All the heroes of the novel "War and Peace" (both fictional characters and historical figures) are grouped and evaluated by Tolstoy depending on the degree of their proximity or remoteness from the people. This single principle of characterization and evaluation of the entire set of characters (and there are more than five hundred of them in the novel) allowed the writer to bring together the image of people of various social strata and various individual destinies.
The main accusation that Tolstoy makes against St. Petersburg secular society, leading a "ghostly", artificial life, is isolation from the people, especially in a time of terrible trials. "War and Peace" begins with a description of the evening in the salon of Anna Pavlovna Sherer, where the nobility of the capital gathers. In itself, the comparison of the evening with a spinning workshop (“Spindles from different directions were evenly and incessantly noisy”) quite accurately and definitely expressed the author’s attitude to the world of falsity and emptiness, to that artificial life, which is characterized by mechanistic, deadness. The idea of the old Prince Bolkonsky about European politics: "some kind of puppet comedy" - gets a generalized meaning.
L. N. Tolstoy puts forward certain criteria by which he determines the value of the human personality: a person’s attitude to his homeland, people, nature, the ability to introspection, the depth of experiences, moral quest. Representatives of a secular society do not stand the test of humanity. The environment of the Kuragins and their ilk (Adolf Berg, Boris Drubetskoy and Rostopchin with his pseudo-patriotism) is distinguished precisely by its lifelessness, puppetry, hostility to everything truly human, natural, and finally, just decent. Vasily Kuragin tried to rob Pierre, his son, Anatole, involved Pierre in scandalous stories, he also brought a lot of grief to Marya Bolkonskaya, Natasha Rostova. Pierre had every reason to say, referring to Helen and meaning not only her alone, but the whole secular world that she embodied: "... where you are, there is debauchery, evil ...".
The main principle of Tolstoy's depiction of negative characters is static, lack of movement, depth of experience. Them moral world always primitive, devoid of intellectual wealth and moral appeal; they are not given a living perception of nature (none of them is depicted outside city houses, secular evenings, balls, etc.). So already in "War and Peace" begins that "tearing off all and sundry masks", which will become especially characteristic of Tolstoy's subsequent work. Developed poses, unchanging smiles, acting were common both for the usual visitors to Anna Pavlovna's salon and for Napoleon.
The motifs of puppetry and play as signs of unnaturalness and artificiality are especially pronounced in episodes where Natasha, who has just returned from the village and has not had time to get used to the conventions of secular society, visits the opera house. Tolstoy describes the opera performance, seen as if through her eyes, that is, from the point of view of a natural person: “... then some more people came running and began to drag away that girl who was previously in white, and now in a blue dress. They didn’t drag her away right away, but sang for a long time, and then they dragged her away…”. Right here in the theater
Natasha meets Anatole and becomes infatuated with him. The atmosphere of artificiality, falsity, when the shameful, the unlawful turns out to be permissible and ordinary (“Naked Helen was sitting next to her ...”), deprives Natasha of simple, natural human ideas, her guidelines have shifted, and what would have been impossible for her moral sense quite recently, now becomes quite acceptable.
Tolstoy does not accept a life preoccupied only with "ghosts, reflections", devoid of truly human values. And it is characteristic that representatives of the secular world hated by the author gradually occupy less and less space in the development of the action, in the end almost completely disappearing from the pages of the novel.
Helen suddenly dies from a strange and mysterious illness, nothing is said in the epilogue about the Kuragins and Scherer, Berg and Drubetskoy. Forgotten and Napoleon. Everything dark, selfish, negative leaves, goodness, light, openness and naturalness win. The heroines of the epic novel “Tolstoy's moral sensitivity,” writes E. A. Maimin, “forces him to portray heroes, both positive and negative, in the light of his ideal. He does not like those of his heroes in whom there is no life, a unique personality.
In 1867, Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy completed work on the work "War and Peace". Speaking about his novel, Tolstoy admitted that in "War and Peace" he "loved the thought of the people." The author poetizes simplicity, kindness, morality...
"War and Peace" is a Russian national epic that reflects the character of a great nation at the moment when its historical destinies were being decided. Tolstoy, trying to cover everything that he knew and felt at that time, gave in the novel a set of everyday life, morals, ...
Natasha Rostova is the central female character in the novel "War and Peace" and, perhaps, the author's favorite. Tolstoy presents us with the evolution of his heroine over the fifteen-year period, from 1805 to 1820, of her life and over more than one and a half thousand...
Without knowing Tolstoy, you cannot consider yourself knowing the country, you cannot consider yourself a cultured person. A.M. Bitter. The last page of the novel by L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace" ... Whenever you close a book you have just read, there is a feeling ...
IMAGE OF SECULAR SOCIETY IN THE NOVEL "WAR AND PEACE"
Tolstoy recalled that he was inspired to write the novel "WAR and Peace" by "the thought of the people." It was from the people that Tolstoy himself learned and advised others to do the same. Therefore, the main characters of his novel are people from the people or those who were close to ordinary people. Without denying the merit of the nobility to the people, he divides it into two categories. The first category includes those who, by their nature, outlook, worldview, are close to the people or come to this through trials. The best representatives of the nobility in this regard are Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, Pierre Bezukhov, Natasha Rostova, Princess Marya Bolkonskaya.
But there are other representatives of the nobility, the so-called "secular society", who constitute a special caste. These are people who recognize only a few values: title, power and money. Only those who have one or all of the listed values available, they let into their circle and recognize them as their own. Secular society is empty through and through, just as empty and insignificant are its individual representatives, people without any moral or moral foundations, without life goals. Just as empty and insignificant is their spiritual world. But despite this, they have great power. This is the elite that governs the country, those people who decide the fate of fellow citizens.
Tolstoy tries in the novel to show the whole nation and all its representatives. "War and Peace" begins with scenes depicting the highest noble society. The author shows mainly the present, but also touches on the past. Tolstoy draws the nobles of this passing era. Count Bezukhov is one of their representatives. Bezukhov is rich and noble, he has a good estate, money, power, which he received from the kings for minor services. A former favorite of Catherine, a reveler and a libertine, he devoted his whole life to pleasures. He is opposed by the old prince Bolkonsky - his age. Bolkonsky is a faithful defender of the fatherland, whom he served faithfully. For this, he was repeatedly in disgrace and out of favor with those in power.
“Secular society” even with the onset of the war of 1812 changed little: “calm, luxurious, preoccupied only with ghosts, reflections of life, life in St. Petersburg went on in the old way; and because of the course of this life, great efforts had to be made to realize the danger and the difficult situation in which the Russian people found themselves. There were the same exits, balls, the same French theatre, the same interests of the courts, the same interests of service and intrigue ... ”Only the conversations have changed - they began to talk more about Napoleon and patriotism.
All sections of the Moscow noble society are represented in War and Peace. Tolstoy, characterizing the society of the nobility, seeks to show not individual representatives, but entire families. After all, it is in the family that the foundations of integrity and morality, as well as spiritual emptiness and idleness, are laid. One of these families is the Kuragin family. Its head, Vasily Kuragin, occupies a fairly high position in the country. He is a minister called to take care of the people. Instead, all the cares of the elder Kuragin are directed at himself and his own children. His son Ippolit is a diplomat who cannot speak Russian at all. With all his stupidity and insignificance, he craves power and wealth. Anatole Kuragin is no better than his brother. His only entertainment is carousing and drinking. It seems that this person is completely indifferent to everything, except for the indulgence of his own whims. His friend Drubetskoy is Anatole's constant companion and a witness to his dark deeds.
Thus, drawing a noble society, Tolstoy shows its inactivity and inability to govern the country. The noble nobility has outlived its usefulness and must leave the stage of history. The necessity and inevitability of this was convincingly shown Patriotic War 1812. The higher nobility differs from the people even in their language. The language of the nobility is a Frenchized language. He is as dead as the whole society. It preserved empty clichés, once and for all established expressions, ready-made phrases that are used in convenient cases. People have learned to hide their feelings behind commonplace phrases.
The multifaceted prose canvas created by Leo Tolstoy is a true picture of the life of the Russian people in the first quarter of the 19th century. The volume of the work and the scale of the description characteristically evoke the multifaceted problems of the novel. One of the problems that L.N. Tolstoy is the study of the moral essence of secular society in the novel "War and Peace".
Artistic reception of opposition
One of the main artistic techniques used by the author is opposition. This catches the eye even before reading the epic novel, because this technique already emphasizes the title of the work. Through a parallel image based on the opposition of war and peace, Lev Nikolayevich depicts the actual problems of the early 19th century, human vices and virtues, the values of society and the personal dramas of the heroes.
The method of opposition touched not only the plans of the image, but also the images. The author created images of war and peace in the novel. If the author portrays the war through battles, the characters of commanders, officers and soldiers, then the world personifies the image of Russian society in the first decades of the 19th century.
In describing the characteristic secular world in the novel "War and Peace", the author does not deviate from his stylistic manner, which is characterized not only by philosophical digressions, where the author's assessment of the events described is traced, but also Comparative characteristics phenomena, images, spiritual qualities. So, in a hidden opposition, the author depicts representatives of the two main cities of the Empire - St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Characteristics of the metropolitan society in the novel
In that historical period, which is described in the work, St. Petersburg was the capital of the Russian Empire, with a pretentious society characteristic of such a high rank. St. Petersburg is a city characterized by architectural splendor combined with cold gloominess and impregnability. The author also transfers his peculiar character to Petersburg society.
Social events, balls, receptions are the main events for representatives of the secular society of the capital. It is there that political, cultural and secular news are discussed. However, behind the external beauty of these events, it is clear that the representatives of the nobility do not care and do not care at all about these topics, nor the opinions of the interlocutors, nor the outcome of conversations and meetings. The denunciation of true and false beauty, the essence of the metropolitan society is revealed in the novel already from the first price in the salon of Anna Pavlovna Sherer.
Petersburg high society in the novel he plays the usual roles, speaks only about what it is customary to talk about, acts as expected. On the example of the Kuragin family, who are typical representative metropolitan society, the author, with undisguised disappointment and irony, emphasizes theatricality, pretense and cynicism secular life Petersburg and its representatives. Only those who are inexperienced or have lost interest in role-playing find the author's approval on the pages of the novel, through whose mouth the author gives his assessment: "Living rooms, gossip, balls, vanity, insignificance - this is a vicious circle from which I cannot get out."
Description of Moscow social life and its representatives
For the first time, the author introduces the reader to the customs and atmosphere of the Moscow nobility at the morning reception of the Rostov family. At first glance, it may seem that the secular picture of Moscow is not much different from the society northern capital. However, the conversations of representatives of the nobility are no longer so generalized and empty, in them one can also hear personal opinions, disputes and discussions, which indicates the sincerity of views, true excitement for the fate of their region and the state as a whole. At social events there is a place for children's pranks and good-natured laughter, sincere amazement, simplicity and directness of thoughts and actions, trust and forgiveness.
At the same time, one should not assume that Tolstoy, who undoubtedly sympathizes with Moscow society in the novel, idealizes it. On the contrary, he emphasizes many of his qualities that are not approved by the author, such as envy, ridicule, passion for gossip and discussion of someone else's private life. However, creating the image of the secular society of Moscow, the author identifies it with the characteristic, both positive and negative features inherent in the Russian people.
The role of the image of secular society in the novel
One of the main issues that underlies the work and my essay on the topic “Secular society in the novel“ War and Peace ”is the essence of the Russian people, with all its versatility, shortcomings and virtues. In the novel, Tolstoy's goal was to show, without embellishment and flattery, the true face of the society of the early 19th century, in order to portray the essence of the Russian soul and main national values such as home, family and state against its background.
The image of society serves not only as a force that forms views, opinions, principles of thinking and ideals of behavior, but also as a background for expressing bright personalities due to it, thanks to high moral character and whose heroism the war was won, which largely affected the future fate of the state.
Artwork test
Tolstoy recalled that the writing of the
the mana "War and Peace" inspired him "the thought
folk". It was from the people that Tolstoy learned
and advised others to do so. That's why
The main characters of the novel are
natives of the people or those who stood close
to ordinary people. Without denying the merits of two
ryanism before the people, he divides it into two
categories. The first category includes those
which, by their nature, outlook, worldly
views are close to the people or through the
trials come to this. The best pre-
nobility in this respect
are Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, Pierre
Bezukhov, Natasha Rostova, Princess Marya
Bolkonskaya. But there are other representatives
nobility, the so-called "secular society"
stvo”, which constitute a special caste. it
people who recognize only a few
values: title, power and money. Only
those who have available one or all of the
listed values, they let into their
circle and recognize their own. secular society
through and through empty, just as empty and insignificant
we are its individual representatives, people without
any moral or ethical
toys, without life goals. Just as empty
their spiritual world is insignificant. But despite
that, they have great power. This is the ver-
hushka that runs the country, those people
who decide the fate of fellow citizens.
Tolstoy tries in the novel to show all
the nation and all its representatives. "War and
world" begins with scenes depicting the highest
noble society. The author shows in
new modernity, but also affects pro-g
past. Tolstoy draws the nobles of this leaving
shchi epoch. Count Kirill Bezukhov is one of
their representatives. Bezukhov is rich and noble,
he has a good estate, money, power, which
ry received from the kings for small services.
Former favorite of Catherine, reveler and raz-
gatekeeper, he devoted his whole life to pleasure-
pits. He is opposed by the old prince Bolkon-
sky is his age. Bolkonsky - faithful
defender of the fatherland he served
faithfully. For this he repeatedly
was in disgrace and out of favor with the authorities
haves.
Anti-people, complete disregard
needs of ordinary people, greed -
these are the distinguishing features of the higher dual
Ryan society. These features are also inherent in the state
yam maid of honor Schörer, and visitors to the French
tsuzsky salon of Countess Bezukhova. Here
selfishness, greed, career-
rism and intrigue. Small talk -
nothing more than an ordinary slander,
often turning into slander. Behind the mask
good nature hides hypocrisy and pretense
a habit that has become a habit. All normal people
human senses are distorted, everything is soaked
lie, from friendship and love there was only a
dimness. The origins of moral decay are high
Tolstoy sees our society in parasitism
and idleness. It is not in vain that he introduces all
Lei calls drones. Saltykov-Shchedrin,
characterizing the novel "War and Peace",
remarked: “And our so-called“ higher education
society,” the count famously snatched.
"Secular society" even with the onset
The theme of the war of 1812 has changed little:
calm, luxurious, preoccupied only with
ghosts, reflections of life, Petersburg
life went on as before; and because of the course of this
life had to make great efforts,
to realize the danger and that difficult situation
the situation in which the Russian people were.
There were the same exits, balls, the same French
theater, the same interests of the courts, the same in-
teres of service and intrigue ... "The times have changed
ve that conversations - they began to talk more -
talk about Napoleon and patriotism.
At the top of the noble society are
Emperor Alexander I died. Alexander I
rendered exactly as it was imagined
most nobles. But in the guise of an emperor
features of duplicity, posturing and
that cutesy sensuality in which flattering
tsy saw the manifestation of a "high soul
king. The true appearance of Alexander I is especially
but is clearly shown in the scene of the arrival of the king in the army
after the defeat of the invaders. Kutuzov tsar for-
embraces, accompanying their angry
hissing: "The old comedian." Tolstoy
melts that the top of the nation has become dead and now
lives an "artificial life". Everything is approx.
the king's wives are no different from him
. mogo. The country is run by a bunch of foreigners
who do not care about Russia. Mini-
stry, generals, diplomats, staff officers
ry and other close associates of the emperor
you own enrichment and career.
Here reigns the same lie, the same intrigue,
opportunism, which is everywhere. It is Ote-
the civil war of 1812 showed the insistence
the essence of the representatives of power. Lie-
their patriotism is covered with loud words
you about the homeland and people. But their mediocrity
and the inability to govern the country is clearly visible
in the novel.
All layers are featured in War and Peace
Moscow noble society. Tolstoy
characterizing the society of the nobility,
aims to show not individual representatives
lei, but whole families. After all, it is in the family
laid down as the foundations of integrity
and morality, and spiritual emptiness and
idleness. One of these families is
Kuragin family. Its head Vasily Kuragin
occupies a high position in the country.
He is a minister called to take care of the people
de. Instead, all the worries of the elder Kura-
Gina are directed at oneself and at one's own
venous children. His son Hippolyte is a diplomat,
who can't speak at all
Russian. With all his stupidity and insignificance
he craves power and wealth. Anatole Ku-
ragin is no better than brother. His only
entertainment is carousing and drinking.
It seems that this person is completely
everything is indifferent, except for self-indulgence
venous whims. His friend Drubetskoy - in-
standing companion of Anatole and his witness
dark deeds.
We are already familiar with these people.
first pages of the novel, where Tolstoy describes
seduces visitors and regulars of the salon
Anna Pavlovna Sherer. Here they spin and
cold and prudent rogue Vasya-
Liy Kuragin, who is looking for clever moves
“whether to the cross, to the town”, and his son Ana-
roofing felt, which the father himself calls "anxiety-
fool, "and the destroyers of other people's destinies
Hippolyte and Helen. Helen - the first beauty
city, but at the same time cold and soulful
stop man. She is aware of her beauty and
puts it on display, allowing you to love-
sya. But this woman is far from harmless,
as it may seem at first glance. Av-
tor emphasizes Helen's smile - she is "inevitable
mena." Helen herself wants to be compared with Elena
Beautiful, antique heroine, because of which
swarm started Trojan War. Helen also
brings some trouble. Later she
taking advantage of Pierre's gullibility,
beckons him into his nets and marries him.
In the Scherer salon, we see both Pierre and An-
Drey Bolkonsky. The author contrasts
these living people to the dead upper world.
We understand that Pierre has fallen into a society that
to which he is a stranger and which he does not understand at all
his. Only Andrey's intervention helps
avoid scandal.
Boris Drubetskoy - one more
body of the highest noble society. He is alone
of those who will replace the older
generation. But the author draws it the same yes-
Lekim from the people, like everyone else. Boris
only cares about his career. He has ho-
a good mind and a sober mind, he knows for sure
what he needs in this life. He sets a goal
and achieves it. Even in the Drubetskaya war
thinks about awards and promotions,
wants to "arrange for himself the best position-
nie, especially the position of the adjutant with the importance
face, which seemed to him especially tempting
you in the army." He also makes acquaintances
only those that are beneficial to him. Let's remember
how the Drubetskys turned away from the Rostovs, when
yes, they were ruined. This despite
that once the families were friendly.
The highest nobility differs from the people even
with your own language. The language of the nobility is
Frenchized language. He's just as dead
vy, like the whole society. It has preserved
empty stamps, once and for all folded -
Xia expressions, ready-made turns that
used in convenient cases. People on-
learned to hide their feelings behind commonplace
mi phrases.
Thus, drawing a noble society
in, Tolstoy shows his inactivity
and inability to govern the country. Nobles-
sky nobility has outlived its usefulness and must leave the stage
we history. Necessity and inevitability
This was convincingly shown by the Patriotic
war of 1812.
L.N. Tolstoy originally wanted to write a short novel about a Decembrist who returned home from exile. About his views on life, changes in worldview. But in the process of work, I realized that one cannot do without the previous story. It was necessary to reveal the origins of the Decembrist movement, the character of the Russian nobility and the common people. But this world is so multifaceted that the work resulted in a voluminous, truly legendary epic novel.
Attitude towards war
Showing the war, Tolstoy describes Napoleon's attack on Russia, the Battle of Borodino, the slow return of the Russian army, the French conquest of Moscow, the fire in the capital, and the return of the Napoleonic army during the harsh winter. The French commander had to flee from Russia under the shelling of Russian soldiers. His army is suffering from cold, hunger, as the Russians have destroyed all food supplies. The capture of Moscow by Napoleon proved futile, and ultimately destroyed most of his army.
Along with these historical events Tolstoy describes the various classes of Russian society in terms of their participation in the war and the impact the war had on their lives. At the beginning of the novel, the Russian aristocratic class insists on Russia's participation in the war. They wanted a quick victory, pride in Russian nobility. But they did not expect that the war would destroy houses, Agriculture will take the lives of many compatriots. However, the majority of this class did not plan to participate in the war themselves, but were going to win the battles at the hands of the peasants.
At the beginning of the novel, representatives of the aristocracy dream of war, admiring the genius of Napoleon. For them, it does not matter how many battles will take human lives, how many people will be crippled, how many orphans will remain. During bloody and protracted confrontations, the nobility already makes other pathetic speeches, scolding the French commander. The attitude towards the French language, so praised quite recently, is also changing. There are penalties for this speech.
Character Antagonism
Tolstoy leads the reader to the realization of true and false moral values, patriotism, honor and dishonor. People like Drubetskoy are eager for war only for their own benefit. Through the death of hundreds of people, they want to get a high officer rank. Their aspirations are base, vile, vulgar, deceitful. And simple, inconspicuous people, like Tushin, really cheer for victory, sympathize with people, love, root for their homeland. The same goes for the women in the novel. Young Natasha Rostova, who was considered by many to be windy, irresponsible, gives her carts to the wounded, realizing that because of this she will not be able to evacuate in time. The author gently pushes us to compare Helen Kuragina and Marya Bolkonskaya. Everyone considers Helen a beauty, many are in love with her. It is in demand in secular society. Maria, on the other hand, has an inconspicuous appearance, modest, quiet. But she has a finely sensitive soul, is virtuous, beautiful internally. You understand this only after reading the novel in its entirety.
Attitude towards peasants
All Moscow and St. Petersburg nobility of that time were landowners. But only a few of them treated the peasants as people. Then it was easy to sell a person, exchange or lose at cards. And the peasants were measured by "souls". This suggests that the aristocrats imagined themselves to be almost gods, thinking that they possessed human souls. Meanwhile, the Russian people - this is the true hero of a great work.
Conclusion
The writer paid much attention to the image of the nobility. Lev Nikolaevich makes us understand the insignificance of these people. They are cold, arrogant, stiff. Personal gain, money, rank, gossip is more important for them than honor, truth, morality. Here it is not customary to openly express one's thoughts aloud, and personal opinion should correspond to the opinion of the crowd. Any sincere manifestation of feelings finds here only condemnation. Some of them, such as: Pierre Bezukhov, Natasha Rostova, Andrey Bolkonsky, through physical and moral suffering, were able to purify themselves, come to inner harmony after cruel introspection. But they are few.
The writer also reveals the role of women in society. She should not be a coquette, like Helen Kuragina, not a secular lady, like Anna Scherer, but a mother and wife. This becomes main character novel - Natasha Rostova.
