Depiction of war in the novel War and Peace. Depiction of the war in the novel L
Throughout the world, from the time of Homer to the present, there has not been a literary creation that would describe life with such comprehensive simplicity as Leo Tolstoy did in the epic War and Peace.
Romance deep as life
In the work there are no main characters in the usual sense of the word. The Russian genius let the flow of life into the pages of the book, which now rumbles with war, then calms down with peace. And ordinary people live in this stream, who are its organic particles. They sometimes influence him, but more often they rush along with him, solving their daily problems and conflicts. And even the war in the novel "War and Peace" is depicted truthfully and vitally. There is no glorification in the novel, but there is no escalation of passions either. Ordinary people live in conditions of war and peace, and manifest themselves exactly as it is in tune with their inner state.
No artistic simplification
The theme of war in the novel "War and Peace" is not artificially emphasized by the author. She occupies exactly as much space in the work as she occupied in the real life of the Russian people at the beginning of the 19th century. But Russia has waged constant wars for 12 years, and thousands of people have been involved in them. Europe is in turmoil, the essence of the European soul is looking for new ones. Many are sliding down to "two-legged creatures", of which there are millions, but who "are aiming at Napoleons."
For the first time, Prince Kutuzov appears on the pages of the novel before the battle of Austerlitz. His conversation, deep and meaningful, with Andrei Bolkonsky, reveals to us the secret of the mystery of the role that Kutuzov played in the fate of his people. The image of Kutuzov in "War and Peace" is strange at first glance. This is a commander, but the writer does not seem to notice his military leadership talents. Yes, they were in it, when compared with Napoleon and Bagration, not too outstanding. So how did he surpass the military genius? And those feelings, that love that escaped from his heart near Austerlitz, when the Russian troops ran: "That's what hurts!"
Leo Tolstoy mercilessly draws the logic of war. From the complete annihilation of the Russian army in 1805, the unknown Tushin saves, and not the military talents of Bagration and Kutuzov. There is no doubt that the queen is a powerful piece, but her strength turns into the strength of a horse without a rider when the pawns refuse to die for him: she kicks, but bites, and that's all.
A separate topic - battles
For writers before Leo Tolstoy, this was a fertile topic that helped to reveal to readers the best spiritual qualities of the heroes of the works. And the count was not a writer and "spoiled" everything. He caught the sound of human souls. His heroes act exactly in accordance with the sound of their souls, whether there is war or peace in the yard. The image of Napoleon in "War and Peace" is shown from the truest side, namely, in a human tone. He is no more significant than the same Natasha Rostova. They are both equally large for life. And both go from battle to battle.
Only the path of Napoleon ran through blood, and Natasha - through love. Napoleon does not doubt for a moment that he directs the destinies of peoples. This is what his soul sounds like. But Napoleon was only chosen by that incredible combination of circumstances, when a terrible idea entered the brain of all the peoples of Europe - to kill each other. And who could be more in line with this idea than Napoleon - an underdeveloped dwarf with an overdeveloped mind?
Battles big and small
Descriptions of the battles in the novel "War and Peace" are present in full, large and small, during war and during peace. The retreat of Russian troops from the border was also a battle. "When will we stop?" - young commanders impatiently ask Kutuzov. “And then, when everyone wants to fight,” answered the wise old Russian man. For them, war is a game and a service in which they receive awards and career advancements. And for the one-eyed veteran and the people - this is life, which is one and only.
The battle of Borodino is the apogee of the struggle between two great nations, but only an episode in the life of everyone who remained in the world after it. The battle raged for only a day. And something changed in the world after him. Europe has come into its own. She chose the wrong path. And she no longer needed Napoleon. Further, only withering. And neither the military genius nor the political mind could save him from this, because the whole people on the Borodino field said that they longed with all their heart to remain themselves.
war knights
The war in the novel "War and Peace" is described from the points of view of various people. Among them there are those for whom war is their native element. who wielded an ax like a wolf wielded his teeth; Dolokhov, breter and player; Nikolai Rostov, a balanced and infinitely brave man; Denisov, poet of drinking parties and war; the great Kutuzov; Andrei Bolkonsky is a philosopher and charismatic personality. What do they have in common? And the fact that, apart from war, there is no other life for them. The image of Kutuzov in "War and Peace" in this respect is simply perfectly drawn. He was even, like Ilya Muromets, pulled off the stove to save the Fatherland.
These are all knights of war, in whose heads there is not a worldview or imagination, but an animal sense of danger. Kutuzov is not much different from Tikhon Shcherbaty. Both of them do not think, do not imagine, but feel like an animal that there is danger and where it threatens. It is not hard to imagine a drunken Tikhon who is begging near the church. Nikolai Rostov at the end of the novel talks about something with Bezukhov, but in all conversations he sees only battle scenes.
In the novel "War and Peace" there is no ordinary lie, nor one that is told for the sake of Leo Tolstoy is ruthlessly fair in depicting his heroes. He never condemns them, but he never praises them either. Even Andrei Bolkonsky, seemingly his favorite hero, he does not make a role model. Living next to him is torture, because he is also a knight of war, even in peacetime. Natasha's death and dying love were his reward, because he is, in essence, a Napoleon of his soul, who is more terrible than the real Napoleon. Everyone loved him, but he didn't. The spiritual power of this knight of war was felt even when peace descended on him before his death. Even the kindest person fell under his influence - Pierre Bezukhov with a boundless heart, and this is already such a danger to the world that it is worse than the bloodiest war.
A split in the sky
Andrei Bolkonsky lay on the field near Austerlitz and saw the heavens. Infinity opened up above him. And suddenly Napoleon drives up with his retinue. “Here is a beautiful death!”, - said the one who did not understand anything either in death, or, even more so, in life. And what can one understand in this matter who does not feel life in another person? The question is rhetorical. And the war scenes in War and Peace are all rhetorical.
People rush on the ground, shoot at each other, tear pieces of bread out of other people's mouths, humiliate and deceive their loved ones. Why all this when the heavens are bottomlessly calm? The heavens are split because there is also a split in the souls of people. Everyone wants to live next to a kind neighbor, but at the same time inflicts spiritual wounds on a kind person.
Why is war and peace in life side by side?
Tolstoy's depiction of war in the novel "War and Peace" is inseparable from the depiction of the world, because in real life they are consubstantial. And the Russian genius draws exactly real life, and not what he would like to see around him. His philosophical reasoning in the work is rather primitive, but there is more truth in them than in the thoughts of highbrow scientists. After all, a person is not a formula on paper.
Passions speak more often than reason. Karataev is not wise because he is smart, but because he has absorbed life with every particle of his body: from the brain to the tips of the nails. The novel reflects the consubstantiality of the endless process of life, in which is the immortality of the human race, and therefore of each person individually.
And the world cracked in half - the crack smokes
Bolkonsky on the operating table, and next to him they are sawing the leg of Anatole Kuragin. And the first thought in Andrey's head: "Why is he here?" With such thoughts, any scene in human life in a single moment is ready to turn into a battle scene. War in the novel "War and Peace" is not only depicted where cannons fire and people run in a bayonet charge. When a mother screams about the murdered youngest son, isn't this a battle scene? And what could be more battling than when two people talk about the lives and deaths of millions of people whom both of them have never even seen? The light of heaven is split into war and peace, split.
The beauty of life in the novel "War and Peace"
Leo Tolstoy is ruthless in depicting human images, ruthless in depicting human life itself. But her beauty is seen in every word of the great novel. Bezukhov pulls a child out of the fire, they are looking for a mother. Someone sleepily answers questions, petrified by troubles. But Bezukhov himself and his thoughtless actions are perceived by readers as the extraordinary beauty of the human soul.
And the delights of Natasha Rostova overheard by Bolkonsky in the silence of the night! And even the unfortunate Sonya, with her childless, barren soul, also has her dreary, aching beauty. She fought for her happiness and lost the war to an inexorable fate. The war in the novel "War and Peace" has a thousand shades, as well as beauty.
The nondescript Tushin, who throws cannonballs at the enemy with his hands, grows into a mythical beautiful giant, not only in his imagination. It becomes akin to the oak with which Andrei Bolkonsky spoke. The scene of the meeting of the generals afterwards is presented in the novel through the perception of the child. And how beautiful it looks like the way the child saw and remembered the meeting: “Grandfather woke up, and everyone obeyed him!”
Reach for the sky
After writing the novel "War and Peace", according to many critics, Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy only twice managed to rise to the top of the super-truthful literary art - in "The Devil" and in "Confession", but not for long.
The historical path of Russia was very difficult. During its centuries-old history, Russia has repeatedly been tested by wars. The theme of war is present in many works of Russian literature - from "The Tale of Igor's Campaign" to the works of contemporary authors. In the novel "War and Peace" this theme is expressed especially brightly, without it it is impossible to understand the philosophy of life of JI.H. Tolstoy.
In his novel, Tolstoy describes two wars at the beginning of the 19th century - the war of 1805-1807. in Europe and the Patriotic War of 1812. The first one is conducted on a foreign land and has goals that are incomprehensible to the common man. The second - affects everyone and everyone, because not only the political balance in Europe, the career or family happiness of individual people, but also the existence of the world in general depends on the outcome of this war.
The fates of almost all the heroes of the novel are connected with the war. War tests their worldview and moral strength. For example, Prince Andrei, who took part in both wars, near Austerlitz wanted to accomplish a feat alone, save the entire army, strove for glory and greatness, for his Toulon. And after the battle, “it seemed so insignificant to him ... all the interests that occupied Napoleon, his hero himself seemed so petty to him, with this petty vanity and joy of victory, in comparison with that high, fair and kind sky that he saw and understood, that he could not answer him. Near Borodino, Prince Andrei, together with his regiment, together with the entire Russian army, is doing everything necessary to save Russia, he is one of many. “Prince Andrei, just like all the people of the regiment, frowning and pale, walked back and forth ... with his hands folded back and his head bowed. There was nothing for him to do or order. Everything was done by itself.”
Young Nikolai Rostov at first perceived the war as a holiday, a parade of beautiful uniforms, he wanted to accomplish a feat in the name of the Fatherland and his beloved emperor. "The thought of defeat and flight could not have crossed Rostov's mind." A real war with her blood, sweat, the possibility of an imminent death opened Rostov's life from the other side, as something confusing and terrible, contrary to a sound mind, human nature. At the same time, the war, life in the regiment helps Rostov get away from the "porridge of life", avoid its difficult issues. It is the war that gives him the opportunity to know life, to mature.
Another hero of the novel, Pierre Bezukhov, although he did not take a direct part in the hostilities, was still present at the Borodino field and saw the battle. In Moscow, he was taken prisoner by the French, and in captivity he met Platon Karataev. During the war, Pierre's entire inner world changed. “He learned in his captivity not by words, not by reasoning, but by direct feeling what his nanny had told him for a long time: that God is here, here, everywhere. In captivity, he learned that God in Karataev is greater, infinite and incomprehensible than in the Architect of the universe recognized by the Masons ... he threw a pipe into which he still looked through the heads of people, and joyfully contemplated around him the ever-changing, eternally great, incomprehensible and infinite life.
Those heroes of the novel who did not participate in the battles were also affected by the war. For example, the Rostovs were forced to leave Moscow, leaving all their property behind. Natasha gave all the wagons to transport the wounded. Near Moscow, in Mytishchi, Natasha met Prince Andrei, who was dying from a wound. It is this meeting that spiritually regenerates Natasha, renews her. Princess Mary left the Bald Mountains, although the French offered her their protection. Before leaving, she met with Nikolai Rostov, and this meeting turned out to be very important in their fate.
Some of the heroes of the novel "War and Peace" are historical figures: Napoleon, Kutuzov, Alexander I. All of them were also directly related to the war - they were generals, commanders in chief. Napoleon, having great power, tried to control hundreds of thousands of people. He believed that the course of the battle depended only on his orders. Tolstoy showed Napoleon during the battle of Borodino, where he reveals other character traits of the hero: “Napoleon did not see that in relation to his troops he played the role of a doctor who interferes with his medicines, a role that he so truly understood and condemned,” showing that Napoleon could not influence the course of the battle. Alexander I also does not influence the course of the Battle of Austerlitz. He left the battlefield when it was clear that the battle was lost. But Kutuzov, on the contrary, did not seek to control the troops - he only carried out the will of the people. When many generals advised Kutuzov to attack the French, he refused, realizing that the quickest way to expel the French from Russia was to let them flee on their own. Kutuzov also realized that the people needed not the capture of French generals, but the liberation of Russia from the invaders. The people perceived the war of 1805 and the war of 1812 differently. In the war of 1805-1807. soldiers fought for the interests of the emperors. This war was not needed by the people. Therefore, the Russians lost the battle of Austerlitz and the war in Austria. And during the war of 1812, the soldiers of the Russian army defended their Fatherland, and the French, on the contrary, were invaders. The morale of the Russian soldiers was higher, and this is the strength of the army, and therefore the Russians won this war. Tolstoy says that the course of history is influenced not by individual historical figures, but by the will of the people. Thus, on the example of two wars, Tolstoy confirms his philosophy of history.
In the novel "War and Peace" Tolstoy amazingly accurately portrayed the scenes of war in the Shengraben, Austerlitz and Borodino battles. For example, when describing the Battle of Shengraben, Tolstoy narrates about the feat of Captain Tushin. The actions of Tushin's battery saved the Russian army, although Tushin himself did not realize that he had accomplished a feat, and did not even think about the danger to which he was exposed. “As a result of this terrible rumble, noise, need for attention and activity, Tushin did not experience the slightest unpleasant feeling of fear, and the thought that they might kill him or hurt him painfully did not occur to him.” Tolstoy contrasts the feat of Tushin with the feat of Dolokhov. Dolokhov, having taken an officer as a prisoner, immediately announced this to the commander: “Please remember, Your Excellency!” Dolokhov expected a reward for his act, and Tushin did not even know that he was performing a feat. Tolstoy emphasizes that Tushin's actions are real heroism, and Dolokhov's act is false.
Describing battles, Tolstoy emphasizes the futility of war. For example, the novel gives the following picture of the battle of Austerlitz: “On this narrow dam, now between wagons and cannons, under horses and between wheels, people disfigured by the fear of death crowded, crushing each other, dying, stepping over the dying and killing each other in order to , after walking a few steps, to be killed in the same way. Tolstoy shows another scene of the Battle of Austerlitz - a red-haired gunner and a French soldier are fighting for a bannik. "What are they doing? thought Prince Andrei, looking at them. And, finally, Tolstoy’s depiction of a picture of the Borodino field after the battle: “Clouds gathered, and it began to rain on the dead, on the wounded, on the frightened, and on the exhausted, and on the doubting people. It was like he was saying, “Enough, enough, people. Stop... Come to your senses. What are you doing?" Thus, Tolstoy, showing the horror and senselessness of war, says that war and murder are an unnatural state for man and mankind.
In his novel, Tolstoy talks about the impact of war not only on the fate of individual people, but also on the life of the whole world, on the course of history. “In this twenty-year period of time, a huge number of fields are not plowed; houses are burned; trade is changing direction, millions of people are getting poorer, richer, migrating, and millions of Christian people who profess the laws of neighborly love are killing each other.”
Tolstoy's traditions in depicting war as a phenomenon contrary to human nature and at the same time as a unifying principle in the life of the nation, Tolstoy's views on history, on the national characteristics of the Russian people, the genre itself, which later became known as the epic novel, were used by Russian writers of the 20th century and mastered by world art.
"Peter I" by Alexei Tolstoy, "Doctor Zhivago" by Pasternak, many works by Hemingway and Remarque, cinema and painting of the 20th century would not have been possible without Tolstoy's "War and Peace", especially without depicting the theme of war.
Military events in L. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace"
Prepared by Sergey Golubev
Prince Adrey and the war
The novel describes the military events of 1805-1807, as well as the Patriotic War of 1812. We can say that the war, as a kind of objective reality, becomes the main storyline of the novel, and therefore the fate of the characters must be considered in the same context with this event “hostile” to humanity. But at the same time, the war in the novel has a deeper understanding. This is a duel of two principles (aggressive and harmonic), two worlds (natural and artificial), a clash of two life attitudes (truth and lies).
Throughout his life, Andrei Bolkonsky dreams of “his Toulon”. He dreams of accomplishing a feat in front of everyone, in order to prove his strength and fearlessness, plunge into the world of glory, become a celebrity. “I will be sent there,” he thought, “with a brigade or division, and there, with a banner in my hand, I will go forward and break everything that is in front of me.” At first glance, this decision seems quite noble, it proves the courage and determination of Prince Andrei. The only repulsive thing is that he is focused not on Kutuzov, but on Napoleon. But the Battle of Shengraben, namely the meeting with Captain Tushin, becomes the first crack in the hero's system of views. It turns out that a feat can be accomplished without suspecting it, not in front of others; but Prince Andrei is not yet fully aware of this. It can be seen that in this case Tolstoy sympathizes not with Andrei Bolkonsky, but with Captain Tushin, a good-natured person, a native of the people. The author even somehow condemns Bolkonsky for his arrogance, a somewhat contemptuous attitude towards ordinary people. (“Prince Andrei glanced at Tushin and, without saying anything, moved away from him.”) Shengraben undoubtedly played a positive role in the life of Prince Andrei. Thanks to Tushin, Bolkonsky changes his view of the war.
It turns out that war is not a means of achieving a career, but dirty, hard work, where an anti-human deed is performed. The final realization of this comes to Prince Andrei on the field of Austerlitz. He wants to accomplish a feat and accomplishes it. But later he recalls not his triumph, when he fled to the French with a banner in his hands, but the high sky of Austerlitz.
Battle of Shengraben
Depicting the war of 1805 at Shengraben, Tolstoy draws various pictures of military operations and various types of its participants. We see the heroic transition of the Bagration detachment to the village of Shengraben, the Shengraben battle, the courage and heroism of Russian soldiers and the bad work of the commissariat, honest and courageous commanders and careerists who use the war for personal purposes. Typical for staff officers Zherkov, who at the height of the battle was sent by Bagration with an important assignment to the general of the left flank.
The order was to retreat immediately. Due to the fact that Zherkov did not find the general, the French cut off the Russian hussars, many were killed and Zherkov's comrade Rostov was wounded.
As always bold and brave Dolokhov. Dolokhov "killed one Frenchman at point-blank range and was the first to take a surrendered officer by the collar." But after that, he will approach the regimental commander and say: “I stopped the company ... The whole company can testify. Please remember...” Everywhere, always, he remembers first of all about himself, only about himself; everything he does, he does for himself.
They are not cowardly these people, no. But for the sake of the common good, they cannot forget themselves, their pride, their careers, their personal interests, no matter how loud they speak about the honor of the regiment and no matter how much they show their concern for the regiment.
Tolstoy, with special sympathy, shows commander Timokhin, whose company “alone stayed in order” and, inspired by the example of its commander, unexpectedly attacked the French and threw them back, making it possible to restore order in neighboring battalions.
Another inconspicuous hero is Captain Tushin. This is a "small, round-shouldered person." There was something special in his figure, not at all military, somewhat comical, but extremely attractive. He has “big, smart and kind eyes.” Tushin is a simple and modest person who lives the same life with soldiers. During the battle, he does not know the slightest fear, cheerfully and animatedly commands, at decisive moments, consulting with sergeant major Zakharchenko, to whom he treats with great respect. With a handful of soldiers, the same heroes as their commander, Tushin with amazing courage and heroism does his job, despite the fact that the cover that stood near his battery left on someone's orders in the middle of the case. And his "battery ... was not taken by the French only because the enemy could not imagine the audacity of firing four unprotected cannons." Only after receiving the order to retreat, Tushin left the position, taking away the two guns that survived the battle.
battle of austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz in 1805. The general battle between the Russian-Austrian and French armies took place on November 20, 1805 near the town of Austerlitz in Moravia. The Russian-Austrian army numbered almost 86 thousand people. with 350 guns. It was commanded by General M.I. Kutuzov. The French army numbered about 3 thousand people. with 250 guns. It was led by Napoleon. The main forces of the allied army under the command of F.F. Buksgevden attacked the corps of Marshal L. Davout and, after stubborn battles, captured the Castle, Sokolnitsy, and Telnits. Meanwhile, the 4th Allied column under the command of I.-K. Kolovrata, which constituted the center of the allied forces, went on the offensive late, was attacked by the main forces of the French and left the Pracen Heights dominating the area. Under these conditions, Buksgevden received an order from Kutuzov to retreat, but did not comply with it. Meanwhile, Napoleon, having defeated the center of the allied forces, deployed his troops and attacked the left wing of the allies (Bukshowden) with the main forces both from the front and from the flank. As a result, the allied forces withdrew with heavy losses. The losses of the Russian troops amounted to 16 thousand killed and wounded, 4 thousand prisoners, 160 guns; Austrians - 4 thousand killed and wounded, 2 thousand prisoners, 26 guns; French - about 12 thousand killed and wounded. As a result of the defeat at Austerlitz, the 3rd anti-French coalition broke up.
conclusions
One of the main lines of the book is Prince Andrei's disappointment in the very idea of war, in heroism, in the special vocation of the military. From the dream of accomplishing a feat and saving the entire army, he comes to the conclusion that war is a “terrible necessity”, which is permissible only when “they ruined my house and go to ruin Moscow”, that the military class is characterized by idleness, ignorance, cruelty, depravity, drunkenness.
So, depicting military events, Tolstoy not only presents broad battle pictures of the Shengraben, Austerlitz and Borodino battles, but also shows the psychology of an individual human being involved in the flow of hostilities. Army commanders, generals, staff commanders, line officers and soldiers, partisans - all these various participants in the war, carriers of the most diverse psychology, are shown by Tolstoy with amazing skill in the most diverse conditions of their combat and “peaceful” life. At the same time, the writer, himself a former participant in the defense of Sevastopol, seeks to show a real war, without any embellishment, “in blood, in suffering, in death”, drawing with deep and sober truth the wonderful qualities of the national spirit, alien to ostentatious courage, pettiness, vanity, and, on the other hand, the presence of all these features in most officers - nobles.
I was born in Volgograd, from childhood I heard stories of adults about the Battle of Stalingrad. Reading the novel by L.N. Tolstoy's "War and Peace", I realized even more deeply that war for humanity is not only monuments to heroes and beautiful military parades. First of all, it is a catastrophe that brings grief and misfortune to people. The Patriotic War of 1812 and the Great Patriotic War will forever be in the memory of every Russian person.
A huge role in the preservation of our historical heritage belongs to literature. Each of the Russian writers tells about battles in his own way, but the purpose of creating works about the heroic past is not to depict the external beauty of battles, but to affirm the idea that a person was created for the world, born for joy and enjoyment of life. However, the world is not something eternal, like the sun or air that accompany a person throughout his entire existence.
Epic novel by L.N. Tolstoy is a book where peace and life overcome death and war. This is a book in which the story of individual people is combined with reflections on the fate of generations, peoples, and the whole world.
The main idea of the novel is "people's thought". Tolstoy showed that heroic deeds are performed not by some extraordinary people, but by simple, unremarkable workers whom the war turned into soldiers.
Talking about Tushin's artillery battery, the author intentionally emphasizes the nondescript character of the hero: he is a "small, round-shouldered man" with a "thin voice." And he salutes not like a military man, but rather like a priest. However, while in battle, the captain "did not experience the slightest unpleasant feeling of fear, and the thought that he might be killed or hurt painfully did not cross his mind." Therefore, the soldiers selflessly believed Tushin, "everyone, like children in a difficult situation, looked at their commander, and the expression that was on his face was invariably reflected on their faces."
The selflessness of the fighters contributed to the fact that "the action of the forgotten Tushin battery ... stopped the movement of the French." The army owed the success of that day to the feat of the captain. In this case, the words of Captain Timokhin, uttered before the Battle of Borodino, are true: “What to feel sorry for yourself now!” People gave their lives for the freedom of their Fatherland, performing countless feats. "Wonderful, incomparable people!" - said Kutuzov, having learned that the soldiers, "preparing for tomorrow, for death, put on white shirts."
The battle on the Borodino field was one of the most terrible in the war of 1812. According to the data cited by the writer, the Russians lost 50 thousand people. Yes, the soldiers understood that they became participants not only in a great historical event, but also in a bloody massacre of the enemy: "... by the end of the battle, people felt the full horror of their act."
The terrible outcome of the battle of Borodino is drawn in the following picture: “Several tens of thousands of people lay dead in different positions and uniforms in the fields and meadows ... where for hundreds of years the peasants of the villages of Borodino, Gorki, Semenovsky were simultaneously harvesting and grazing cattle ...” The horror of the death of people is amazing Moreover, Tolstoy compares the appearance of the Borodino field in wartime and peacetime.
The author depicts how the war crosses out the peaceful life of people, forcing them to change their usual way of life, to leave their native places. The surrender of Smolensk is the first episode of forced relocation of civilians. How people did not want to leave their city! “People scurried restlessly through the streets,” “children’s crying was heard.” The inhabitants of the city felt that even greater troubles awaited them ...
Indeed, the shelling of the city soon began: "shells, sometimes with a quick, gloomy whistle - nuclei, then with a pleasant whistle - grenades, did not stop flying over the heads of the people."
People died, their homes suffered. The city was in panic. And only “at dusk, the cannonade began to subside ... The previously clear evening sky was all covered with smoke ... After the terrible rumble of guns that had fallen silent above the city, silence seemed to be interrupted by ... the rustle of steps, groans, distant screams and the crackle of fires ... "Yes, not only soldiers and officers - the trouble falls on the shoulders of civilians.
All those who took part in the war are equal in love for the Motherland, in patriotic feeling. Tolstoy depicts how representatives of the advanced part of the nobility rethink their attitude towards the people, towards the Fatherland. So, Prince Andrei decided to go to war not in order to protect the people from trouble, but in order to return from the battlefield as a hero, to rise in his own eyes, to earn glory.
In the battle of Austerlitz, Bolkonsky raised the banner and led the soldiers behind him. It was his first feat, the first step to glory. "Here it is!" - Andrey thought, grabbing the flagpole and listening with pleasure to the whistle of bullets, obviously directed specifically against him. Suddenly, the injury distracted him from thoughts of a brilliant career ... He felt that his desire to be a beautiful hero was failing. After all that he had gone through, Bolkonsky understood: the moment had come when you needed to prove that you were a worthy son of your Motherland.
Thus, the war is tragic for the whole society, because the best people are dying. War cannot be attractive, as it seemed to Pierre Bezukhov at first: “he looked ahead of him and froze in front of the beauty of the spectacle ... Troops were seen everywhere. All this was lively, majestic and unexpected…” Having seen the war in reality, people come to the conclusion that the purpose of the war is to kill, cruelly, senselessly. In his novel, Tolstoy denounces the very anti-human essence of war and calls on all people to treat it intolerantly.
In Tolstoy's work, the people's trial of the war is shown as a phenomenon sharply hostile to humanity. The epic novel not only becomes a thing of the past, but also has a powerful influence on modern literature. In the spirit of L.N. Tolstoy, "The Living and the Dead" by K.M. Simonova, "The Fate of Man" M.A. Sholokhov. In these works, the main idea expressed by Tolstoy is developed: “Enough, enough, people. Stop... Come to your senses. What are you doing?"
In our age it is difficult to find a person who would not read War and Peace. Through this book, many generations of readers have learned and will learn what real Russia is, what real life is, what real war is.
Depicting military events in his novel War and Peace, Tolstoy not only gives wide canvases that paint such vivid pictures as the Shengraben, Austerlitz and Borodino battles, but also widely shows every person involved in the flow of hostilities. The commanders-in-chief of the armies, generals, headquarters, line officers and the mass of soldiers, partisans - all these various participants in the war are shown by the author with amazing skill in a variety of conditions of their combat and "peaceful" life. At the same time, the writer, himself a former participant in the war in the Caucasus and the defense of Sevastopol, seeks to show a real war, without any embellishment, “in blood, in suffering, in death”, drawing with deep and sober truth the wonderful qualities of the national spirit, which are alien to ostentatious courage , pettiness, vanity.
War and Peace depicts two wars: abroad - in 1805-1807, and in Russia - in 1812.
Depicting the war of 1805-1807, Tolstoy draws various pictures of military operations and various types of its participants. The reader sees the heroic transition of the Bagration detachment, the Shengraben and Austerlitz battles, the talented commander Kutuzov and the mediocre Austrian general Mack, the courage and heroism of Russian soldiers and the bad work of the military "top", honest and courageous commanders and careerists who use war for personal growth. Typical for staff officers Zherkov, who, after his expulsion from the main headquarters, “did not stay in the regiment, saying that he was not a fool to pull the strap in the front when he was at the headquarters, doing nothing, would receive more awards, and managed to settle down as an orderly to Prince Bagration ".
But, along with people like Zherkov, Tolstoy also shows real heroes, beautiful in their simplicity, modesty, resourcefulness in a moment of danger, persistent and firm in execution. With special sympathy, he shows the company commander Timokhin, whose company "one was kept in order." Inspired by the example of her commander, by surprise attacking the French, she pushed them back, making it possible to restore order in the neighboring battalions.
Drawing pictures of battles, Tolstoy shows both moments of heroic attacks and moments of confusion, as, for example, near Austerlitz. "An unpleasant consciousness of the ongoing disorder and stupidity swept through the ranks, and the troops stood there, bored and discouraged." Scenes of wounds, mutilations, death complement the overall picture of the battles, showing the real face of the war.
The two most striking battles in the novel - Shengraben and Austerlitz - were fought outside of Russia. The meaning and purpose of this war were incomprehensible and alien to the people. Tolstoy paints the War of 1812 differently. It depicts a people's war that was waged against enemies who encroached on the independence of the country. Napoleon's half-million army, which had won the glory of being invincible in Europe, fell upon Russia with all its formidable force. But she ran into strong opposition. The army and people unitedly stood up against the enemy, defending their country, their independence.
Tolstoy showed that not only the army, the army, but the whole people rose to the defense of the "sacred Russian land." Before the entry of the French into Moscow, "the entire population, as one person, leaving their property, flowed out of Moscow, showing by this negative action the full strength of their popular feelings." And such a phenomenon was observed not only in Moscow: "Starting from Smolensk, in all the cities and villages of the Russian land ... the same thing happened that happened in Moscow."
Tolstoy shows the partisan detachments of Denisov and Dolokhov, talks about some sexton who stood at the head of the detachment, about the elder Vasilisa, who beat hundreds of Frenchmen: “the partisans destroyed the great army in parts. They picked up those fallen leaves that fell by themselves from a withered tree - the French army, and then they shook this tree. Small, but strong in spirit detachments gradually destroyed the enemies.
War is over. Aggressive, predatory on the part of the French, and popular, defending the independence of their homeland - on the part of the Russians. Tolstoy ascribes the main role in the victory to the people, to those Karpas and Vlass who “did not carry hay to Moscow for the good money that they were offered, but burned it”, to that Tikhon Shcherbaty from the village of Pokrovsky, who in the Denisov partisan detachment was “the most useful and brave man." The army and the people, united in their love for their native country and in their hatred for the invader enemies, won a decisive victory over Napoleon's army, which inspired terror throughout Europe. An important role in the outcome of the war was played by commanders, generals, and other leading personalities. Tolstoy pays much attention to them. However, the contribution of ordinary soldiers to the victory is invaluable, and it is safe to say that it was the people who bore all the hardships and sorrows of the war on their shoulders, but found the strength to fight and defeated Napoleon.
