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, abandoning their property, flowed out of Moscow, showing by this negative action the full strength of their popular feeling." 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 deacon 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 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.
(398 words) In the novel "War and Peace" L.N. Tolstoy depicted the era of the Napoleonic battles. In this work, the author sets out his views on the war and its impact on people.
The first war we see is the 1805 battle in Austria against Napoleon. We observe it through the eyes of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. This young man, driven by youthful maximalism, wholeheartedly rushed into battle to become a hero. However, in Austria, the officer finds nothing but death, dirt, blood. His illusions crumbled to dust. The same thing happens with his idea of true heroism. Meeting the battery commander Tushin, he sees in him only a stupid downtrodden little man. But in the ensuing battle, it was the will and mind of this military man that played a decisive role, Tushin's battery saved the entire army by its actions. Listening to a reprimand for the loss of part of the guns, the captain does not even think of making excuses so as not to create trouble for his comrades. Andrei, who spoke in his defense, is experiencing very complex emotions. With his mind, he understands that this officer is a real hero, but at the same time, his modesty and awkwardness do not fit in with the heroic images in Bolkonsky's head.
The finale of this confrontation is a fracture in the mind of the prince. In the battle of Austerlitz, he leads the soldiers on the attack, performs a heroic deed, even deserves the admiration of Napoleon. But, having crossed the line separating man and non-existence, and returning back, Andrei Bolkonsky is changing. War for him is a senseless and bloody swarming of people, which means nothing on the scale of the universe.
Nikolai Rostov also goes through a similar one. A young man who dreams of military exploits, in the first battle, is horrified by the cruelty he sees. He even runs from the battlefield. But later, having got rid of childhood illusions, he finds the courage to fight for his homeland, doing many glorious deeds.
Already in 1812, a new war begins. The French army invades Russia, and again, instead of the heroic struggle of the Russian people against the invaders, Tolstoy shows us senseless violence. For a writer these days there are two opposing camps. On the one hand, there is a sparkling high society, whose representatives, who only yesterday admired the genius of Napoleon, with the outbreak of the war, make pathetic speeches about his insignificance, but at the same time do nothing significant to help their country. On the other hand, we see selfless people who risk their lives every day fighting for the Fatherland. Such is the simple Russian people - the true hero of the novel, who at the right time rallied and went to his death.
Tolstoy believed that it was in times of difficult trials that people show their true faces. And one can often observe how a noble person turns out to be a coward, and simple, nondescript people show truly noble features.
Interesting? Save it on your wall!In Leo Tolstoy's epic novel War and Peace, one of the most important themes is war, as the name suggests. The writer himself pointed out that the “people's thought” is realized in the work, thereby emphasizing that he is interested in the fate of the country in difficult times of historical trials. The war in the novel is not a background, it appears before the reader in all its terrible grandeur, long, cruel and bloody.
For the heroes of the novel, this is a holy war, because they are defending their homeland, their loved ones, their families. According to the writer, “for the Russian people there could be no question whether it would be good or bad under the control of the French in Moscow. It was impossible to be under the control of the French: it was the worst of all. Of course, Tolstoy, as a patriot, sharply opposes the predatory and predatory, unjust and aggressive war. The writer calls this type of war "an event that is contrary to the human mind and all human nature." But a just war, caused by the need to defend one's Fatherland, a war of liberation, bearing a defensive character, is regarded by Tolstoy as sacred. And the writer glorifies the people participating in such a war, performing feats in the name of the freedom of their native land and in the name of peace. According to the author of the epic, "the time will come when there will be no more war." But as long as it goes, you need to fight. The war of 1812 - in contrast to the previous campaigns of 1805-1807, which took place outside the native country - Tolstoy reproduces and characterizes as a people's battle, significant and justified in the eyes of Russians.
The Patriotic War rallied the numerous forces of Russia into a single whole. Not only the army, but the whole people rose to defend the Motherland. On the eve of the day when the French occupied Moscow, "the entire population, as one person, leaving their property, flowed out of Moscow, showing by this negative action all the strength of their popular feelings." Such unanimity was also characteristic of the inhabitants of other places, other Russian lands. “Starting from Smolensk, in all cities and villages of the Russian land<…>the same thing happened that happened in Moscow.
Tolstoy portrays the war extremely truthfully, avoiding idealization, shows it "in blood, in suffering, in death." He does not turn a blind eye to the scenes of injuries, mutilations, the manifestation of vanity, careerism, ostentatious courage, and the desire for ranks and awards in a certain part of the officers. But for the most part, Russian soldiers and officers show miracles of courage, heroism, bravery, steadfastness and valor. The author of the novel does not ignore the confusion, vanity, and panic that occur during the war. So it was under Austerlitz, when "an unpleasant consciousness of disorder and stupidity swept through the ranks, and the troops stood, bored and discouraged." But the main attention of the writer is riveted to the planned and well-executed heroic attacks of the Russian army.
The great artist of the word shows the people as the main participant in the holy war. He rejects the interpretation of the battles of 1812 as battles between Alexander I and Napoleon. The fate of the battles and the outcome of the entire war, according to Tolstoy, depends on people like Tushin and Timokhin, Karp and Vlas: strength, energy, offensive spirit, the will to win come from them. Only not from every single person, but from the whole nation. The critic N. N. Strakhov spoke expressively in his letter to Tolstoy: “When there is no Russian kingdom, the new peoples will learn from War and Peace what kind of people the Russians were.”
Reproducing the events of the war, the writer is not limited to depicting a panorama of what is happening on the battlefield, he is not content with detailed battle scenes, such as the heroic passage of Bagration's detachment near Shengraben or the Battle of Borodino. Tolstoy draws the reader's attention to the individual participants in the battles, showing them in close-up and devoting entire pages of his novel to them. This is how Tolstoy portrays staff captain Tushin, the hero of the Shengraben battle: a small, thin, dirty artillery officer with big, intelligent and kind eyes. There is something not exactly military about his figure, "somewhat comical, but extremely attractive." And this modest and shy man accomplishes a remarkable feat: with his battery, deprived of cover, he delays the French throughout the battle. “No one ordered Tushin where and with what to shoot, and he, after consulting with his sergeant major Zakharchenko,<…>decided that it would be good to set fire to the village. And he lights the Shengraben, showing "heroic steadfastness," as Prince Andrei defined these actions of his.
Reproducing the Battle of Borodino, the writer again highlights the courageous behavior and exploits of the heroes. These are the gunners of the Rayevsky battery, unanimously, “in a barber style” loading guns and giving a crushing rebuff to the French. This is the feat of General Raevsky himself, who brought his two sons to the dam and, next to them, under terrible fire, led the soldiers to attack. This is the behavior of Nikolai Rostov, who captured a French officer.
But not only battle scenes are important for Tolstoy. The behavior of people in the rear also allows us to talk about their patriotism or, conversely, about the absence of it. The old man Bolkonsky, who, due to his age, cannot go to war, wholeheartedly supports his only son, who defends his native land: it is not so terrible for him to lose his son as to experience shame because of his cowardice. However, such a shame does not threaten him: he raised his son as a true patriot. A wonderful deed by Natasha, Tolstoy's beloved heroine, who gave carts to the wounded and selflessly cared for Prince Andrei. I admire the courage of the very young Petya Rostov, who decides to go to war. And the spiritual callousness of people like Helen, who do not care about the fate of the Motherland in a difficult time for her, is striking.
Wartime is difficult. And by their behavior in the war and in the rear, people reveal different qualities. Tolstoy “tests” his heroes with war, and many of them stand this difficult test with dignity: Andrei Bolkonsky, Nikolai Rostov, Natasha and, of course, Pierre Bezukhov, who, having gone through many trials, was able to gain life wisdom and truly feel and love your homeland.
1. Attitude of L. N. Tolstoy to the war.
2. Features of the image of the war by Tolstoy.
3. Prince Andrew at the Battle of Shengraben.
4. Prince Andrew at the Battle of Austerlitz.
5. Battle of Borodino through the eyes of Pierre.
6. Admiration for the courage and patriotism of warriors.
War is a real hell. Brutal bloodshed, taking place at the behest of those in power. There are no winners, only losers. War literally breaks the fate of ordinary people. Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy knew this firsthand. He served in the Caucasus, participated in the defense of Sevastopol. This experience helped him to describe the scenes of battles as vividly as possible in his great novel War and Peace.
Lev Nikolaevich emphasizes the ugly face of war with the help of antithesis. The author first describes the peaceful life of ordinary people. Then, these characters are placed on the battlefield. The reader sees that the characters feel out of place. After all, fighting is only blood, violence and death.
The novel describes three major battles: at Shengraben, at Austerlitz and at Borodino. They differ significantly from peaceful scenes. The fact is that Tolstoy describes in detail the tactics, the formation of troops and other real facts. In addition, he criticizes superiors if he does not agree with their actions. In fact, these scenes are as documentary as possible. By this, the author added realism so that the reader would better understand the pain of the characters.
Each fight scene was a turning point for the characters. Their characters literally changed.
Prince Andrei Bolkonsky admired the heroes of the wars and was a volunteer in the army. Gradually he became disillusioned with his ideals and with the officers around him. After all, there are many careerists at the front who do everything for their own benefit, and not for victory.
During the Battle of Shengraben, Bolkonsky realizes that battles rarely go according to plan. There was no organization on the battlefield. Commands were distributed randomly. Everyone acted in their own way.
However, even on the battlefield there are people. Tushin with ordinary soldiers literally chewed out victory for the Russian troops.
Andrei was inspired by this act and dreamed of becoming a commander. However, things went wrong at Austerlitz. The army is tired of constant battles. His morale was broken. It is near Austerlitz that Prince Andrei rethinks his life and his views.
In this battle, Bolkonsky was hit by a shell. Being near death, he realized that peace is much more valuable than war. That people should not die so senselessly. They just have to live.
The battle of Borodino is shown through the eyes of Pierre Bezukhov. He was not a military man. But when he saw how the people defend their land, how they fight for peace, the hero experienced a real elation.
War is a really cruel picture. The world is much better. Tolstoy was a pacifist and believed in the Christian "turn the other cheek" attitude. However, he could not help but admire the feat of the Russian soldiers at Borodino. After all, it is not the chiefs and emperors who win the victory, but ordinary people.
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 be understood in this matter by one 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 out pieces of bread from 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 the depiction of human images, ruthless in the depiction of 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.