a completely reasonable and virtuous person. If Speransky had been from the same society from which Prince Andrei was, the same upbringing and moral habits, then Bolkonsky would soon have found his weak, human, non-heroic sides, but now this logical mindset, strange to him, inspired him with respect all the more that he did not quite understand it. In addition, Speransky, either because he appreciated the abilities of Prince Andrei, or because he found it necessary to acquire him for himself, Speransky flirted with Prince Andrei with his impartial, calm mind and flattered Prince Andrei with that subtle flattery combined with arrogance, which consists in silent recognition of his interlocutor with himself as the only person capable of understanding all the stupidity of everyone else, the rationality and depth of his thoughts.

During their long conversation on Wednesday evening, Speransky said more than once: “We look at everything that comes out of the general level of inveterate habit...” - or with a smile: “But we want the wolves to be fed and the sheep safe. ..” - or: “They can’t understand this...” - and all with an expression that said: “We, you and I, we understand what they are and who we are.”

This first long conversation with Speransky only strengthened in Prince Andrei the feeling with which he saw Speransky for the first time. He saw in him a reasonable, strictly thinking, enormously intelligent man who had achieved power with energy and perseverance and used it only for the good of Russia. Speransky, in the eyes of Prince Andrei, was precisely that person who rationally explains all the phenomena of life, recognizes as valid only what is reasonable, and knows how to apply to everything the standard of rationality, which he himself so wanted to be. Everything seemed so simple and clear in Speransky’s presentation that Prince Andrei involuntarily agreed with him in everything. If he objected and argued, it was only because he deliberately wanted to be independent and not completely submit to Speransky’s opinions. Everything was so, everything was good, but one thing embarrassed Prince Andrei: it was Speransky’s cold, mirror-like gaze, which did not let into his soul, and his white, tender hand, which Prince Andrei involuntarily looked at, as they usually look at people’s hands, having power. For some reason, this mirror look and gentle hand irritated Prince Andrei. Prince Andrei was unpleasantly struck by the too much contempt for people that he noticed in Speransky, and the variety of methods in the evidence that he cited to support his opinion. He used all possible instruments of thought, excluding comparisons, and too boldly, as it seemed to Prince Andrei, he moved from one to another. Either he became a practical activist and condemned dreamers, then he became a satirist and ironically laughed at his opponents, then he became strictly logical, then he suddenly rose into the realm of metaphysics. (He used this last tool of evidence especially often.) He transferred the question to metaphysical heights, moved into the definitions of space, time, thought, and, making refutations from there, again descended to the ground of dispute.

In general, the main feature of Speransky’s mind that struck Prince Andrei was an undoubted, unshakable belief in the power and legitimacy of the mind. It was obvious that Speransky could never come up with that usual thought for Prince Andrei, that it was impossible to express everything that you thought, and the doubt never occurred to him that all that I was thinking was not nonsense, and everything that I believe in? And it was this special mindset of Speransky that most of all attracted Prince Andrei.

During the first time of his acquaintance with Speransky, Prince Andrei had a passionate feeling of admiration for him, similar to the one he once felt for Bonaparte. The fact that Speransky was the son of a priest, whom stupid people could, as many did, despise as a party boy and priest, forced Prince Andrei to be especially careful with his feelings for Speransky and unconsciously strengthen it in himself.

On that first evening that Bolkonsky spent with him, talking about the commission for drafting laws, Speransky ironically told Prince Andrei that the commission of laws had existed for one hundred and fifty years, cost millions and had done nothing, that Rosenkampf had stuck labels on all articles of comparative legislation .

“And that’s all the state paid millions for!” - he said. “We want to give new judicial power to the Senate, but we have no laws.” That’s why it’s a sin not to serve people like you, prince, now.

Prince Andrei said that this requires a legal education, which he does not have.

- Yes, no one has it, so what do you want? This is a circulus viciosus (vicious circle), from which one must force oneself out.

A week later, Prince Andrei was a member of the commission for drawing up military regulations and, which he did not expect, the head of the department of the commission for drawing up laws. At the request of Speransky, he took the first part of the civil code being compiled and, with the help of the Code Napoleon and Justiniani (Napoleonic Code and Justinian Code), worked on compiling the section: Rights of Persons.

(December 31, 1809. Ball at Catherine’s nobleman. New meeting of Bolkonsky and Natasha Rostova)

Natasha looked with joy at the familiar face of Pierre, this pea jester, as Peronskaya called him, and knew that Pierre was looking for them, and especially her, in the crowd. Pierre promised her to be at the ball and introduce her to the gentlemen.

But, before reaching them, Bezukhov stopped next to a short, very handsome brunette in a white uniform, who, standing at the window, was talking with some tall man in stars and ribbon. Natasha immediately recognized the short young man in a white uniform: it was Bolkonsky, who seemed to her very rejuvenated, cheerful and prettier.

- Here’s another friend, Bolkonsky, do you see, mom? - Natasha said, pointing to Prince Andrei. - Remember, he spent the night with us in Otradnoye.

- Oh, do you know him? - said Peronskaya. - Hate. Il fait à présent la pluie et le beau temps (Now everyone is crazy about him.). And such pride that there are no boundaries! I followed my daddy's lead. And I contacted Speransky, they are writing some projects. Look how the ladies are treated! “She’s talking to him, but he’s turned away,” she said, pointing at him. “I would have beaten him if he had treated me the way he treated these ladies.”

Prince Andrei, in his white colonel's uniform (cavalry), in stockings and shoes, lively and cheerful, stood in the front rows of the circle, not far from the Rostovs. Baron Firgof spoke with him about tomorrow's supposed first meeting of the State Council. Prince Andrei, as a person close to Speransky and participating in the work of the legislative commission, could give correct information about the meeting tomorrow, about which there were various rumors. But he did not listen to what Firgof told him, and looked first at the sovereign, then at the gentlemen who were getting ready to dance, who did not dare to join the circle.

Prince Andrei observed these gentlemen and ladies timid in the presence of the sovereign, dying with desire to be invited.

Pierre walked up to Prince Andrei and grabbed his hand.

- You are always dancing. There is my protégée here, young Rostova, invite her,” he said.

- Where? - asked Bolkonsky. “Sorry,” he said, turning to the baron, “we’ll finish this conversation somewhere else, but we have to dance at the ball.” “He stepped forward in the direction that Pierre pointed out to him. Natasha’s desperate, frozen face caught the eye of Prince Andrei. He recognized her, guessed her feeling, realized that she was a beginner, remembered her conversation at the window and with a cheerful expression on his face approached Countess Rostova.

“Let me introduce you to my daughter,” said the countess, blushing.

“I have the pleasure of being an acquaintance, if the countess remembers me,” said Prince Andrei with a polite and low bow, completely contradicting Peronskaya’s remarks about his rudeness, approaching Natasha and raising his hand to hug her waist even before he finished the invitation to dance. . He offered her a waltz tour. That frozen expression on Natasha’s face, ready for despair and delight, suddenly lit up with a happy, grateful, childish smile.

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time,” this frightened and happy girl seemed to say with her smile that shone through her ready tears, raising her hand to Prince Andrei’s shoulder. They were the second couple to enter the circle. Prince Andrey was one of the best dancers of his time. Natasha danced superbly. Her feet in ballroom satin shoes quickly, easily and independently of her did their job, and her face shone with the delight of happiness. Her bare neck and arms were thin and ugly in comparison with Helen's shoulders. Her shoulders were thin, her breasts were vague, her arms were thin; but Helen already seemed to have a varnish on from all the thousands of glances sliding over her body, and Natasha seemed like a girl who had been exposed for the first time and who would have been very ashamed of it if she had not been assured that it was so necessary.

Prince Andrei loved to dance and, wanting to quickly get rid of the political and intelligent conversations with which everyone turned to him, and wanting to quickly break this annoying circle of embarrassment formed by the presence of the sovereign, he went to dance and chose Natasha, because Pierre pointed her out to him and because she was the first of the pretty women to come into his sight; but as soon as he embraced this thin, mobile, trembling figure and she moved so close to him and smiled so close to him, the wine of her charm went to his head: he felt revived and rejuvenated when, catching his breath and leaving her, he stopped and began to look at the dancers.

After Prince Andrei, Boris approached Natasha, inviting her to dance, and the adjutant dancer who started the ball, and more young people, and Natasha, handing over her excess gentlemen to Sonya, happy and flushed, did not stop dancing the whole evening. She did not notice anything and did not see anything that occupied everyone at this ball. She not only did not notice how the sovereign spoke for a long time with the French envoy, how he spoke especially graciously to such and such a lady, how prince such and such did and said this, how Helen was a great success and received special attention such and such; she did not even see the sovereign and noticed that he had left only because after his departure the ball became more lively. One of the merry cotillions, before dinner, Prince Andrei danced with Natasha again. He reminded her of their first date in the Otradnensky alley and how she could not sleep on a moonlit night and how he involuntarily heard her. Natasha blushed at this reminder and tried to justify herself, as if there was something shameful in the feeling in which Prince Andrei involuntarily overheard her.

Prince Andrei, like all people who grew up in the world, loved to meet in the world that which did not have a common secular imprint on it. And such was Natasha, with her surprise, joy, and timidity, and even mistakes in the French language. He treated and spoke to her especially tenderly and carefully. Sitting next to her, talking with her about the simplest and most insignificant subjects, Prince Andrei admired the joyful sparkle of her eyes and smile, which did not relate to the words spoken, but to her inner happiness. While Natasha was being chosen and she stood up with a smile and danced around the hall, Prince Andrei especially admired her timid grace. In the middle of the cotillion, Natasha, having completed her figure, still breathing heavily, approached her place. The new gentleman invited her again. She was tired and out of breath and, apparently, thought about refusing, but immediately again cheerfully raised her hand on the gentleman’s shoulder and smiled at Prince Andrey.

“I would be glad to rest and sit with you, I’m tired; but you see how they choose me, and I’m glad about it, and I’m happy, and I love everyone, and you and I understand all this,” and this smile said much, much more. When the gentleman left her, Natasha ran across the hall to take two ladies for the figures.

“If she approaches her cousin first, and then another lady, then she will be my wife,” Prince Andrei said to himself quite unexpectedly, looking at her. She approached her cousin first.

“What nonsense sometimes comes to mind! - thought Prince Andrei. “But the only thing that is true is that this girl is so sweet, so special, that she won’t dance here for a month and get married... This is a rarity here,” he thought when Natasha, straightening the rose that had fallen back from her bodice, sat down next to him.

At the end of the cotillion, the old count approached the dancers in his blue tailcoat. He invited Prince Andrei to his place and asked his daughter if she was having fun? Natasha did not answer and only smiled a smile that reproachfully said: “How could you ask about this?”

- More fun than ever in my life! - she said, and Prince Andrei noticed how quickly her thin arms rose to hug her father, and immediately fell. Natasha was as happy as she had never been in her life. She was at that highest level of happiness when a person becomes completely kind and good and does not believe in the possibility of evil, misfortune and grief.

(Bolkonsky visiting the Rostovs. New feelings and new plans for the future)

Prince Andrei felt in Natasha the presence of a completely alien to him, special world, filled with some unknown joys, that alien world that even then, in the Otradnensky alley and on the window on a moonlit night, teased him so much. Now this world no longer teased him, it was no longer an alien world; but he himself, having entered it, found in it a new pleasure for himself.

After dinner, Natasha, at the request of Prince Andrei, went to the clavichord and began to sing. Prince Andrei stood at the window, talking with the ladies, and listened to her. In the middle of the sentence, Prince Andrei fell silent and suddenly felt tears coming to his throat, the possibility of which he did not know was within himself. He looked at Natasha singing, and something new and happy happened in his soul. He was happy, and at the same time he was sad. He had absolutely nothing to cry about, but was he ready to cry? About what? About former love? About the little princess? About your disappointments?.. About your hopes for the future? Yes and no. The main thing he wanted to cry about was the terrible contrast he suddenly became acutely aware of between something infinitely great and indefinable that was within him, and something narrow and corporeal that he himself was and even she was. This contrast tormented and delighted him while she sang.

Prince Andrei left the Rostovs late in the evening. He went to bed out of habit, but soon saw that he could not sleep. Having lit a candle, he sat in bed, then got up, then lay down again, not at all burdened by insomnia: his soul was so joyful and new, as if he had stepped out of a stuffy room into the free light of God. It never occurred to him that he was in love with Rostova; he didn't think about her; he only imagined her, and as a result his whole life seemed to him in a new light. “What am I fighting for, why am I fussing in this narrow, closed frame, when life, all life with all its joys, is open to me?” - he said to himself. And for the first time after a long time, he began to make happy plans for the future. He decided on his own that he needed to start raising his son, finding him a teacher and entrusting him with it; then you have to retire and go abroad, see England, Switzerland, Italy. “I need to use my freedom while I feel so much strength and youth in myself,” he said to himself. - Pierre was right when he said that you need to believe in the possibility of happiness in order to be happy, and now I believe in him. Let’s leave the dead to bury the dead, but while you’re alive, you must live and be happy,” he thought.

(Bolkonsky tells Pierre about his love for Natasha Rostova)

Prince Andrei, with a radiant, enthusiastic face and renewed life, stopped in front of Pierre and, not noticing his sad face, smiled at him with the egoism of happiness.
“Well, my soul,” he said, “yesterday I wanted to tell you and today I came to you for this.” I've never experienced anything like it. I'm in love, my friend.
Pierre suddenly sighed heavily and collapsed with his heavy body on the sofa next to Prince Andrei.
- To Natasha Rostova, right? - he said.
- Yes, yes, who? I would never believe it, but this feeling is stronger than me. Yesterday I suffered, I suffered, but I wouldn’t give up this torment for anything in the world. I haven't lived before. Now only I live, but I cannot live without her. But can she love me?.. I'm too old for her... What aren't you saying?..
- I? I? “What did I tell you,” Pierre suddenly said, getting up and starting to walk around the room. - I always thought that... This girl is such a treasure, such... This is a rare girl... Dear friend, I ask you, don’t get smart, don’t doubt, get married, get married and get married... And I’m sure that There will be no happier person than you.
- But she?
- She loves you.
“Don’t talk nonsense...” said Prince Andrei, smiling and looking into Pierre’s eyes.
“He loves me, I know,” Pierre shouted angrily.
“No, listen,” said Prince Andrei, stopping him by the hand.
- Do you know what situation I'm in? I need to tell everything to someone.
“Well, well, say, I’m very glad,” said Pierre, and indeed his face changed, the wrinkles smoothed out, and he joyfully listened to Prince Andrei. Prince Andrei seemed and was a completely different, new person. Where was his melancholy, his contempt for life, his disappointment? Pierre was the only person to whom he dared to speak; but for that he already expressed to him everything that was in his soul. Either he easily and boldly made plans for a long future, talked about how he could not sacrifice his happiness for the whim of his father, how he would force his father to agree to this marriage and love her or do without his consent, then he was surprised how something strange, alien, independent of him, influenced by the feeling that possessed him.
“I wouldn’t believe anyone who told me that I could love like that,” said Prince Andrei. “This is not at all the feeling that I had before.” The whole world is divided for me into two halves: one is she, and there is all the happiness, hope, light; the other half is everything where she is not there, there is all despondency and darkness...
“Darkness and gloom,” Pierre repeated, “yes, yes, I understand that.”
- I can’t help but love the world, it’s not my fault. And I'm very happy. You understand me? I know you're happy for me.
“Yes, yes,” Pierre confirmed, looking at his friend with tender and sad eyes. The brighter the fate of Prince Andrei seemed to him, the darker his own seemed.

(Relationship between Andrei Bolkonsky and Natasha Rostova after the marriage proposal)

There was no engagement and Bolkonsky’s engagement to Natasha was not announced to anyone; Prince Andrei insisted on this. He said that since he was the cause of the delay, he must bear the entire burden of it. He said that he was forever bound by his word, but that he did not want to bind Natasha and gave her complete freedom. If after six months she feels that she does not love him, she will be within her right if she refuses him. It goes without saying that neither the parents nor Natasha wanted to hear about it; but Prince Andrei insisted on his own. Prince Andrei visited the Rostovs every day, but did not treat Natasha like a groom: he told her you and only kissed her hand. After the day of the proposal, a completely different, close, simple relationship was established between Prince Andrei and Natasha. It was as if they didn't know each other until now. Both he and she loved to remember how they looked at each other when they were still nothing; now both of them felt like completely different creatures: then feigned, now simple and sincere.

The old count sometimes approached Prince Andrei, kissed him, and asked him for advice on the upbringing of Petya or the service of Nicholas. The old countess sighed as she looked at them. Sonya was afraid at every moment of being superfluous and tried to find excuses to leave them alone when they didn’t need it. When Prince Andrei spoke (he spoke very well), Natasha listened to him with pride; when she spoke, she noticed with fear and joy that he was looking at her carefully and searchingly. She asked herself in bewilderment: “What is he looking for in me? He is trying to achieve something with his gaze! What if there is not in me what he is looking for with this look?” Sometimes she entered into her characteristic insanely cheerful mood, and then she especially loved to listen and watch how Prince Andrei laughed. He rarely laughed, but when he laughed, he gave himself entirely to his laughter, and every time after this laugh she felt closer to him. Natasha would have been completely happy if the thought of the impending and approaching separation did not frighten her, since he too turned pale and cold at the mere thought of it.

(From a letter from Princess Marya to Julie Karagina)

“Our family life continues as before, with the exception of the presence of brother Andrei. He, as I already wrote to you, has changed a lot lately. After his grief, only this year has he completely morally come to life. He became the same as I knew him as a child: kind, gentle, with that golden heart that I know no equal to. He realized, it seems to me, that life is not over for him. But along with this moral change, he physically became very weak. He became thinner than before, more nervous. I am afraid for him and am glad that he took this trip abroad, which doctors have long prescribed for him. I hope this fixes it. You write to me that in St. Petersburg they talk about him as one of the most active, educated and intelligent young people. Sorry for the pride of kinship - I never doubted it. It is impossible to count the good that he did here to everyone, from his peasants to the nobles. Arriving in St. Petersburg, he took only what he should have.”

Volume 3 part 2

(Conversation between Bolkonsky and Bezukhov about Natasha Rostova after the incident with Prince Kuragin. Andrei cannot forgive Natasha)

“Forgive me if I’m bothering you...” Pierre realized that Prince Andrei wanted to talk about Natasha, and his broad face expressed regret and sympathy. This expression on Pierre's face angered Prince Andrei; he continued decisively, loudly and unpleasantly: “I received a refusal from Countess Rostova, and I heard rumors about your brother-in-law seeking her hand or the like.” Is it true?
“It’s true and it’s not true,” Pierre began; but Prince Andrei interrupted him.
“Here are her letters,” he said, “and a portrait.” “He took the bundle from the table and handed it to Pierre.
- Give it to the Countess... if you see her.
“She is very sick,” said Pierre.
- So she's still here? - said Prince Andrei. - And Prince Kuragin? - he asked quickly.
- He left a long time ago. She was dying...
“I’m very sorry about her illness,” said Prince Andrei. He grinned coldly, evilly, unpleasantly, like his father.
“But Mr. Kuragin, therefore, did not deign to give Countess Rostov his hand?” - said Andrey. — He snorted several times.
“He couldn’t get married because he was married,” said Pierre.
Prince Andrei laughed unpleasantly, again resembling his father.
- Where is he now, your brother-in-law, may I know? - he said.
“He went to Peter... however, I don’t know,” said Pierre.
“Well, it’s all the same,” said Prince Andrei. “Tell Countess Rostova that she was and is completely free and that I wish her all the best.”
Pierre picked up a bunch of papers. Prince Andrei, as if remembering whether he needed to say something else, or waiting to see if Pierre would say something, looked at him with a fixed gaze.
“Listen, you remember our argument in St. Petersburg,” said Pierre, “remember about...
“I remember,” Prince Andrei hastily answered, “I said that a fallen woman must be forgiven, but I did not say that I can forgive.” I can't.
“Is it possible to compare this?..” said Pierre. Prince Andrei interrupted him. He shouted sharply:
- Yes, asking for her hand again, being generous and the like?.. Yes, this is very noble, but I am not able to follow sur les brisées de monsieur (in the footsteps of this gentleman). If you want to be my friend, don't ever talk to me about this... about all this. Well, goodbye.

(Conversation between Bolkonsky and Bezukhov about war, victory and loss in battle)

Pierre looked at him in surprise.
“However,” he said, “they say that war is like a chess game.”
“Yes,” said Prince Andrei, “only with this small difference that in chess you can think about every step as much as you want, that you are there outside the conditions of time, and with this difference that a knight is always stronger than a pawn and two pawns are always stronger.” one, and in war one battalion is sometimes stronger than a division, and sometimes weaker than a company. The relative strength of the troops cannot be known to anyone. Believe me,” he said, “if anything depended on the orders of the headquarters, then I would be there and give orders, but instead I have the honor of serving here, in the regiment, with these gentlemen, and I believe that from us tomorrow will indeed depend, and not on them... Success has never depended and will not depend either on position, or on weapons, or even on numbers; and least of all from the position.
- And from what?
“From the feeling that is in me, in him,” he pointed to Timokhin, “in every soldier.”

- The battle will be won by the one who is determined to win it. Why did we lose the battle at Austerlitz? Our loss was almost equal to the French, but we told ourselves very early that we had lost the battle - and we lost. And we said this because we had no need to fight there: we wanted to leave the battlefield as quickly as possible. “If you lose, then run away!” - we ran. If we hadn’t said this until the evening, God knows what would have happened.

(Andrei Bolkonsky’s opinion about the war in a conversation with Pierre Bezukhov on the eve of the Battle of Borodino)

War is not a courtesy, but the most disgusting thing in life, and we must understand this and not play at war. We must take this terrible necessity strictly and seriously. That's all there is to it: throw away the lies, and war is war, not a toy. Otherwise, war is the favorite pastime of idle and frivolous people... The military class is the most honorable. What is war, what is needed for success in military affairs, what are the morals of military society? The purpose of war is murder, the weapons of war are espionage, treason and its encouragement, the ruin of the inhabitants, their robbery or theft to feed the army; deception and lies, called stratagems; the morals of the military class - lack of freedom, that is, discipline, idleness, ignorance, cruelty, debauchery, drunkenness. And despite this, this is the highest class, respected by everyone. All kings, except the Chinese, wear a military uniform, and the one who killed the most people is given a large reward... They will come together, like tomorrow, to kill each other, kill, maim tens of thousands of people, and then they will serve thanksgiving services for that they beat many people (whose number is still being added), and they proclaim victory, believing that the more people are beaten, the greater the merit.

(About love and compassion)

In the unfortunate, sobbing, exhausted man, whose leg had just been taken away, he recognized Anatoly Kuragin. They held Anatole in their arms and offered him water in a glass, the edge of which he could not catch with his trembling, swollen lips. Anatole was sobbing heavily. “Yes, it’s him; “Yes, this man is somehow closely and deeply connected with me,” thought Prince Andrei, not yet clearly understanding what was in front of him. “What is this person’s connection with my childhood, with my life?” - he asked himself, not finding an answer. And suddenly a new, unexpected memory from the world of childhood, pure and loving, presented itself to Prince Andrei. He remembered Natasha as he saw her for the first time at the ball in 1810, with a thin neck and thin arms, with a frightened, happy face ready for delight, and love and tenderness for her, even more vivid and stronger than ever , woke up in his soul. He now remembered this connection that existed between him and this man, who, through tears filling his swollen eyes, looked dully at him. Prince Andrei remembered everything, and enthusiastic pity and love for this man filled his happy heart.
Prince Andrei could no longer hold on and began to cry tender, loving tears over people, over himself and over them and his delusions.
“Compassion, love for brothers, for those who love, love for those who hate us, love for enemies - yes, that love that God preached on earth, which Princess Mary taught me and which I did not understand; That’s why I felt sorry for life, that’s what was still left for me if I were alive. But now it's too late. I know it!"

Volume 3 part 3

(Oh happiness)

“Yes, I discovered a new happiness that is inherent in a person.<…>Happiness that is outside of material forces, outside of material external influences on a person, the happiness of one soul, the happiness of love! Every person can understand it, but only God could recognize and prescribe it.”

(About love and hate)

“Yes, love (he thought again with perfect clarity), but not the love that loves for something, for something or for some reason, but the love that I experienced for the first time, when, dying, I saw his enemy and still loved him. I experienced that feeling of love, which is the very essence of the soul and for which no object is needed. I still experience this blissful feeling. Love your neighbors, love your enemies. To love everything is to love God in all manifestations. You can love a dear person with human love; but only an enemy can be loved with Divine love. And that’s why I felt such joy when I felt that I loved that person. What about him? Is he alive... Loving with human love, you can move from love to hatred; but Divine love cannot change. Nothing, not death, nothing can destroy it. She is the essence of the soul. And how many people have I hated in my life. And of all the people, I have never loved or hated anyone more than her.” And he vividly imagined Natasha, not the way he had imagined her before, with only her charm, joyful for himself; but for the first time I imagined her soul. And he understood her feeling, her suffering, shame, repentance. Now for the first time he understood the cruelty of his refusal, saw the cruelty of his break with her. “If only I could see her one more time. Once, looking into these eyes, say..."

Volume 4 part 1

(Bolkonsky’s thoughts on love, life and death)

Prince Andrei not only knew that he would die, but he felt that he was dying, that he was already half dead. He experienced a consciousness of alienation from everything earthly and a joyful and strange lightness of being. He, without haste and without worry, awaited what lay ahead of him. That menacing, eternal, unknown and distant, the presence of which he never ceased to feel throughout his entire life, was now close to him and - due to the strange lightness of being that he experienced - almost understandable and felt.

Before, he was afraid of the end. He experienced this terrible, painful feeling of fear of death, of the end, twice, and now he no longer understood it.
The first time he experienced this feeling was when a grenade was spinning like a top in front of him and he looked at the stubble, at the bushes, at the sky and knew that death was in front of him. When he woke up after the wound and in his soul, instantly, as if freed from the oppression of life that held him back, this flower of love, eternal, free, independent of this life, blossomed, he was no longer afraid of death and did not think about it. The more he, in those hours of suffering solitude and semi-delirium that he spent after his wound, thought about the new beginning of eternal love that had been revealed to him, the more he, without feeling it himself, renounced earthly life. Everything, to love everyone, to always sacrifice oneself for love, meant not loving anyone, meant not living this earthly life. And the more he was imbued with this principle of love, the more he renounced life and the more completely he destroyed that terrible barrier that, without love, stands between life and death. When, at first, he remembered that he had to die, he said to himself: well, so much the better.
But after that night in Mytishchi, when the one he desired appeared in front of him in a semi-delirium, and when he, pressing her hand to his lips, cried quiet, joyful tears, love for one woman imperceptibly crept into his heart and again tied him to life. Both joyful and anxious thoughts began to come to him. Remembering that moment at the dressing station when he saw Kuragin, he now could not return to that feeling: he was tormented by the question of whether he was alive? And he didn't dare ask this.

As he fell asleep, he kept thinking about the same thing he had been thinking about all this time - about life and death. And more about death. He felt closer to her.
"Love? What is love? - he thought. — Love interferes with death. Love is life. Everything, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists only because I love. Everything is connected by one thing. Love is God, and to die means for me, a particle of love, to return to the common and eternal source.”

But at the same moment as he died, Prince Andrei remembered that he was sleeping, and at the same moment as he died, he, making an effort on himself, woke up.
“Yes, it was death. I died - I woke up. Yes, death is awakening! — his soul suddenly brightened, and the veil that had hitherto hidden the unknown was lifted before his spiritual gaze. He felt a kind of liberation of the strength previously bound in him and that strange lightness that has not left him since then.

Andrei Bolkonsky, his spiritual quest, the evolution of his personality are described throughout the entire novel by L. N. Tolstoy. For the author, changes in the consciousness and attitude of the hero are important, because, in his opinion, this is what speaks about the moral health of the individual. Therefore, all the positive heroes of War and Peace go through the path of searching for the meaning of life, the dialectics of the soul, with all the disappointments, loss and gain of happiness. Tolstoy indicates the presence of a positive beginning in the character by the fact that, despite life’s troubles, the hero does not lose his dignity. These are Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov. The common and main thing in their quest is that the heroes come to the idea of ​​unity with the people. Let's consider what the spiritual quest of Prince Andrei led to.

Focus on Napoleon's ideas

Prince Bolkonsky first appears before the reader at the very beginning of the epic, in the salon of Anna Scherer, the maid of honor. Before us is a short man, with somewhat dry features, and very handsome in appearance. Everything in his behavior speaks of complete disappointment with life, both spiritual and family. Having married a beautiful egoist, Lisa Meinen, Bolkonsky soon gets tired of her and completely changes his attitude towards marriage. He even begs his friend Pierre Bezukhov to never marry.

Prince Bolkonsky longs for something new; for him, constant going out into society and family life is a vicious circle from which the young man strives to break out. How? Leaving for the front. This is the uniqueness of the novel “War and Peace”: Andrei Bolkonsky, as well as other characters, their dialectics of the soul, are shown within a certain historical setting.

At the beginning of Tolstoy's epic, Andrei Bolkonsky is an ardent Bonapartist who admires Napoleon's military talent and is an adherent of his idea of ​​gaining power through military feat. Bolkonsky wants to get “his Toulon.”

Service and Austerlitz

With his arrival in the army, a new milestone in the quest of the young prince begins. The life path of Andrei Bolkonsky made a decisive turn in the direction of bold, courageous actions. The prince shows exceptional talent as an officer; he displays courage, valor and courage.

Even in the smallest details, Tolstoy emphasizes that Bolkonsky made the right choice: his face became different, stopped expressing fatigue from everything, feigned gestures and manners disappeared. The young man did not have time to think about how to behave correctly; he became real.

Kutuzov himself notes how talented Andrei Bolkonsky is as an adjutant: the great commander writes a letter to the young man’s father, noting that the prince is making exceptional progress. Andrei takes all victories and defeats to heart: he sincerely rejoices and experiences pain in his soul. He sees Bonaparte as an enemy, but at the same time continues to admire the genius of the commander. He still dreams of “his Toulon.” Andrei Bolkonsky in the novel “War and Peace” is an exponent of the author’s attitude towards outstanding personalities; it is from his lips that the reader learns about the most important battles.

The center of this stage of the prince’s life is the One who showed great heroism, seriously wounded, he lies on the battlefield and sees the bottomless sky. Then Andrey comes to the realization that he must reconsider his life priorities and turn to his wife, whom he despised and humiliated with his behavior. And his once idol, Napoleon, seems to him to be an insignificant little man. Bonaparte appreciated the young officer’s feat, but Bolkonsky didn’t care. He dreams only of quiet happiness and an impeccable family life. Andrei decides to end his military career and return home to his wife,

The decision to live for yourself and loved ones

Fate is preparing another heavy blow for Bolkonsky. His wife, Lisa, dies in childbirth. She leaves Andrey a son. The prince did not have time to ask for forgiveness, because he arrived too late, he is tormented by guilt. Andrei Bolkonsky's life path further is caring for his loved ones.

Raising his son, building an estate, helping his father form the ranks of the militia - these are his life priorities at this stage. Andrei Bolkonsky lives in solitude, which allows him to focus on his spiritual world and search for the meaning of life.

The progressive views of the young prince are manifested: he improves the life of his serfs (replaces corvée with quitrents), gives status to three hundred people. However, he is still far from accepting a sense of unity with the common people: every now and then thoughts of disdain for the peasantry and ordinary soldiers slip into his speech .

Fateful conversation with Pierre

The life path of Andrei Bolkonsky moves into another plane during the visit of Pierre Bezukhov. The reader immediately notices the kinship of the souls of the young people. Pierre, who is in a state of elation because of the reforms carried out on his estates, infects Andrei with enthusiasm.

Young people discuss for a long time the principles and meaning of changes in the life of the peasantry. Andrei does not agree with something; he does not accept Pierre’s most liberal views on serfs at all. However, practice has shown that, unlike Bezukhov, Bolkonsky was able to really make the life of his peasants easier. All thanks to his active nature and practical view of the serfdom.

Nevertheless, the meeting with Pierre helped Prince Andrei to delve well into his inner world and begin moving towards transformations of the soul.

Revival to a new life

A breath of fresh air and a change in outlook on life came from meeting Natasha Rostova, the main character of the novel “War and Peace.” Andrei Bolkonsky, on matters of acquiring land, visits the Rostov estate in Otradnoye. There he notices a calm, cozy atmosphere in the family. Natasha is so pure, spontaneous, real... She met him on a starry night during the first ball in her life and immediately captured the heart of the young prince.

Andrey seems to be born again: he understands what Pierre once told him: he needs to live not only for himself and his family, he needs to be useful to the whole society. That is why Bolkonsky goes to St. Petersburg to make his proposals to the military regulations.

Awareness of the meaninglessness of “state activity”

Unfortunately, Andrei did not manage to meet with the sovereign; he was sent to Arakcheev, an unprincipled and stupid man. Of course, he did not accept the young prince’s ideas. However, another meeting took place that influenced Bolkonsky’s worldview. We are talking about Speransky. He saw good potential for public service in the young man. As a result, Bolkonsky is appointed to a position related to the drafting of wartime laws. In addition, Andrei heads the commission for drafting wartime laws.

But soon Bolkonsky becomes disappointed with the service: the formal approach to work does not satisfy Andrei. He feels that he is doing unnecessary work here and that he will not provide real help to anyone. More and more often, Bolkonsky recalls life in the village, where he was truly useful.

Having initially admired Speransky, Andrei now saw pretense and unnaturalness. More and more often, Bolkonsky is visited by thoughts about the idleness of St. Petersburg life and the absence of any meaning in his service to the country.

Breakup with Natasha

Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky were a very beautiful couple, but they were not destined to get married. The girl gave him the desire to live, to do something for the good of the country, to dream of a happy future. She became Andrei's muse. Natasha compared favorably with other girls of St. Petersburg society: she was pure, sincere, her actions came from the heart, they were devoid of any calculation. The girl sincerely loved Bolkonsky, and did not just see him as a profitable match.

Bolkonsky makes a fatal mistake by postponing his wedding with Natasha for a whole year: this provoked her passion for Anatoly Kuragin. The young prince could not forgive the girl. Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky break off their engagement. The blame for everything is the prince's excessive pride and unwillingness to hear and understand Natasha. He is again as self-centered as the reader observed Andrei at the beginning of the novel.

The final turning point in consciousness - Borodino

It is with such a heavy heart that Bolkonsky enters 1812, a turning point for the Fatherland. Initially, he thirsts for revenge: he dreams of meeting Anatoly Kuragin among the military and avenging his failed marriage by challenging him to a duel. But gradually the life path of Andrei Bolkonsky changes once again: the impetus for this was the vision of the tragedy of the people.

Kutuzov entrusts the command of the regiment to the young officer. The prince completely devotes himself to his service - now this is his life’s work, he has become so close to the soldiers that they call him “our prince.”

Finally, the day of the apotheosis of the Patriotic War and the quest of Andrei Bolkonsky comes - the Battle of Borodino. It is noteworthy that L. Tolstoy puts his vision of this great historical event and the absurdity of wars into the mouth of Prince Andrei. He reflects on the pointlessness of so many sacrifices for the sake of victory.

The reader sees here Bolkonsky, who has gone through a difficult life: disappointment, death of loved ones, betrayal, rapprochement with the common people. He feels that he now understands and realizes too much, one might say, foreshadows his death: “I see that I have begun to understand too much. But it is not fit for a man to eat of the tree of good and evil.”

Indeed, Bolkonsky is mortally wounded and, among other soldiers, ends up in the care of the Rostovs’ house.

The prince feels the approach of death, he thinks about Natasha for a long time, understands her, “sees her soul,” dreams of meeting his beloved and asking for forgiveness. He confesses his love to the girl and dies.

The image of Andrei Bolkonsky is an example of high honor, loyalty to duty to the Motherland and people.

Probably every person at least once in his life has thought about what real courage is. I think that this is a character trait of a strong and noble person, manifested in the ability to overcome, through strong-willed efforts, the feeling of fear of something new, unknown, complex, to summon courage when performing dangerous and imaginary actions. But are decisive and fearless actions always a manifestation of true courage and honor, or can it turn out to be just prudence aimed at achieving only one’s own personal gain? To answer this question, let us turn to the works of Russian classical literature.

One of the main characters of Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel “War and Peace” - Andrei Bolkonsky - goes through a long path of ideological and moral quest, during which he happens to show both real courage and ostentatious bravado. On the field of Austerlitz, Prince Andrei shows unprecedented courage: in the face of mortal danger, not noticing the shells and bullets flying at him, he ran towards the enemy with a banner in his hands, inspiring other soldiers to rush into battle again. But was this an act done out of noble motives? Unfortunately no.

Prince Andrei dreamed of his Toulon, a personal feat, and even at the moment of his heroic deed he thought only about the upcoming glory. Andrei Bolkonsky showed real courage in the Battle of Borodino. He participates in it no longer for the sake of his ambitions and satisfaction of ambition, but for the sake of the people, the Motherland, ready to give his life for them. This was his real feat, full of true courage.

Another argument can be the behavior of Russian soldiers during the Battle of Shengraben. In the confusion and panic, in the face of the approaching enemy, there was only one company left that retained its organization - Timokhin's company, which managed to make a turning point in the battle. Captain Timokhin behaved selflessly - heroically: with determination and even despair, he attacked the French. In the name of the common good, he was ready to sacrifice himself in order to force the enemy to retreat. Not like Dolokhov, who, in contrast to Timokhin, thought only about himself and his glory. Yes, he fled to the attack with his commander, but only for the sake of regaining his officer rank. In this episode the whole contrast of true and false courage is very clearly visible.

Another argument may be a comparison of two heroes of A.S. Pushkin’s story “The Captain’s Daughter” - Grinev and Shvabrin. The first is ready to sacrifice himself in the battle for the fortress, under pain of death, risking his life, he remains faithful to the oath and directly expresses his position to Pugachev. The second, fearing for his life, goes over to the side of the enemy. Against the background of Shvabrin’s behavior, Grinev’s courage is revealed even more fully.

All these arguments once again convince the reader that only a truly noble person can show real courage, not defiled by vain motives, and remain bold and decisive in the face of danger.