Characteristics of the main characters war and peace table. "War and Peace": characteristics of heroes (briefly)

"War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy is not just a classic novel, but a real heroic epic, the literary value of which is incomparable to any other work. The writer himself considered it a poem where private life of a person is inseparable from the history of an entire country.

It took Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy seven years to perfect his novel. Back in 1863, the writer more than once discussed plans to create a large-scale literary canvas with his father-in-law A.E. Bersom. In September of the same year, the father of Tolstoy’s wife sent a letter from Moscow, where he mentioned the writer’s idea. Historians consider this date to be the official beginning of work on the epic. A month later, Tolstoy writes to his relative that all his time and attention is occupied by new novel, which he thinks about like never before.

History of creation

The writer's original idea was to create a work about the Decembrists, who spent 30 years in exile and returned home. Starting point The year described in the novel was supposed to be 1856. But then Tolstoy changed his plans, deciding to depict everything from the beginning of the Decembrist uprising of 1825. And this was not destined to come true: the writer’s third idea was the desire to describe the hero’s young years, which coincided with large-scale historical events: the War of 1812. The final version was the period from 1805. The circle of heroes was also expanded: the events in the novel cover the history of many individuals who went through all the hardships of different historical periods in the life of the country.

The title of the novel had several variations. “Workers” was the name “Three Times”: the youth of the Decembrists during the Patriotic War of 1812; The Decembrist uprising of 1825 and the 50s of the 19th century, when several events occurred at once important events in the history of Russia - the Crimean War, the passing of Nicholas I, the return of the amnestied Decembrists from Siberia. In the final version, the writer decided to focus on the first stage, since writing a novel, even on such a scale, required a lot of effort and time. So, instead of an ordinary work, a whole epic was born, which has no analogues in world literature.

Tolstoy devoted the entire autumn and early winter of 1856 to writing the beginning of War and Peace. Already at this time, he tried more than once to quit his job, because in his opinion it was impossible to convey the entire plan on paper. Historians say that in the writer’s archive there were fifteen versions of the beginning of the epic. In the process of his work, Lev Nikolaevich tried to find answers for himself to questions about the role of man in history. He had to study many chronicles, documents, materials describing the events of 1812. The confusion in the writer's head was caused by the fact that everything information sources they assessed both Napoleon and Alexander I differently. Then Tolstoy decided to move away from the subjective statements of strangers and reflect in the novel his own assessment of events, based on true facts. From diverse sources he borrowed documentary materials, notes from contemporaries, newspaper and magazine articles, letters from generals, archival documents Rumyantsev Museum.

(Prince Rostov and Akhrosimova Marya Dmitrievna)

Considering it necessary to visit the scene of events, Tolstoy spent two days in Borodino. It was important for him to personally tour the place where large-scale and tragic events. He even personally made sketches of the sun on the field during different periods days.

The trip gave the writer the opportunity to experience the spirit of history in a new way; became a kind of inspiration for further work. For seven years, the work proceeded with elation and “burning”. The manuscripts consisted of more than 5,200 sheets. Therefore, War and Peace is easy to read even after a century and a half.

Analysis of the novel

Description

(Napoleon is thoughtful before the battle)

The novel “War and Peace” touches on a sixteen-year period in Russian history. The starting date is 1805, the final date is 1821. The work contains more than 500 characters. It's like real existing people, and fictitious by the writer to make the description colorful.

(Kutuzov, before the Battle of Borodino, considers a plan)

The novel intertwines two main storylines: historical events in Russia and the personal lives of the characters. Real historical figures are mentioned in the description of the Austerlitz, Shengraben, Borodino battles; capture of Smolensk and surrender of Moscow. More than 20 chapters are devoted specifically to the Battle of Borodino, as the main decisive event of 1812.

(The illustration shows an episode of Natasha Rostova's Ball from their film "War and Peace" 1967.)

In opposition to “wartime,” the writer describes the personal world of people and everything that surrounds them. Heroes fall in love, quarrel, make peace, hate, suffer... In the confrontation between different characters, Tolstoy shows the difference in moral principles individuals. The writer is trying to tell that various events can change one’s worldview. One complete picture of the work consists of three hundred thirty-three chapters of 4 volumes and another twenty-eight chapters located in the epilogue.

First volume

The events of 1805 are described. The “peaceful” part touches on life in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The writer introduces the reader to the society of the main characters. The “military” part is the Battle of Austerlitz and Shengraben. Tolstoy concludes the first volume with a description of how military defeats affected peaceful life characters.

Second volume

(Natasha Rostova's first ball)

This is a completely “peaceful” part of the novel, which affected the lives of the heroes in the period 1806-1811: the birth of Andrei Bolkonsky’s love for Natasha Rostova; Freemasonry of Pierre Bezukhov, Karagin's kidnapping of Natasha Rostova, Bolkonsky's refusal to marry Natasha. The volume concludes with a description of a formidable omen: the appearance of a comet, which is a symbol of great upheaval.

Third volume

(The illustration shows an episode of Borodinsky's battle in the film "War and Peace" 1967.)

In this part of the epic, the writer turns to wartime: Napoleon's invasion, the surrender of Moscow, the Battle of Borodino. On the battlefield the main male characters novel: Bolkonsky, Kuragin, Bezukhov, Dolokhov... The end of the volume is the capture of Pierre Bezukhov, who staged an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Napoleon.

Volume four

(After the battle, the wounded arrive in Moscow)

The “military” part is a description of the victory over Napoleon and the shameful retreat of the French army. Affects writer and period guerrilla warfare after 1812. All this is intertwined with the “peaceful” destinies of the heroes: Andrei Bolkonsky and Helen pass away; love arises between Nikolai and Marya; Natasha Rostova and Pierre Bezukhov are thinking about living together. And the main character of the volume is the Russian soldier Platon Karataev, through whose words Tolstoy tries to convey all the wisdom of the common people.

Epilogue

This part is devoted to describing the changes in the lives of the heroes seven years after 1812. Natasha Rostova is married to Pierre Bezukhov; Nikolai and Marya found their happiness; Bolkonsky’s son Nikolenka has matured. In the epilogue, the author reflects on the role of individuals in the history of an entire country, and tries to show the historical relationships between events and human destinies.

The main characters of the novel

More than 500 characters are mentioned in the novel. The author tried to describe the most important of them as accurately as possible, endowing them with special features not only of character, but also of appearance:

Andrei Bolkonsky is a prince, the son of Nikolai Bolkonsky. Constantly searching for the meaning of life. Tolstoy describes him as handsome, reserved and with “dry” features. He has a strong will. Dies as a result of a wound received at Borodino.

Marya Bolkonskaya - princess, sister of Andrei Bolkonsky. Inconspicuous appearance and radiant eyes; piety and concern for relatives. In the novel, she marries Nikolai Rostov.

Natasha Rostova is the daughter of Count Rostov. In the first volume of the novel she is only 12 years old. Tolstoy describes her as not quite a girl beautiful appearance(black eyes, big mouth), but at the same time “alive”. Her inner beauty attracts men. Even Andrei Bolkonsky is ready to fight for your hand and heart. At the end of the novel she marries Pierre Bezukhov.

Sonya

Sonya is the niece of Count Rostov. In contrast to her cousin Natasha, she is beautiful in appearance, but much poorer mentally.

Pierre Bezukhov is the son of Count Kirill Bezukhov. An awkward, massive figure, kind and at the same time a strong character. He can be stern, or he can become a child. He is interested in Freemasonry. Tries to change the lives of peasants and influence large-scale events. Initially married to Helen Kuragina. At the end of the novel he takes Natasha Rostova as his wife.

Helen Kuragina is the daughter of Prince Kuragin. A beauty, a prominent socialite. She married Pierre Bezukhov. Changeable, cold. Died as a result of an abortion.

Nikolai Rostov is the son of Count Rostov and Natasha's brother. Successor of the family and defender of the Fatherland. He took part in military campaigns. He married Marya Bolkonskaya.

Fyodor Dolokhov is an officer, a participant in the partisan movement, as well as a big reveler and lover of ladies.

Countess of Rostov

Countess Rostov - parents of Nikolai, Natasha, Vera, Petya. A revered married couple, an example to follow.

Nikolai Bolkonsky is a prince, the father of Marya and Andrei. In Catherine's time, a significant personality.

The author pays much attention to the description of Kutuzov and Napoleon. The commander appears before us as smart, unfeigned, kind and philosophical. Napoleon is described as a small, fat man with an unpleasantly fake smile. At the same time, it is somewhat mysterious and theatrical.

Analysis and conclusion

In the novel “War and Peace” the writer tries to convey to the reader “folk thought”. Its essence is that each positive hero has his own connection with the nation.

Tolstoy moved away from the principle of telling a novel in the first person. The assessment of characters and events occurs through monologues and author's digressions. At the same time, the writer leaves the right to the reader to evaluate what is happening. A striking example of this is the scene of the Battle of Borodino, shown both from the side historical facts, and the subjective opinion of the hero of the novel Pierre Bezukhov. The writer does not forget about the bright historical figure - General Kutuzov.

The main idea of ​​the novel lies not only in revealing historical events, but also in the opportunity to understand that you need to love, believe and live under any circumstances.

M. M. Blinkina

AGE OF CHARACTERS IN THE NOVEL "WAR AND PEACE"

(Izvestia AN. Series of literature and language. - T. 57. - No. 1. - M., 1998. - P. 18-27)

1. INTRODUCTION

The main goal of this work is math modeling certain aspects of the development of the plot and the establishment of relationships between real and novel time, or rather, between the real and novel ages of the characters (and, in in this case, the relationship will be predictable and linear).

The very concept of “age” certainly has several aspects. Firstly, age literary character determined by novel time, which often does not coincide with real time. Secondly, numerals in the designation of age, in addition to their main (actually numerical) meaning, often have a number of additional meanings, that is, they carry an independent semantic load. They can, for example, contain a positive or negative assessment of the hero, reflect his individual characteristics, or introduce an ironic shade into the story.

Sections 2-6 describe how Leo Tolstoy changes the age characteristics of the heroes of War and Peace depending on their function in the novel, how young they are, what gender they are, and also on some other factors. individual characteristics.

Section 7 proposes a mathematical model that reflects the features of the “aging” of Tolstoy’s heroes.

2. AGE PARADOXES: TEXT ANALYSIS

Reading Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace", one cannot help but pay attention to some strange inconsistencies in the age characteristics of his characters. Consider, for example, the Rostov family. It's August 1805 - and we meet Natasha for the first time:... ran into the room thirteen year old girl, wrapping something in her muslin skirt...

In the same August 1805, we meet all the other children from this family, in particular, the older sister Vera: The countess's eldest daughter was four years older than my sister and behaved like a big girl.

Thus, in August 1805 Vere seventeen years. Now fast forward to December 1806: There was faith twenty years old beautiful girl... Natasha is half young lady, half girl...

We see that over the past year and four months Vera has managed to grow by three years. She was seventeen, and now she is neither eighteen nor nineteen; she's twenty at once. Natasha’s age in this fragment is given metaphorically, and not by number, which, as it turns out, is also not without reason.

Exactly three more years will pass and we will receive last message about the ages of these two sisters:

Natasha was sixteen years, and it was 1809, the same year that she and Boris counted on her fingers four years ago, after she kissed him.

So, over these four years, Natasha has grown by three, as, indeed, was expected. Instead of seventeen or even eighteen, she is now sixteen. And there won't be any more. This is the last mention of her age. Meanwhile, what happens to her unfortunate older sister?

I had faith twenty four years old, she went everywhere, and, despite the fact that she was undoubtedly good and sensible, until now no one had ever proposed to her.

As we can see, over the past three years, Vera has grown by four. If we count from the very beginning, that is, from August 1805, it turns out that in four s small year Vera has grown by seven years. During this time period, the age difference between Natasha and Vera doubled. Vera is now not four, but eight years older than her sister.

This was an example of how the ages of two characters change relative to each other. Now let's look at a hero who at some point in time has different ages for different characters. This hero is Boris Drubetskoy. His age is never stated directly, so we will try to calculate it indirectly. On the one hand, we know that Boris is the same age as Nikolai Rostov: Two young men, a student and an officer, friends since childhood, were one year old ...

Nicholas was nineteen or twenty years old in January 1806:

How strange it was for the countess that her son, who was barely noticeable with his tiny limbs, was moving inside her twenty years ago, now a courageous warrior...

It follows that in August 1805 Boris was nineteen or twenty years old. Now let’s estimate his age from Pierre’s perspective. At the beginning of the novel, Pierre is twenty years old: Pierre from the age of ten was sent abroad with the tutor-abbot, where he stayed up to twenty years of age .

On the other hand, we know that Pierre left Boris fourteen year old boy and definitely didn’t remember him.

Thus, Boris is four years older than Pierre and at the beginning of the novel he is twenty-four years old, that is, he is twenty-four years old for Pierre, while for Nikolai he is still only twenty.

And finally, another, completely funny example: the age of Nikolenka Bolkonsky. In July 1805, his future mother appears before us: ... little princess Volkonskaya, who got married last winter and now did not travel to big light due to her pregnancy... waddled around the table in small, quick steps....

From universal human considerations, it is clear that Nikolenka should be born in the fall of 1805: but, contrary to everyday logic, this does not happen, he is born March 19, 1806 It is clear that such a character will have problems with age until the end of his novel life. So in 1811 he will be six years old, and in 1820 - fifteen.

How can such discrepancies be explained? Maybe the exact age of his characters is not important for Tolstoy? On the contrary, Tolstoy has a passion for numbers and, with amazing accuracy, sets the ages of even the most insignificant heroes. So Marya Dmitrievna Akhrosimova exclaims: Fifty eight years old lived in the world...: No, life is not over at thirty-one, - says Prince Andrey.

Tolstoy has numbers everywhere, and exact, fractional numbers. Age in War and Peace is undoubtedly functional. No wonder Dolokhov, beating Nikolai at cards, I decided to continue the game until this entry increased to forty-three thousand. He chose this number because forty-three was the sum of his years added up with Sonya's years .

Thus, all the age discrepancies described above, and there are about thirty of them in the novel, are intentional. What are they due to?

Before starting to answer this question, I note that on average, over the course of the novel’s time, Tolstoy makes each of his characters a year older than they should be (this is shown by calculations that will be discussed later). Usually the hero classic novel will always be twenty-one years old instead of twenty-one years and eleven months, and on average, therefore, such a hero turns out to be six months younger than his years.

However, even from the above examples it is already clear, firstly, that the author “ages” and “youngens” his heroes unequally, and secondly, that this does not happen randomly, but in a systemic, programmed way. How exactly?

From the very beginning, it becomes obvious that positive and negative characters age differently and disproportionately. (“Positive and negative” is, of course, a relative concept, but in Tolstoy, in most cases, the polarity of a character is defined almost unambiguously. The author of “War and Peace” is surprisingly frank in his likes and dislikes). As shown above, Natasha matures more slowly than expected, while Vera, on the contrary, grows up faster. Boris, as Nikolai's friend and friend of the Rostov family, appears to be twenty years old; In the role of Pierre's social acquaintance and Julie Karagina's future husband, he simultaneously turns out to be much older. The ages of the heroes seem to have been given a certain loose order, or rather, an anti-order. There is a feeling that the heroes are being “fined” by increasing their age. Tolstoy seems to punish his heroes with disproportionate aging.

There are, however, characters in the novel who grow older strictly in accordance with the years they have lived. Sonya, for example, being, in fact, neither a positive nor a negative heroine, but completely neutral and colorless, Sonya, who always studied well and remembered everything, grows up exceptionally neatly. The whole confusion of ages that takes place in the Rostov family does not affect her at all. In 1805 she fifteen year old girl , and in 1806 - sixteen year old girl in all the beauty of a newly bloomed flower. It is her age that the calculating Dolokhov wins against Rostov at cards, adding to his own. But Sonya is rather an exception.

In general, characters of “different polarities” grow up in different ways. Moreover, the extremely saturated space of age is divided between positive and negative heroes. Natasha and Sonya are mentioned under the age of sixteen. After the age of sixteen - Vera and Julie Karagina. Pierre, Nikolai and Petya Rostov, Nikolenka Bolkonsky are no more than twenty. Boris, Dolokhov, and the “ambiguous” Prince Andrei are strictly over twenty.

The question is not how old the hero is, the question is what age is recorded in the novel. Natasha is not supposed to be over sixteen; Marya is inadmissible for positive heroine old, so not a word is said about her age; Helen, on the other hand, is defiantly young for a negative heroine, therefore we do not know how old she is.

The novel sets a boundary after which only negative heroes exist; border, crossing which, obviously positive hero simply ceases to exist in the space of age. In a completely symmetrical manner, the negative hero walks through the novel without age until he passes this border. Natasha loses age, reaching sixteen years old. Julie Karagina, on the contrary, is gaining age, being no longer in her first youth:

Julie was twenty seven years old. After the death of her brothers, she became very rich. She was now completely ugly; but I thought that she was not only just as good, but even much more attractive now than she was before... A man who ten years ago would have been afraid to go every day to the house where she was seventeen year old lady, in order not to compromise her and not to tie himself down, now he boldly went to her every day and communicated with her not as a young lady-bride, but as an acquaintance who does not have a gender.

The problem, however, is that Julie was never seventeen in this novel. In 1805, when this chubby young lady guest appears in the Rostovs' house, nothing is said about her age, for if Tolstoy had honestly given her seventeen years old, then now, in 1811, she would not have been twenty-seven, but only twenty-three, which is also, of course, is no longer the age for a positive heroine, but still not yet the time for the final transition to asexual beings. In general, negative heroes, as a rule, are not entitled to childhood and adolescence. This leads to funny misunderstandings:

Well, what, Lelya? - Prince Vasily turned to his daughter with that careless tone of habitual tenderness, which is acquired by parents who caress their children from childhood, but which Prince Violence only guessed through imitation of other parents.

Or maybe Prince Vasily is not to blame? Perhaps his purely negative children had no childhood at all. And it’s not for nothing that Pierre, before proposing to Helene, convinces himself that he knew her as a child. Was she even a child?

If we move from the lyrics to numbers, it turns out that in the novel there are positive characters aged 5, 6, 7, 9, 13, 15, 16, 20, as well as 40, 45, 50, 58. Negative characters are 17, 20, 24, 25, 27. That is, positive heroes from early youth They immediately reach a ripe old age. Negative heroes also, of course, experience senility, but the fraction of their age in their old age is less than that of positive ones. So, positive Marya Dmitrievna Akhrosimova says: Fifty eight years old lived in the world... The negative Prince Vasily evaluates himself with less accuracy: To me sixth decade, My friend...

In general, accurate calculations show that the aging coefficient in the “positive-negative” space is equal to -2.247, i.e. all other things being equal, the positive hero will be two years and three months younger than the negative one.

Let's now talk about two heroines who are emphatically ageless. These heroines are Helen and Princess Marya, which in itself is not accidental.

Helen symbolizes in the novel eternal beauty and youth. Her rightness, her strength in this inexhaustible youth. Time seems to have no power over her: Elena Vasilievna, that’s how it is at fifty years old she will be a beauty. Pierre, persuading himself to marry Helen, also cites her age as her main advantage. He remembers knowing her as a child. He says to himself: No, she's beautiful young woman! She's not bad woman!

Helen - eternal bride. With a living husband, she chooses a new groom with charming spontaneity, one of the applicants being young and the other old. Helen dies under mysterious circumstances, preferring an old admirer to a young one, that is: as if she herself chooses old age and death, giving up her privilege of eternal youth, and dissolves into oblivion.

Princess Marya also has no age, and it is not possible to calculate it from the final version of the novel. In fact, in 1811, she old dry princess, envies Natasha's beauty and youth. In the finale, in 1820, Marya is a happy young mother, she is expecting her fourth child, and her life, one might say, is just beginning, although at that moment she is no less than thirty-five years old, an age not very suitable for a lyrical heroine; That’s why she lives without age in this novel, thoroughly saturated with numbers.

It is curious that in the first edition of War and Peace, which differs from the final version in its extreme specificity and “ultimate directness,” the uncertainty in the images of Helen and Marya is partly removed. There in 1805 Marya was twenty years old: the old prince himself was engaged in raising his daughter and, in order to develop both main virtues in her, up to twenty years gave her lessons in algebra and geometry and distributed her whole life in continuous studies.

And Helen, too, dies there, not from excess of youth...

4. FIRST COMPLETED VERSION OF THE NOVEL

The first version of "War and Peace" helps to solve many of the riddles posed in final version novel. What is very vaguely read in the final version appears in the early version with a clarity that is amazing for a novel narrative. The space of age here is not yet saturated with the romantic understatement that confronts modern reader. Deliberate precision borders on banality. It is not surprising that in the final edition of the novel Tolstoy refuses such meticulousness. Mentions of age become one and a half times less. There are a lot of interesting details behind the scenes that are worth mentioning here.

Princess Marya, as already noted, at the beginning of the novel twenty years. Age Helen is not specified, but it is obviously limited from above by the age of her older brother. Moreover, in 1811 Anatoly was 28 years. He was in full splendor of his strength and beauty.

Thus, at the beginning of the novel, Anatole is twenty-two years old, his friend Dolokhov is twenty-five, and Pierre is twenty. Helen no more than twenty-one. Moreover, she probably no more than nineteen, because according to the unwritten laws of that time, she should not be older than Pierre. (The fact, for example, that Julie is older than Boris is especially emphasized.)

So, the scene in which socialite Helen is trying to lead young Natasha Rostova astray; it looks completely comical, considering that Natasha at this moment is twenty years old, and Helen is twenty-four, that is, they actually belong to the same age category.

The early version also clarifies the age Boris: Hélène called him mon hage and treated him like a child... Sometimes in rare moments Pierre thought that this patronizing friendship was to an imaginary child, who was 23 years old there was something unnatural.

These considerations relate to the autumn of 1809, that is, at the beginning of the novel Boris is nineteen years old, and his future bride Julie - twenty-one years old, if you count her age back from the moment of their wedding. Initially, Julie, apparently, was assigned the role of a more sympathetic heroine in the novel: A tall, plump, proud-looking lady with pretty daughter, rustling with dresses, entered the living room.

This pretty daughter is Julie Karagina, who was initially thought to be younger and more attractive. However, in 1811, Julie Akhrosimova (that’s her original name) will already be the “asexual” creature that we know her in the final version.

In the first version of the novel, Dolokhov wins from Nikolai not forty-three, but only forty-two thousand.

The ages of Natasha and Sonya are given several times. So, at the beginning of 1806 Natasha says: To me fifteenth year, my grandmother got married in my time.

In the summer of 1807, Natasha's age is mentioned twice: Natasha has passed 15 years and she has become very prettier this summer.

“And you sing,” said Prince Andrei. He said these simple words, looking straight into Perfect eyes this 15 year old girls.

This number of age entries allows us to establish that Natasha was born in the fall of 1791. Thus, at her first ball she shines at eighteen, and not at all at sixteen.

To make Natasha younger, Tolstoy also changes Sonya’s age. So, at the end of 1810 Sonya was already twentieth year. She had already stopped looking prettier, she didn’t promise anything Furthermore what was in it, but that was enough.

In fact, Natasha is twenty years old at this moment, and Sonya is at least a year and a half older.

Unlike many other heroes, Prince Andrei does not have an exact age in the first version of the novel. Instead of the textbook thirty-one years old, he about thirty years old.

Of course, the accuracy and directness of the early version of the novel cannot serve as an “official clue” to age shifts, since we have no right to assume that Natasha and Pierre in the first edition are the same characters as Natasha and Pierre in the final version of the novel. By changing the age characteristics of the hero, the author partly changes the hero himself. Nevertheless early version the novel allows us to check the accuracy of the calculations made on the final text and make sure that these calculations are correct.

5. AGE AS A FUNCTION OF AGE (AGE STEREOTYPES)

There's only so long left to live -

I'm already sixteen years old!

Yu. Ryashentsev

The tradition of aging older characters compared to younger ones goes back centuries. In this sense, Tolstoy did not invent anything new. Calculations show that the coefficient of “aging with age” in the novel is 0.097, which, translated into human language, means a year of novel aging by ten years lived, that is, a ten-year-old hero may turn out to be eleven years old, a twenty-year-old hero twenty-two, and a fifty-year-old fifty-five. The result is not surprising. It is much more interesting how Tolstoy presents the ages of his heroes, how he evaluates them on the “young - old” scale. Let's start from the very beginning.

5.1. Up to ten years

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy loved children very much.

Sometimes they would bring him a full room. Step by step

There’s nowhere to step, but he keeps shouting: More! More!

D. Kharms

Kharms is certainly right. There are many characters of infancy in the novel. What they have in common, perhaps, is that they do not seem to be independent units, endowed with their own problems and experiences. The age of up to ten years is a signal that the hero will, in fact, be a small mouthpiece for the author. The children in the novel see the world surprisingly subtly and correctly; they engage in systematic “defamiliarization” environment. They, not spoiled by the burden of civilization, are more successful than adults in solving their moral problems and at the same time seem to be completely devoid of reason. Therefore, such young characters, the number of which will grow to incredible limits by the end, look very artificial:

Five minutes later the little black-eyed three year old Natasha, her father’s favorite, having learned from her brother that daddy was sleeping in the small sofa room, unnoticed by her mother, ran to her father... Nikolai turned around with a tender smile on his face.

- Natasha, Natasha! - the frightened whisper of Countess Marya was heard from the door, - daddy wants to sleep.

“No, mom, he doesn’t want to sleep,” little Natasha answered convincingly, “he’s laughing.”

So edifying small character. But the next one is a little older:

Only Andrei’s granddaughter, Malasha, six year old girl, to whom His Serene Highness, having caressed her, gave her a piece of sugar for tea, remained on the stove in the large hut... Malasha... understood the meaning of this advice differently. It seemed to her that it was only a matter of personal struggle between “grandfather” and “long-haired,” as she called Beningsen.

Amazing insight!

The last character in age to show signs of the same “childish-unconscious” behavior as all of Tolstoy’s juvenile characters is the eternally sixteen-year-old Natasha Rostova:

In the middle of the stage sat girls in red bodices and white skirts. They were all singing something. When they finished their song, the girl in white approached the prompter's booth, and a man in tight-fitting silk trousers on thick legs, with a feather and a dagger, approached her and began to sing and spread his arms...

After the village and in the serious mood in which Natasha was, all this was wild and surprising to her.

So, Natasha sees the world in the same childish, unreasonable way. It’s not because of their age that adult children look like young old people. Striving for globality, the author of “War and Peace” loses the little things, the individuality of babies, for example, Lev Nikolaevich’s children do not come individually, but as a set: At the table were her mother, the old woman Belova who lived with her, her wife, three children, governess, tutor, nephew with his tutor, Sonya, Denisov, Natasha, her three children, their governess and the old man Mikhail Ivanovich, the prince’s architect, who lived in Bald Mountains in retirement.

Individuality in this enumeration is due to everyone, even old lady Belova, whom we meet in the first and second last time. Even the tutor, and the governess, and also the tutor do not merge into the general concept of “tutors”. And only children, sexless and faceless, go en masse. Kharms had something to parody.

In this article we will introduce you to the main characters of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy's work "War and Peace". The characteristics of the heroes include the main features of their appearance and inner world. All the characters in the work are very interesting. The novel "War and Peace" is very large in volume. The characteristics of the heroes are given only briefly, but meanwhile, a separate work can be written for each of them. Let's begin our analysis with a description of the Rostov family.

Ilya Andreevich Rostov

The Rostov family in the work are typical Moscow representatives of the nobility. Its head, Ilya Andreevich, is known for his generosity and hospitality. This is the count, the father of Petya, Vera, Nikolai and Natasha Rostov, a rich man and a Moscow gentleman. He is spendthrift, good-natured, and loves to live. In general, speaking about the Rostov family, it should be noted that sincerity, goodwill, lively contact and ease in communication were characteristic of all its representatives.

Some episodes from the life of the writer's grandfather were used by him to create the image of Rostov. The fate of this man is burdened by the awareness of ruin, which he does not immediately understand and is unable to stop. In his appearance There are also some similarities with the prototype. The author used this technique not only in relation to Ilya Andreevich. Some internal and external features the relatives and friends of Leo Tolstoy are also discernible in other characters, which is confirmed by the characteristics of the heroes. "War and Peace" is a large-scale work with a huge amount actors.

Nikolay Rostov

Nikolai Rostov - son of Ilya Andreevich, brother of Petya, Natasha and Vera, hussar, officer. At the end of the novel he appears as the husband of Marya Bolkonskaya, the princess. In the appearance of this man one could see “enthusiasm” and “impetuousness.” It reflected some of the characteristics of the writer’s father, who participated in the War of 1812. This hero is distinguished by such traits as cheerfulness, openness, goodwill and self-sacrifice. Convinced that he is neither a diplomat nor an official, Nikolai leaves the university at the beginning of the novel and enters the hussar regiment. Here he participates in Patriotic War 1812, in military campaigns. Nikolai receives his first baptism of fire when he crosses the Enns. In the Battle of Shengraben he was wounded in the arm. Having passed the tests, this man becomes a real hussar, a brave officer.

Petya Rostov

Petya Rostov is the youngest child in the Rostov family, brother of Natasha, Nikolai and Vera. He appears at the beginning of the work as a small boy. Petya, like all Rostovs, is cheerful and kind, musical. He wants to imitate his brother and also wants to join the army. After Nikolai's departure, Petya becomes the main concern of the mother, who only realizes at that time the depth of her love for this child. During the war, he accidentally ends up in Denisov’s detachment with an assignment, where he remains because he wants to take part in the case. Petya dies by coincidence, showing before his death the best traits of the Rostovs in his relationships with his comrades.

Countess of Rostov

Rostova is a heroine, when creating the image of which the author used some circumstances of the life of L. A. Bers, Lev Nikolaevich’s mother-in-law, as well as P. N. Tolstoy, the writer’s paternal grandmother. The Countess was used to living in an atmosphere of kindness and love, in luxury. She is proud of the trust and friendship of her children, spoils them, and worries about their destinies. Despite the external weakness, even some of the heroine makes reasonable and informed decisions regarding her children. Her love for children is also dictated by her desire to marry Nikolai to a wealthy bride at any cost, as well as nagging towards Sonya.

Natasha Rostova

Natasha Rostova is one of the main characters of the work. She is the daughter of Rostov, the sister of Petya, Vera and Nikolai. At the end of the novel she becomes the wife of Pierre Bezukhov. This girl is presented as "ugly, but alive", with big mouth, black-eyed. The prototype for this image was Tolstoy’s wife, as well as her sister T. A. Bers. Natasha is very sensitive and emotional, she can intuitively guess the characters of people, in manifestations of feelings she is sometimes selfish, but most often capable of self-sacrifice and self-forgetfulness. We see this, for example, during the removal of the wounded from Moscow, as well as in the episode of nursing the mother after Petya died.

One of Natasha's main advantages is her musicality and beautiful voice. With her singing, she can awaken all the best that is in a person. This is what saves Nikolai from despair after he lost a large sum.

Natasha, constantly getting carried away, lives in an atmosphere of happiness and love. After meeting Prince Andrei, a change occurs in her destiny. The insult inflicted by Bolkonsky (the old prince) pushes this heroine to become infatuated with Kuragin and to refuse Prince Andrei. Only after feeling and experiencing a lot does she realize her guilt before Bolkonsky. But true love this girl feels only for Pierre, whose wife she becomes at the end of the novel.

Sonya

Sonya is the pupil and niece of Count Rostov, who grew up in his family. At the beginning of the work she is 15 years old. This girl fits completely into the Rostov family, she is unusually friendly and close to Natasha, and has been in love with Nikolai since childhood. Sonya is silent, reserved, careful, reasonable, and has developed highest degree ability to self-sacrifice. She attracts attention moral purity and beauty, but she does not have the charm and spontaneity that Natasha possesses.

Pierre Bezukhov

Pierre Bezukhov is one of the main characters in the novel. Therefore, without him, the characterization of the heroes ("War and Peace") would be incomplete. Let us briefly describe Pierre Bezukhov. He is the illegitimate son of a count, a famous nobleman who became the heir to a huge fortune and title. In the work he is depicted as a fat, massive young man wearing glasses. This hero is distinguished by a timid, intelligent, natural and observant look. He was raised abroad and appeared in Russia shortly before the start of the 1805 campaign and the death of his father. Pierre is inclined to philosophical reflections, intelligent, kind-hearted and gentle, compassionate towards others. He is also impractical, sometimes subject to passions. Andrei Bolkonsky, his closest friend, characterizes this hero as the only “living person” among all representatives of the world.

Anatol Kuragin

Anatole Kuragin is an officer, brother of Hippolyte and Helen, son of Prince Vasily. Unlike Hippolytus, a “calm fool,” his father looks at Anatole as a “restless” fool who must always be rescued from various troubles. This hero is stupid, arrogant, dapper, not eloquent in conversations, depraved, not resourceful, but has confidence. He looks at life as constant fun and pleasure.

Andrey Bolkonsky

Andrei Bolkonsky is one of the main characters in the work, the prince, brother of Princess Marya, son of N. A. Bolkonsky. Described as a "very handsome" young man of "short stature". He is proud, intelligent, and seeks great spiritual and intellectual content in life. Andrey is educated, reserved, practical, and has a strong will. His idol at the beginning of the novel is Napoleon, who will also be introduced to readers just below by our description of the heroes (“War and Peace”). Andrei Balkonsky dreams of imitating him. After participating in the war, he lives in the village, raises his son, and takes care of his household. Then he returns to the army and dies in the Battle of Borodino.

Platon Karataev

Let's imagine this hero of the work "War and Peace". Platon Karataev is a soldier who met Pierre Bezukhov in captivity. In the service he was nicknamed Sokolik. Note that this character was not in the original version of the work. Its appearance was caused by the final design of the image of Pierre in the philosophical concept of “War and Peace”.

When I first met this good-natured affectionate person Pierre was struck by the feeling of something calm emanating from him. This character attracts others with his calmness, kindness, confidence, and smile. After Karataev’s death, thanks to his wisdom, folk philosophy expressed unconsciously in his behavior, Pierre Bezukhov understands the meaning of existence.

But they are not only depicted in the work “War and Peace”. Characteristics of the heroes include real historical figures. The main ones are Kutuzov and Napoleon. Their images are described in some detail in the work "War and Peace". The characteristics of the heroes we have mentioned are given below.

Kutuzov

Kutuzov in the novel, as in reality, is the commander-in-chief of the Russian army. He is described as a man with a plump face, disfigured by a wound, with He walks heavily, plump, gray-haired. For the first time on the pages of the novel he appears in the episode when the review of troops near Branau is depicted. Impresses everyone with his knowledge of the matter, as well as his attention, which is hidden behind external absent-mindedness. Kutuzov is capable of being diplomatic, he is quite cunning. Before the Battle of Shengraben he blesses Bagration with tears in his eyes. A favorite of military officers and soldiers. Believes that winning the campaign against Napoleon requires time and patience, that the matter can be decided not by knowledge, not by intelligence and not by plans, but by something else that does not depend on them, that a person is not able to truly influence the course of history . Kutuzov contemplates the course of events more than interferes with them. However, he knows how to remember everything, listen, see, not interfere with anything useful and not allow anything harmful. This is a modest, simple and therefore majestic figure.

Napoleon

Napoleon - real historical figure, french emperor. On the eve of the main events of the novel, he is the idol of Andrei Bolkonsky. Even Pierre Bezukhov bows before the greatness of this man. His confidence and self-satisfaction are expressed in the opinion that his presence plunges people into self-forgetfulness and delight, that everything in the world depends only on his will.

This is a brief description of heroes in the novel "War and Peace". It can serve as a basis for a more detailed analysis. Having turned to the work, you can supplement it if necessary. detailed characteristics heroes. "War and Peace" (volume 1 - introduction of the main characters, subsequent ones - character development) describes in detail each of these characters. Inner world many of them change over time. Therefore, Leo Tolstoy presented the characteristics of the heroes in dynamics ("War and Peace"). Volume 2, for example, reflects their lives between 1806 and 1812. The next two volumes describe further events, their reflection in the fate of the characters.

The characteristics of the heroes are of great importance for understanding such a creation of Leo Tolstoy as the work “War and Peace”. Through them the philosophy of the novel is reflected, the author's ideas and thoughts are conveyed.

Tolstoy’s favorite characters in the novel “War and Peace” are Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky. They are united by the quality that the writer himself most valued in people. In his opinion, to be a real person, you need to “tear, struggle, get confused, make mistakes, start and quit” all your life, and “calmness is spiritual meanness.” That is, a person should not calm down and stop, he should search for meaning all his life and strive to find an application for his strengths, talents, and mind.

In this article we will look at the characteristics of the main characters of the novel “War and Peace” by Tolstoy. Pay attention to why Tolstoy endowed these heroes with such traits and what he wanted to tell his readers by this.

Pierre Bezukhov in the novel "War and Peace"

As we have already noted, speaking about the main characters of Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace,” it is definitely worth discussing the image of Pierre Bezukhov. The reader first sees Pierre in the aristocratic St. Petersburg salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherer. The hostess treats him somewhat condescendingly, because he is just the illegitimate son of a rich nobleman of Catherine’s times, who has just returned from abroad, where he received an education.

Pierre Bezukhov differs from other guests in his spontaneity and sincerity. Drawing psychological picture of his main character, Tolstoy points out that Pierre was fat, absent-minded person, but all this was redeemed by “an expression of good nature, simplicity and modesty.” The owner of the salon was afraid that Pierre would say something wrong, and indeed, Bezukhov passionately expresses his opinion, argues with the viscount and does not know how to follow etiquette rules. At the same time, he is good-natured and smart. The qualities of Pierre, shown in the first chapters of the novel, will be inherent in him throughout the entire narrative, although the hero himself will go through a difficult path of spiritual evolution. Why can Pierre Bezukhov be safely considered one of the main characters of Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”? Consideration of the image of Pierre Bezukhov helps to understand this.

Pierre Bezukhov is so loved by Tolstoy because this main character of the novel tirelessly searches for the meaning of life, asks himself painful questions: “What is bad? What well? What should you love, what should you hate? Why live, and what am I? What is life, what is death? What force controls everything?

Pierre Bezukhov goes through a difficult path of spiritual quest. He is not satisfied with the St. Petersburg revelries of the golden youth. Having received an inheritance and becoming one of the richest people in Russia, the hero marries Helen, but fails family life and even blames himself for his wife’s betrayal, since he proposed without feeling love.

For a while he finds meaning in Freemasonry. He is close to the idea of ​​his spiritual brothers about the need to live for the sake of others, to give as much as possible to others. Pierre Bezukhov is trying to change and improve the situation of his peasants. But disappointment soon sets in: the protagonist of Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” realizes that most of Freemasons are trying to make acquaintances with influential people in this way. Further, the image and characteristics of Pierre Bezukhov are revealed in an interesting aspect.

The most important step on the way spiritual formation Pierre Bezukhov is the war of 1812 and captivity. On the Borodino field, he understands that the truth is in the universal unity of people. In captivity, the peasant philosopher Platon Karataev reveals to the main character how important it is to “live with people” and stoically accept everything that fate presents.

Pierre Bezukhov has an inquisitive mind, thoughtful and often ruthless introspection. He is a decent person, kind and a little naive. He asks himself and the world philosophical questions about the meaning of life, God, the purpose of existence, not finding an answer, he does not brush aside painful thoughts, but tries to grope the right way.

In the epilogue, Pierre is happy with Natasha Rostova, but personal happiness is not enough for him. He becomes a member secret society preparing transformations in Russia. So, discussing who the main characters are in Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace,” we focused on the image of Pierre Bezukhov and his characteristics. Let's move on to the next key character of the novel - Andrei Bolkonsky.

Andrei Bolkonsky in the novel "War and Peace"

The Bolkonsky family is united by common generic traits: sharp analytical mind, nobility, the highest sense of honor, understanding of one’s duty in serving the Fatherland. It is no coincidence that, seeing off his son to war, the father, admonishing him, says: “Remember one thing, Prince Andrei: if they kill you, it will hurt me, an old man... And if I find out that you did not behave like the son of Nikolai Bolkonsky, I will ... ashamed!" Undoubtedly, Andrei Bolkonsky bright character and one of the main characters in Tolstoy's War and Peace.

During military service, Bolkonsky is guided by considerations of the common good, and not own career. He heroically rushes forward with a banner in his hands, because it pains him to see the flight of the Russian army on the Field of Austerlitz.

Andrei, like Pierre, faces a difficult path of searching for the meaning of life and disappointments. At first he dreams of the glory of Napoleon. But after the Austerlitz sky, in which the prince saw something infinitely lofty, beautiful and calm, the former idol seems to him small, insignificant with his vain aspirations.

The main character of the novel “War and Peace” by Tolstoy experiences disappointment in love (Natasha betrays him by deciding to run away with the fool Anatoly Kuragin), in life for the sake of his family (he understands that this is not enough), in public service(Speransky’s activities turn out to be meaningless vanity that does not bring true benefit).

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy in his epic novel “War and Peace” provided a wide system of images. His world is not limited to a few noble families: real historical characters mixed with fictional ones, major and minor. This symbiosis is sometimes so confusing and unusual that it is extremely difficult to determine which heroes perform a more or less important function.

The novel features representatives of eight noble families, almost all of them occupy a central place in the narrative.

Rostov family

This family is represented by Count Ilya Andreevich, his wife Natalya, their four children together and their pupil Sonya.

The head of the family, Ilya Andreevich, is a sweet and good-natured person. He has always been wealthy, so he does not know how to save; he is often deceived by friends and relatives for selfish purposes. The Count is not a selfish person, he is ready to help everyone. Over time, his attitude, reinforced by his addiction to card game, became disastrous for his entire family. Because of the father's squandering, the family for a long time is on the verge of poverty. The Count dies at the end of the novel, after the wedding of Natalia and Pierre, a natural death.

Countess Natalya is very similar to her husband. She, like him, is alien to the concept of self-interest and the race for money. She is ready to help people who find themselves in difficult situation, she is overwhelmed with feelings of patriotism. The Countess had to endure many sorrows and troubles. This state of affairs is associated not only with unexpected poverty, but also with the death of their children. Of the thirteen born, only four survived, and subsequently the war took another one - the youngest.

Count and Countess Rostov, like most of the characters in the novel, have their own prototypes. They were the writer’s grandfather and grandmother – Ilya Andreevich and Pelageya Nikolaevna.

The Rostovs' eldest child's name is Vera. This is an unusual girl, unlike all the other family members. She is rude and callous at heart. This attitude applies not only to strangers, but also to close relatives. The rest of the Rostov children subsequently make fun of her and even come up with a nickname for her. The prototype of Vera was Elizaveta Bers, daughter-in-law of L. Tolstoy.

The next oldest child is Nikolai. His image is depicted in the novel with love. Nikolay – noble man. He approaches any activity responsibly. Tries to be guided by the principles of morality and honor. Nikolai is very similar to his parents - kind, sweet, purposeful. After the disaster he experienced, he was constantly concerned about not being in a similar situation again. Nikolai takes part in military events, he is repeatedly awarded, but still he leaves military service after the war with Napoleon - his family needs him.

Nikolai marries Maria Bolkonskaya, they have three children - Andrei, Natasha, Mitya - and a fourth is expected.

Younger sister Nicholas and Vera - Natalya - is the same in character and temperament as her parents. She is sincere and trusting, and this almost destroys her - Fyodor Dolokhov fools the girl and persuades her to escape. These plans were not destined to come true, but Natalya's engagement to Andrei Bolkonsky was terminated, and Natalya fell into deep depression. Subsequently, she became the wife of Pierre Bezukhov. The woman stopped watching her figure; those around her began to speak of her as an unpleasant woman. The prototypes of Natalya were Tolstoy’s wife, Sofya Andreevna, and her sister, Tatyana Andreevna.

The Rostovs' youngest child was Petya. He was the same as all the Rostovs: noble, honest and kind. All these qualities were enhanced by youthful maximalism. Petya was a sweet eccentric to whom all pranks were forgiven. Fate was extremely unfavorable for Petya - he, like his brother, went to the front and died there very young and young.

We invite you to read the novel by L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace”.

Another child was raised in the Rostov family - Sonya. The girl was related to the Rostovs; after the death of her parents, they took her in and treated her like their own child. Sonya was in love with Nikolai Rostov for a long time; this fact did not allow her to get married on time.

Presumably she remained alone until the end of her days. Its prototype was L. Tolstoy’s aunt, Tatyana Alexandrovna, in whose house the writer was brought up after the death of his parents.

We meet all the Rostovs at the very beginning of the novel - they all actively act throughout the entire narrative. In the “Epilogue” we learn about the further continuation of their family.

Bezukhov family

The Bezukhov family is not represented in such a large number as the Rostov family. The head of the family is Kirill Vladimirovich. The name of his wife is not known. We know that she belonged to the Kuragin family, but it is unclear who exactly she was to them. Count Bezukhov has no children born in marriage - all his children are illegitimate. The eldest of them, Pierre, was officially named by his father as heir to the estate.

After such a statement by the count, the image of Pierre Bezukhov begins to actively appear in the public sphere. Pierre himself does not impose his company on others, but he is a prominent groom - the heir to unimaginable wealth, so they want to see him always and everywhere. Nothing is known about Pierre's mother, but this does not become a reason for indignation and ridicule. Pierre received a decent education abroad and returned home full of utopian ideas, his vision of the world is too idealistic and divorced from reality, so all the time he faces unimaginable disappointments - in social activities, personal life, family harmony. His first wife was Elena Kuragina, a minx and a fidgety woman. This marriage brought a lot of suffering to Pierre. The death of his wife saved him from the unbearable - he did not have the power to leave Elena or change her, but he also could not come to terms with such an attitude towards his person. The second marriage - with Natasha Rostova - became more successful. They had four children - three girls and a boy.

Princes Kuragin

The Kuragin family is persistently associated with greed, debauchery and deceit. The reason for this was the children of Vasily Sergeevich and Alina - Anatol and Elena.

Prince Vasily was not bad person, he possessed a number positive qualities, but his desire for enrichment and gentleness of character towards his son brought all the positive aspects to naught.

Like any father, Prince Vasily wanted to provide a comfortable future for his children; one of the options was an advantageous marriage. This position is not only in the best possible way affected the reputation of the entire family, but also later played a tragic role in the lives of Elena and Anatole.

Little is known about Princess Alina. At the time of the story, she was a rather ugly woman. Her distinguishing feature was her hostility towards her daughter Elena out of envy.

Vasily Sergeevich and Princess Alina had two sons and a daughter.

Anatole became the cause of all the family’s troubles. He led the life of a spendthrift and a rake - debts and rowdy behavior were a natural pastime for him. This behavior left an extremely negative imprint on the family’s reputation and financial situation.

Anatole was noticed to be amorously attracted to his sister Elena. Possibility of occurrence Serious relationships between brother and sister were suppressed by Prince Vasily, but, apparently, they still took place after Elena’s marriage.

The Kuragins' daughter Elena had incredible beauty, like her brother Anatoly. She skillfully flirted and after marriage had affairs with many men, ignoring her husband Pierre Bezukhov.

Their brother Hippolytus was completely different from them in appearance - he was extremely unpleasant in appearance. In terms of the composition of his mind, he was not much different from his brother and sister. He was too stupid - this was noted not only by those around him, but also by his father. Still, Hippolytus was not hopeless - he knew well foreign languages and worked at the embassy.

Princes Bolkonsky

The Bolkonsky family occupies far last place in society - they are rich and influential.
The family includes Prince Nikolai Andreevich, a man of the old school and unique morals. He is quite rude in communicating with his family, but still not devoid of sensuality and tenderness - he is kind to his grandson and daughter, in a peculiar way, but still, he loves his son, but he is not very good at showing the sincerity of his feelings.

Nothing is known about the prince's wife; even her name is not mentioned in the text. The Bolkonskys’ marriage produced two children – son Andrei and daughter Marya.

Andrei Bolkonsky is somewhat similar in character to his father - he is hot-tempered, proud and a little rude. He is distinguished by his attractive appearance and natural charm. At the beginning of the novel, Andrei is successfully married to Lisa Meinen - the couple gives birth to a son, Nikolenka, but his mother dies the night after giving birth.

After some time, Andrei becomes Natalya Rostova’s fiancé, but there was no need to have a wedding - Anatol Kuragin translated all the plans, which earned him personal hostility and exceptional hatred from Andrei.

Prince Andrei takes part in the military events of 1812, is seriously wounded on the battlefield and dies in the hospital.

Maria Bolkonskaya - Andrei's sister - is deprived of such pride and stubbornness as her brother, which allows her, not without difficulty, but still to get along with her father, who is not distinguished by an easy-going character. Kind and meek, she understands that she is not indifferent to her father, so she does not hold a grudge against him for his nagging and rudeness. The girl is raising her nephew. Outwardly, Marya does not look like her brother - she is very ugly, but this does not prevent her from marrying Nikolai Rostov and living a happy life.

Lisa Bolkonskaya (Meinen) was the wife of Prince Andrei. She was an attractive woman. Her inner world was not inferior to her appearance - she was sweet and pleasant, she loved to do needlework. Unfortunately, her fate did not work out in the best way - childbirth turned out to be too difficult for her - she dies, giving life to her son Nikolenka.

Nikolenka lost his mother early, but the boy’s troubles did not stop there - at the age of 7 he lost his father. Despite everything, he is characterized by the cheerfulness inherent in all children - he grows up as an intelligent and inquisitive boy. The image of his father becomes key for him - Nikolenka wants to live in such a way that his father can be proud of him.

Mademoiselle Burien also belongs to the Bolkonsky family. Despite the fact that she is just a hangout companion, her importance in the context of the family is quite significant. First of all, it consists of pseudo friendship with Princess Maria. Mademoiselle often acts meanly towards Maria and takes advantage of the girl’s favor towards her person.

Karagin family

Tolstoy does not talk much about the Karagin family - the reader gets acquainted with only two representatives of this family - Marya Lvovna and her daughter Julie.

Marya Lvovna first appears before readers in the first volume of the novel, and her daughter also begins to act in the first volume of the first part of War and Peace. Julie has an extremely unpleasant appearance, she is in love with Nikolai Rostov, but the young man does not pay any attention to her. Her enormous wealth does not help the situation either. Boris Drubetskoy actively draws attention to her material component; the girl understands that the young man is being nice to her only because of money, but does not show it - for her, this is actually the only way not to remain an old maid.

Princes Drubetsky

The Drubetsky family is not particularly active in the social sphere, therefore Tolstoy avoids a detailed description of the family members and focuses readers’ attention only on actively current characters– Anna Mikhailovna and her son Boris.

Princess Drubetskaya belongs to an old family, but now her family is going through not the best of times - poverty has become a constant companion of the Drubetskayas. This state of affairs gave rise to a sense of prudence and self-interest in the representatives of this family. Anna Mikhailovna tries to benefit as much as possible from her friendship with the Rostovs - she lives with them for a long time.

Her son, Boris, was Nikolai Rostov's friend for some time. As they grew older, their views on life values ​​and principles began to differ greatly, which led to distance in communication.

Boris begins to show more and more selfishness and the desire to get rich at any cost. He is ready to marry for money and successfully does so, taking advantage of the unenviable position of Julie Karagina

Dolokhov family

Representatives of the Dolokhov family are also not all active in society. Fedor stands out brightly among everyone. He is the son of Marya Ivanovna and best friend Anatoly Kuragin. In his behavior, he also did not go far from his friend: carousing and an idle way of life are a common occurrence for him. Moreover, he is famous for his love affair with Pierre Bezukhov’s wife, Elena. Distinctive feature What separates Dolokhov from Kuragin is his affection for his mother and sister.

Historical figures in the novel "War and Peace"

Since Tolstoy’s novel takes place against the backdrop of historical events associated with the war against Napoleon in 1812, it is impossible to do without at least partial mention of real-life characters.

Alexander I

The activities of Emperor Alexander I are most actively described in the novel. This is not surprising, because the main events take place on the territory Russian Empire. First we learn about the positive and liberal aspirations of the emperor, he is an “angel in the flesh.” The peak of its popularity falls during the period of Napoleon's defeat in the war. It was at this time that Alexander’s authority reached incredible heights. The Emperor could easily make changes and improve the lives of his subjects, but he doesn't. As a result, such an attitude and inactivity become the reason for the emergence of the Decembrist movement.

Napoleon I Bonaparte

On the other side of the barricade in the events of 1812 is Napoleon. Since many Russian aristocrats received their education abroad, and French was everyday life for them, the attitude of the nobles towards this character at the beginning of the novel was positive and bordered on admiration. Then disappointment occurs - their idol from the category of ideals becomes the main villain. Connotations such as egocentrism, lies, and pretense are actively used with the image of Napoleon.

Mikhail Speransky

This character is important not only in Tolstoy's novel, but also during the real era of Emperor Alexander.

His family could not boast of antiquity and significance - he is the son of a priest, but still he managed to become the secretary of Alexander I. He is not a particularly pleasant person, but everyone notes his importance in the context of events in the country.

In addition, the novel features historical characters of lesser importance than the emperors. These are the great commanders Barclay de Tolly, Mikhail Kutuzov and Pyotr Bagration. Their activities and the revelation of the image take place on the battlefield - Tolstoy tries to describe the military part of the story as realistically and captivating as possible, therefore these characters are described not only as great and unsurpassed, but also in the role ordinary people who are subject to doubts, mistakes and negative qualities character.

Other characters

Among the other characters, the name of Anna Scherer should be highlighted. She is the “owner” of a secular salon - the elite of society meet here. Guests are rarely left to their own devices. Anna Mikhailovna always strives to provide for her visitors interesting interlocutors, she often pimps - this arouses her special interest.

Characteristics of the heroes of the novel “War and Peace”: images of the characters