The false beauty of Anatole Kuragin. Characteristics of the Kuragin family
Anatole Kuragin, one of the heroes of L. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace", occupies a significant place in the work. This is an interesting image that plays a very important role - it helps in revealing other images of the novel.
Anatole is the son of Prince Vasily Kuragin, an officer, brother of Ippolit and Helen. Like all members of the Kuragin family, Anatole is selfish and spoiled. All Kuragins use other people for their own purposes, to satisfy their own desires. Helen openly cheats on her husband, does not spare his pride. Helen, knowing that Natasha is the bride of Andrei Bolkonsky, without hesitation at all, first arranges dates for her brother and Natasha, and then helps Anatole to kidnap the girl.
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Pierre tries to explain to Anatole the wrongness of his behavior: "... in addition to your pleasure, there is happiness, peace of mind of other people, ... you ruin your whole life because you want to have fun." Prince Vasily calls his son a "restless fool" who brings him a lot of trouble: "... this Anatole costs me forty thousand a year..."
The external characterization of Anatole Kuragin is quite attractive. This is a tall, handsome man with a good-natured and "victorious look", "beautiful big" eyes and blond hair. But such a description already alarms the reader. Having become acquainted with other heroes, we pay attention to the fact that Tolstoy's most beloved heroes are ugly in appearance, but have a rich inner world. Nothing is hidden behind the external beauty of Anatole, there is emptiness. He is dapper, stupid, arrogant, depraved, "but he also had the ability of calmness, precious to the world, and unchanging confidence." His life passes in continuous revelry, he lives only for his own pleasure and amusement. The hero does not care about relationships with other people: "He was not able to think about how his actions might respond to others, nor what might come out of such or such an act of his." Women cause contempt in him, he feels his superiority over them, because he is used to being liked, but at the same time he himself did not feel serious feelings for any of them.
Prince Vasily is trying to marry his son to Princess Marya Bolkonskaya. Anatole made an impression on her at first, but his narrow-mindedness, as well as depravity, saved the princess from this marriage. Kuragin sends Anatole from St. Petersburg to Moscow, hoping that there his son will take the post of adjutant to the commander-in-chief, and also try to make a good party. Only the closest people knew that Kuragin was married two years ago. When his regiment was in Poland, Anatole was forced to marry the daughter of a landowner, but "Anatole very soon left his wife and for the money that he agreed to send to his father-in-law, he reprimanded himself for the right to be reputed to be a single person."
Natasha Rostova also succumbed to the charm of the hero and was already ready to run away with him. Only after learning that Kuragin is married, she abandons her thoughts, but this story caused her a deep emotional trauma. Natasha's romance with Anatole was a blow to Andrei Bolkonsky, who wants to take revenge on the offender by challenging him to a duel. But Prince Andrei meets Kuragin only when he is seriously wounded, seeing Anatole in the same condition, whose leg was amputated. Bolkonsky forgives Kuragin, and on this we also say goodbye to this hero. He fulfilled his role in the novel, he no longer has a place among the heroes.
Anatole - attractive on the outside, completely empty inside, nevertheless plays an important role in the novel. Other heroes of the work pass through his image and receive life lessons that help them find the right path in their spiritual quest.
Anatole Kuragin in the novel "War and Peace" is the character who is the opposite of Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov. His life is light and bright, like an ongoing holiday: women, games, entertainment, revelry. For aimless burning of life and broken destinies, the author “punishes” the hero fairly and terribly - his leg is amputated after the Battle of Borodino, and later he dies.
Family and upbringing of Anatole Kuragin
Anatole's father is Prince Vasily, a cunning and prudent person. His moral “legacy” is passed on to all three children. A surprisingly handsome young man has an empty, immoral nature. He is a stupid and superficial person, has no goals, does not strive for anything, does not respect the feelings of other people. The lack of real human warmth, support and love in the family led to the fact that Anatole does not know how to love, he does not become attached to women, they serve as a means of entertainment. Behind him are many broken hearts and destinies. The young man was brought up abroad, including in Paris. However, aristocratic upbringing and education did not help the stupid son of Prince Vasily - he constantly gets into trouble, from which the father pulls out the child, pays his debts, saves his reputation.
Anatole and Helen, his sister, are exactly the same in terms of moral principles: they achieve their goals by any means. Such people are not created for a family, they have no children, the author does not allow their lives to continue in descendants.
Characteristics of the hero
Anatole has an impeccable appearance and figure, he is surprisingly handsome. Despite the fact that the hero does not have a special mind, he is fluent in the science of seduction. It is important to note the fact that the author repeatedly mentions the special beauty of the young man in various episodes. As you know, Leo Tolstoy's favorite characters have an unattractive appearance, their beauty lies in spiritual qualities, in a moral position. The attractive appearance of Anatole is nothing but a contrast with his inner world, empty and callous. Love is a feeling that Anatole never experienced, in this sense he is a moral invalid.
For the hero, flirting and courting girls is the same game as cards - the result can be different, Anatole is passionate about the process itself. Young inexperienced girls fall in love with him at first sight, including the naive Natasha Rostova. Fortunately, Marya Dmitrievna finds out that Natasha decided to run away with Anatole (who, as it turns out, hides the fact that he is married to a Polish woman) and saves the girl from shame. Anatole is forced to leave Moscow; he endures parting with Natasha easily.
Anatole Kuragin's best friend is Dolokhov, he always supports his comrade in carousing, drinking and fighting. Anatole, according to the author, is not just a "fool", but a violent, "restless" fool. Being drunk, he strives for destruction - he breaks things, breaks glass, climbs into a fight. The characterization of the hero is as follows: “He did not miss a single revelry at Dolokhov and other merry fellows of Moscow, he drank all night long, drinking everyone, and visited all the evenings and balls of high society ...”.
In St. Petersburg, Anatole was famous for the same "feats" and has a reputation as a famous rake and reveler. Nature did not reward him with the ability to conduct eloquent conversations, sing, dance, art is alien to him. Anatole is in love with his own person, complacency and narcissism are especially characteristic of his nature.
Life principles and fate of Anatole Kuragin
The hero does not have solid life principles: he enjoys life, sheer fun, lack of responsibility to anyone. This is precisely the reason that Anatole is satisfied with life, he does not grieve about the past and does not worry about the future ... The hero is absolutely sure that he is a good, kind person: “in his soul he considered himself an impeccable person, sincerely despised scoundrels and bad people and with a clear conscience, wears his head high…”. He is not characterized by the desire for self-knowledge, repentance or self-flagellation. He simply lives like any egoist, stepping over the feelings of others.
Anatole Kuragin - son of Prince Vasily, officer, ladies' man. Anatole always gets into some kind of unpleasant stories, from which his father always pulls him out. His favorite pastime is considered to be playing cards and reveling with his friend Dolokhov. Anatole is stupid and not talkative, but he himself is always sure of his uniqueness.
He is very handsome and dresses in fashion, which is why he is popular with women. Anatole is accustomed to what women like, therefore he treats them with contempt, realizing his superiority. He does not know how to experience strong feelings, does not know what love is. Anatole is an impudent and depraved person, he charms Natasha Rostova and wants to take her away and secretly marry her, although he himself is already married to a Polish girl and hides this from everyone. Dolokhov warns him that he can go to court for bigamy, but this does not frighten him, he just wants to get the girl he likes, although in his heart he does not have strong feelings for her, otherwise he could simply ask for her hand. The kidnapping fails and Pierre banishes him from the city.Kuragin has to hide from Andrei Bolkonsky, who wants to challenge him to a duel, because Anatole beat off his bride. Their meeting took place only in the infirmary: Andrei lay with a mortal wound, and Kuragin's leg was amputated.
In this article we will talk about the novel by Leo Tolstoy "War and Peace". We will pay special attention to the Russian noble society, which is carefully described in the work, in particular, we will be interested in the Kuragin family.
Novel "War and Peace"
The novel was completed in 1869. In his work, Tolstoy portrayed Russian society in the era of the war with Napoleon. That is, the novel covers the period from 1805 to 1812. The writer has been nurturing the idea of the novel for a very long time. Initially, Tolstoy conceived to describe the story of the Decembrist hero. However, gradually the writer came to the conclusion that it is best to start the work from 1805.
For the first time, the novel War and Peace began to be published in separate chapters in 1865. The Kuragin family already appears in these passages. The reader almost at the very beginning of the novel gets acquainted with its members. However, let's talk in more detail about why the description of high society and noble families occupies such a large place in the novel.
The role of high society in the work
In the novel, Tolstoy takes the place of a judge who begins the trial of high society. The writer first of all evaluates not the position of a person in the world, but his moral qualities. And the most important virtues for Tolstoy were truthfulness, kindness and simplicity. The author seeks to tear off the brilliant veils of secular gloss and show the true essence of the nobility. Therefore, the reader from the first pages becomes a witness to the low deeds committed by the nobles. Recall at least the drunken revelry of Anatole Kuragin and Pierre Bezukhov.
The Kuragin family, among other noble families, finds itself under the gaze of Tolstoy. How does the writer see each member of this family?
General idea of the Kuragin family
Tolstoy saw the family as the basis of human society, which is why he attached such great importance to the depiction of noble families in the novel. The writer presents the Kuragins to the reader as the embodiment of immorality. All members of this family are hypocritical, mercenary, ready to commit a crime for the sake of wealth, irresponsible, selfish.
Among all the families depicted by Tolstoy, only the Kuragins are guided in their actions solely by personal interest. It was these people who destroyed the lives of other people: Pierre Bezukhov, Natasha Rostova, Andrei Bolkonsky, etc.
Even the family ties of the Kuragins are different. Members of this family are connected not by poetic closeness, kindred spirits and care, but by instinctive solidarity, which almost resembles the relationship of animals rather than people.
Composition of the Kuragin family: Prince Vasily, Princess Alina (his wife), Anatole, Helen, Hippolyte.
Vasily Kuragin
Prince Vasily is the head of the family. For the first time the reader sees him in the salon of Anna Pavlovna. He was dressed in a court uniform, stockings and headbands, and had "a bright expression on a flat face." The prince speaks in French, always for show, lazily, like an actor playing a part in an old play. The prince was a respected person among the society of the novel "War and Peace". The Kuragin family was generally quite favorably received by other nobles.
Prince Kuragin, amiable with everyone and benevolent to everyone, was close to the emperor, he was surrounded by a crowd of enthusiastic admirers. However, behind external well-being, there was an ongoing internal struggle between the desire to appear as a moral and worthy person and the real motives of his actions.
Tolstoy liked to use the technique of mismatch between the internal and external character of the character. It was he who took advantage of it, creating the image of Prince Vasily in the novel "War and Peace". The Kuragin family, whose characterization interests us so much, generally differs from other families in this duplicity. Which is clearly not in her favor.
As for the count himself, his true face appeared in the scene of the struggle for the inheritance of the deceased Count Bezukhov. It is here that the hero's ability to intrigue and dishonorable acts is shown.
Anatole Kuragin
Anatole is also endowed with all the qualities that the Kuragin family personifies. The characterization of this character is primarily based on the words of the author himself: "Simple and with carnal inclinations." For Anatole, life is continuous fun, which everyone is obliged to arrange for him. This person never thought about the consequences of his actions and about the people around him, guided only by his desires. The idea that you have to answer for your actions never even crossed Anatole's mind.
This character is completely free from liability. Anatole's egoism is almost naive and good-natured, comes from his animal nature, which is why he is absolute. is an integral part of the hero, he is inside him, in his feelings. Anatole is deprived of the opportunity to think about what will happen after a momentary pleasure. He lives only in the present. In Anatole, there is a strong conviction that everything around is intended only for his pleasure. He knows no regrets or doubts. At the same time, Kuragin is sure that he is a wonderful person. That is why there is so much freedom in his very movements and appearance.
However, this freedom stems from the senselessness of Anatole, since he sensually approaches the perception of the world, but does not realize it, does not try to comprehend it, like, for example, Pierre.
Helen Kuragina
Another character who embodies the duality that the family carries in itself, like Anatole, is excellently given by Tolstoy himself. The writer describes the girl as a beautiful antique statue that is empty inside. There is nothing behind Helen's appearance, she is soulless, although beautiful. It is not for nothing that comparisons of her with marble statues are constantly found in the text.
The heroine becomes the personification of depravity and immorality in the novel. Like all Kuragins, Helen is an egoist who does not recognize moral standards; she lives according to the laws of fulfilling her desires. A great example of this is her marriage to Pierre Bezukhov. Helen only marries to improve her fortune.
After marriage, she did not change at all, continuing to follow only her base desires. Helen begins to cheat on her husband, while she has no desire to have children. That is why Tolstoy leaves her childless. For a writer who believes that a woman should be devoted to her husband and raise children, Helen has become the embodiment of the most impartial qualities that a female representative can have.
Ippolit Kuragin
The Kuragin family in the novel "War and Peace" personifies a destructive force that harms not only others, but also herself. Each member of the family is the bearer of some vice, from which he himself suffers as a result. The only exception is Hippolyte. His character harms only him, but does not destroy the lives of those around him.
Prince Hippolyte looks very much like his sister Helen, but at the same time he is completely bad-looking. His face was "clouded with idiocy," and his body was weak and thin. Hippolyte is incredibly stupid, but because of the confidence with which he speaks, everyone cannot understand whether he is smart or impassibly stupid. He often speaks out of place, inserts inappropriate remarks, does not always understand what he is talking about.
Thanks to the patronage of his father, Hippolyte makes a military career, but among the officers he is known as a jester. Despite all this, the hero is successful with women. Prince Vasily himself speaks of his son as a "dead fool."
Comparison with other noble families
As noted above, noble families are of great importance for understanding the novel. And it is not for nothing that Tolstoy takes several families at once to describe. So, the main characters are members of five noble families: Bolkonsky, Rostov, Drubetsky, Kuragin and Bezukhov.
Each noble family describes different human values and sins. The Kuragin family in this respect stands out strongly against the background of other representatives of high society. And not for the better. In addition, as soon as Kuragin's egoism invades someone else's family, it immediately causes a crisis in it.
The Rostov and Kuragin family
As noted above, Kuragins are low, callous, depraved and selfish people. They do not feel any tenderness and care for each other. And if they provide assistance, it is only out of selfish considerations.
Relations in this family contrast sharply with the atmosphere that reigns in the Rostovs' house. Here, family members understand and love each other, they sincerely care for their loved ones, showing warmth and participation. So, Natasha, seeing Sonya's tears, also begins to cry.
It can be said that the Kuragin family in the novel "War and Peace" is opposed to the Rostov family, in which Tolstoy saw the embodiment
The relationship in the marriage of Helen and Natasha is also indicative. If the first cheated on her husband and did not want to have children at all, then the second became the personification of the feminine in the understanding of Tolstoy. Natasha became an ideal wife and a wonderful mother.
The episodes of communication between brothers and sisters are also interesting. How different are the sincere friendly conversations of Nikolenka and Natasha from the cold phrases of Anatole and Helen.
The Bolkonsky and Kuragin family
These noble families are also very different from each other.
To begin with, let's compare the fathers of the two families. Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky is an outstanding person who appreciates intelligence and activity. If necessary, he is ready to serve his Fatherland. Nikolai Andreevich loves his children, sincerely cares about them. Prince Vasily is not at all like him, who thinks only of his own benefit and does not at all worry about the well-being of his children. For him, the main thing is money and position in society.
In addition, Bolkonsky Sr., like his son later, became disillusioned with the society that so attracts all Kuragins. Andrei is the successor to the deeds and views of his father, while the children of Prince Vasily go their own way. Even Marya inherits strictness in raising children from Bolkonsky Sr. And the description of the Kuragin family clearly indicates the absence of any continuity in their family.
Thus, in the Bolkonsky family, despite the apparent severity of Nikolai Andreevich, love and mutual understanding, continuity and care reign. Andrei and Marya are sincerely attached to their father and have respect for him. Relations between brother and sister were cool for a long time, until a common grief - the death of their father - rallied them.
Kuragins are alien to all these feelings. They are not able to sincerely support each other in a difficult situation. Their destiny is only destruction.
Conclusion
In his novel, Tolstoy wanted to show what ideal family relationships are based on. However, he also needed to present the worst possible scenario for the development of family ties. It was this option that the Kuragin family became, in which the worst human qualities were embodied. On the example of the fate of the Kuragins, Tolstoy shows what moral decline and animal egoism can lead to. None of them ever found the happiness they desired, precisely because they thought only of themselves. People with such an attitude to life, according to Tolstoy, do not deserve well-being.
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| Anatole Kuragin | |
| Anatoly Vasilievich Kuragin | |
| Vittorio Gassman as Anatole in the 1956 Hollywood film adaptation. |
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father: Prince Vasily Kuragin |
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Anatoly (Anatole) Kuragin- the hero of the novel by Leo Tolstoy "War and Peace". Son of Prince Vasily Kuragin. Sister Helen, brother Hippolyte. Secular man, dandy, rake, ladies' man, fop. Extremely good-looking. He is married to a Polish girl, but carefully hides this fact.
Carried away by Natasha Rostova (II volume, 5 part), makes her fall in love with herself. Having charmed Natasha, Anatole invites her to run abroad. However, on the night of the abduction, Marya Dmitrievna Akhrosimova, with whom Natasha and Sonya are visiting, finds out about this. The kidnapping fails. Upon learning that Anatole is married, Rostova tries to poison herself with arsenic. At the insistence of Pierre Bezukhov, Anatole was expelled from Moscow.
After the Battle of Borodino, Anatole's leg was amputated. Further, in the 9th chapter of the third volume, it is said that Pierre Bezukhov learns about his death, but the rumor is not confirmed. He is not mentioned again in the novel.
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An excerpt characterizing Anatole Kuragin
- Well, are you finished? he turned to Kozlovsky.“Just a second, Your Excellency.
Bagration, short, with an oriental type of hard and motionless face, dry, not yet an old man, followed the commander-in-chief.
“I have the honor to appear,” Prince Andrei repeated rather loudly, handing the envelope.
“Ah, from Vienna?” Fine. After, after!
Kutuzov went out with Bagration to the porch.
“Well, good-bye, prince,” he said to Bagration. “Christ is with you. I bless you for a great achievement.
Kutuzov's face suddenly softened, and tears appeared in his eyes. He pulled Bagration to himself with his left hand, and with his right hand, on which there was a ring, he apparently crossed him with a habitual gesture and offered him a plump cheek, instead of which Bagration kissed him on the neck.
- Christ is with you! Kutuzov repeated and went up to the carriage. “Sit down with me,” he said to Bolkonsky.
“Your Excellency, I would like to be of service here. Let me stay in the detachment of Prince Bagration.
“Sit down,” said Kutuzov and, noticing that Bolkonsky was slowing down, “I myself need good officers, I myself need them.
They got into the carriage and drove in silence for several minutes.
“There is still a lot ahead, a lot of things will happen,” he said with an senile expression of insight, as if he understood everything that was going on in Bolkonsky’s soul. “If one tenth of his detachment comes tomorrow, I will thank God,” added Kutuzov, as if talking to himself.
Prince Andrey glanced at Kutuzov, and involuntarily caught in his eyes, half a yard away from him, the cleanly washed out assemblies of a scar on Kutuzov’s temple, where an Ishmael bullet pierced his head, and his leaky eye. “Yes, he has the right to speak so calmly about the death of these people!” thought Bolkonsky.
“That is why I ask you to send me to this detachment,” he said.
Kutuzov did not answer. He seemed to have already forgotten what he had said, and sat in thought. Five minutes later, swaying smoothly on the soft springs of the carriage, Kutuzov turned to Prince Andrei. There was no trace of excitement on his face. With subtle mockery, he asked Prince Andrei about the details of his meeting with the emperor, about the reviews heard at court about the Kremlin affair, and about some mutual acquaintances of women.
