One of the most important problems in the novel "War and Peace" is the problem of the national character. In the fire of the Patriotic War of 1812, the Russian people showed, according to Tolstoy, all their most important features. The main of them, the writer considered the "hidden warmth of patriotism", which led to the rallying of the entire nation in the fight against the French invaders. The "club of the people's war", which captured not only the army, but also raised the widest strata of the people, united in partisan detachments, revealed in the Russian person the features of a bright, active, active character, ready to take revenge on the enemies to the end. Such a hero is Tikhon Shcherbaty. This is the "most useful and brave" partisan man in Denisov's detachment. He is characterized by ingenuity and daring, resourcefulness and determination. With an ax in his hands, he goes to the enemy, because the natural patriotic feeling leads him, like thousands of other ordinary Russian peasants, to the fight against the invaders. In the words of his comrades in the detachment one can feel admiration and respect: “Well, clever”, “What a beast”. He is really all in motion, in a rush to action: “quickly and easily jumped up”, “ran further”. He also has a kind of rude humor, which allows him to maintain cheerfulness and optimism, so inherent in the national character, in the most difficult conditions. As they said about Tikhon, he was "the jester of all Cossacks, hussars, and he himself willingly succumbed to this rank."
But there are features in Tikhon Shcherbat that disturb us. After all, in his revenge on his enemies, he sometimes becomes cruel, inhuman. So he kills the captured Frenchman because he was "completely wrong". At the same time, Tolstoy makes a characteristic remark that Petya Rostov is embarrassed to listen to Tikhon, who, during this conversation, "his whole face stretched into a beaming stupid smile."
And yet Tolstoy believes that the war did not destroy the best, humane foundations of the people's character. The people as a whole are a huge family, in which there are people like Tikhon and people like Platon Karataev. This is “the personification of the spirit of simplicity and truth,” as Pierre Bezukhov, who was captured together with Plato, says about him. It is he who becomes for Pierre for a long time a moral guide. Like Tikhon, Plato is hardworking, hardy, sociable, but at the same time he is opposite in character to the people's avenger. If Tikhon is active and relies on himself in everything, then Plato reflects the faith and submission to fate living among the people. No wonder he so often uses proverbs and aphorisms: "Not by our mind, but by God's judgment", "To endure an hour, but to live a century." Tikhon is rude and extremely cruel, while Plato is handsome and kind to everyone: to his comrades who were captured, to a lost dog, and even to the French who captured and then shot him. If Tikhon is a “man of war”, then Plato brings peace with him even in wartime. Not without reason, and outwardly, he is “round”, similar to a “drop”, but he speaks with a “gentle-melodious caress”. It was in him that Tolstoy's idea of the swarm principle as the basis of folk life was embodied. It is close to the spirit of the peasant community, but Tolstoy raises it to the level of a special philosophy of life. It was this Karataev philosophy that allowed Pierre Bezukhov to get out of the spiritual crisis and find his own path in life. But in general, the idea of rallying - “They want to pile on all the people!” - and there is that unifying principle that allowed Russia to win the war, combining all the best that was in the Russian people.
The main characters of Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" are representatives of the nobility. However, the author seeks to paint a picture of Russian life in its entirety, therefore, characters from the common people appear in the narrative - Tikhon Shcherbaty and Platon Karataev. Both heroes, as Russian national types and exponents of the spiritual essence of the Russian character, are dear to Tolstoy, each in his own way.
In the image of Shcherbaty, the active beginning of the Russian spirit is expressed, the ability of the people to fearlessly fight against the invaders is shown. Tikhon is the embodiment of a heroic people who rose to defend the Fatherland.
Karataev, on the other hand, embodies the idea close to the writer of "non-resistance to evil by violence." The writer appreciates in this hero the manifestation of “everything Russian, good and round”, all those qualities that, according to Tolstoy, constituted the moral basis of the Russian people, the Russian peasantry. Patriarchy, gentleness, humility and religiosity are features without which, according to Tolstoy, the spiritual warehouse of the Russian peasant is unthinkable.
Tikhon Shcherbaty personifies in the romance that "club of the people's war", which rose up and "nailed the French with terrible force until the whole invasion died." "Non-resistance" Platon Karataev is another type of national character, the other side of the "people's thought".
Tikhon is "the most useful and brave man" in Denisov's partisan detachment: "No one else discovered cases of attacks, no one else took him and beat the French." Shcherbaty occupied a special, exceptional place in Denisov's detachment: "When it was necessary to do something especially difficult ... everyone pointed, laughing, at Tikhon." At night, he left the detachment and got everything that was necessary for his comrades, for a common cause: weapons, clothes, and when he was ordered, he delivered prisoners. Tikhon was not afraid of any work. He wielded an ax well (“like a wolf owns teeth”), deftly, with all his might, split logs. If necessary, the ax in his hands turned into a formidable weapon. This character embodies the heroic forces of the people, their resourcefulness, camaraderie, and prowess.
An important feature of Tikhon is the ability not to lose heart, not to lose heart under any circumstances, an indestructible sense of humor. This feature makes Shcherbatov a universal favorite in the detachment: "... he was the jester of all Cossacks, hussars", and "he himself willingly succumbed to this chip." Probably, some features of Tikhon (for example, his cruelty) could be condemned by the writer if it was a question of peaceful
time. But at a critical moment in history, when the question of the future of Russia, the fate of all Russian people (the Patriotic War of 1812) is being decided, the activities of people like Shcherbaty are saving both for the country and for the people.
Each of the heroes of Tolstoy will give a vivid portrait and speech characteristics. From the whole appearance of Tikhon vests dexterity, confidence, strength. A funny and expressive feature of his appearance is the lack of a tooth (for this Tikhon was nicknamed Shcherbaty). His language is riddled with humor, a rude joke. Plato's appearance is also peculiar. He is over fifty years old, but everything in his appearance was preserved intact: not a single gray hair was in his beard and hair, everything was round - both his face, and his shoulders, and his back, and his stomach. Everything had the appearance of some kind of drowsiness, softness.
If Tikhon is merciless to the enemy, then Karataev loves all people, including the French. Other important features in Karataev are the spirit of truth-seeking, spiritual clarity, love of work: "He knew how to do everything, not very well, but not bad either."
Plato is a vivid exponent of the philosophy of patience, characteristic of the Russian peasantry and conditioned by the uniqueness of Russian history and culture. This philosophy of life was also reflected in the proverbial wisdom that often sounds in Plato's melodious speech: "Rock is looking for the head", "An hour to endure, but a century to live." Sometimes, it seems that he covers up his helplessness, his inability to actively resist circumstances, with the philosophy of patience. Karataev seems to be completely devoid of individual consciousness, at any time he relies on worldview stereotypes that have developed over the centuries in the people's environment: “Where there is a court, there is a lie”, “Never refuse from the bag and prison”, “Not by our mind, but by God's court” .
Unlike Karataev, Shcherbaty does not remember God, relying only on himself - on his strength, ingenuity, mental vigor. Shcherbaty is sharp, and if circumstances so require - and cruel. In these features, he differs from Plato, who strives to see “solemn goodness” in everything. Shcherbaty, experiencing a patriotic feeling and hatred for the invaders, goes at them with an ax. Plato is ready to “suffer innocently in vain” rather than shed human blood, even if it is the blood of an enemy.
Karataev and Shcherbaty are two hypostases of a single whole. Salvation for Russia consists, according to Tolstoy, in the synthesis of these two principles - meekness, humility and peacefulness, on the one hand, and energy, will, ability to take active action, on the other. Having learned the truth of Karataev, Pierre in the epilogue of the novel goes exactly in this way.
The images of Platon Karataev and Tikhon Shcherbatov in the novel "War and Peace" (2nd version)
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In Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" in most cases the heroes of the story are representatives of aristocratic origin. There are only a few characters of peasant origin in the novel, despite the large number and variety of images. The main emphasis is on the images of the military having a simple origin: Platon Karataev and Tikhon Shcherbaty.
While the image of Platon Karataev has a deep meaning and versatility of characteristics, the image of Tikhon Shcherbaty is actually considered only in the context of the military sphere of influence and does not have such an impact on other characters.
Who is Tikhon Shcherbaty
Tikhon Shcherbaty has a simple origin, he is a peasant who does not have any privileges. Nothing is known about his civil past. The only message of his past life is the mention of his small homeland - the village of Pokrovskoye in the Smolensk region. We get acquainted with this character only in the context of the military sphere.
The role of Tikhon Shcherbaty at the front
At the front, Tikhon Shcherbaty served in Denisov's partisan detachment in 1812. Tikhon himself expressed a desire to take part in military events. At first, he did not play the most significant role - he cleaned horses, made and maintained fires, from time to time Tikhon Shcherbaty went to the enemy camp and always returns with significant trophies - clothes, food, weapons.
Then his action became more significant, Tikhon rose to the rank - he is ranked among the Cossack detachment and now his duties include sorties into the enemy camp for prisoners who could tell the necessary information, allowing the partisans and the regular army to be in a winning position in relation to the enemy . Tikhon did an excellent job with this work. Colleagues noted that he had a very developed intuition. Shcherbaty always brought the "necessary" people, who are called "tongues" in the novel.
Appearance of Tikhon Shcherbaty
His nickname is connected with the appearance of Tikhon Shcherbaty. Tikhon did not have one front tooth, and therefore the nickname "Shcherbaty" firmly stuck to him.
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Tikhon Shcherbaty did not have a pleasant appearance; rather, on the contrary, his appearance caused hostility and even disgust. First of all, this was due to the fact that Tikhon Shcherbaty had been ill with smallpox, and therefore his face was mutilated with specific scars. Apparently, Tikhon Shcherbaty was a man of age, since a network of wrinkles was very noticeable on his face. Tikhon had small narrow eyes, he often smiled a stupid smile.
It is likely that Tikhon Shcherbaty was tall, Tolstoy describes him as a man with long legs and long arms. The author, while describing his appearance, says that Tikhon has flat feet, probably Tolstoy meant flat feet.
In the text, in relation to Tikhon Shcherbaty, such a word as gelding is often found. Our ancestors used this word in relation to people who were distinguished by a strong physique.
His voice can be described as a bass with a hoarseness. This timbre of voice was a good addition to his image.
Characteristics of the personality of Tikhon Shcherbaty
While Platon Karataev is depicted as an economic man - a jack of all trades, Tikhon Shcherbaty is an ideal military man.
He is distinguished by courage and dexterity - it was thanks to these qualities that Tikhon was able to earn respect and respect from the leaders of the detachment, in particular Denisov. Tolstoy speaks of him as a person who is needed and significant in the partisan movement.
The next no less important quality that allowed Tikhon to distinguish himself favorably from the crowd of partisans was his cunning. Tikhon could always come up with something unusual that would best translate the order into action.
Tikhon never rides a horse. Tolstoy does not explain this phenomenon, the author thus only focuses on the physical capabilities of this person, adding after this information that Tikhon easily covers a distance of 50 km in a day, while he in no way lags behind the cavalry.
Tikhon is always ready to do the most difficult, dirty and unpretentious work, the one that everyone is trying to dodge. For example, pull a horse out of a swamp by the tail.
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In addition to all the oddities, Tikhon Shcherbaty has a cheerful disposition. He often tells funny stories to colleagues, causing general fun with his story and antics.
From this we can conclude that the image of Tikhon Shcherbaty is to some extent incomplete - the reader is provided for consideration only that part of life that is associated with the partisan movement and military operations, which does not allow a full and multifaceted characterization of this image.
Tikhon Shcherbaty is an ordinary Russian peasant who joined the Denisov detachment to fight for the Motherland. He got his nickname because he was missing one front tooth, and he himself looked a little scary. In the detachment, Tikhon was indispensable, as he was the most dexterous and could easily cope with the dirtiest and most difficult work. At first, he simply looked after the horses, made fires and, at his own request, went to the camp to the French, from where he always returned with trophies: he brought weapons and clothes. Then he was promoted to the Cossacks and began to be sent to the enemy to take languages. He had some kind of instinct and he always brought the right officers. By nature, Tikhon is very good-natured, but his enemies are not people, and he is cruel with them. Tikhon is presented as a people's avenger who defends his land, where he used to live and work. Comrades in arms respect him, admire his courage and resourcefulness, they are glad that in their squad there is such a simple, strong and courageous person. Tikhon considered an ax and a pike to be the best weapon, since he mastered them perfectly, and he wore a blunderbuss just like that and maybe never even used it.
In the image of Tikhon Shcherbaty, Tolstoy tried to show us that with the outbreak of the war, the masses did not stand aside, ordinary people also worried about the future of the country and stood up for its defense.
A complete picture of life in the novel
Among the representatives of the nobility, the image of Platon Karataev in Tolstoy's "War and Peace" stands out especially brightly and convexly. Creating his work, the writer sought to most fully reflect the picture of his contemporary era. Numerous faces, diverse characters pass before us in the novel. We get acquainted with the emperors, the field marshal, the generals. We study the life of secular society, the life of the local nobility. An equally important role for understanding the ideological content of the work is played by heroes from the common people. Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy, who knew well the living conditions of people of the lower class, skillfully displays it in his novel. The memorable images of Platon Karataev, Tikhon Shcherbaty, Anisya, the hunter Danila were created by the writer with a particularly warm feeling. Thanks to this, we have a realistic and objective picture of the life of people in the first half of the nineteenth century.
The soft face of Plato
The most significant character from the common people, of course, is Platon Karataev. It is in his mouth that the author's concept of common life and the meaning of human existence on earth is put. The reader sees Plato through the eyes of Pierre Bezukhov, who was captured by the French. It is there that they meet. Under the influence of this simple man, the educated Pierre changes his worldview and finds the right path in life. With the help of a description of appearance and speech characteristics, the author manages to create a unique image. The round and soft appearance of the hero, unhurried but dexterous movements, affectionate and friendly facial expressions radiate wisdom and kindness. Plato treats his comrades in misfortune, his enemies and a stray dog with the same participation and love. He is the personification of the best qualities of the Russian people: peace, kindness, sincerity. The speech of the hero, saturated with sayings, sayings, aphorisms, flows measuredly and smoothly. He slowly tells about his simple fate, tells fairy tales, sings songs. Wise expressions easily, like birds, fly from his tongue: “To endure an hour, but to live a century”, “Where the court is, there is untruth”, “Not by our mind, but by God's judgment”.
Constantly busy with useful work, Plato does not get bored, does not talk about life, does not make plans. He lives today, relying in everything on the will of God. Having met this man, Pierre understood a simple and wise truth: “His life, as he himself looked at it, did not make sense as a separate life. It made sense as a particle of the whole, which he constantly felt.
Platon Karataev and Tikhon Shcherbaty. Comparative characteristics
The worldview and lifestyle of Platon Karataev are the closest and dearest to the writer, but in order to be objective and honest in depicting reality, he uses a comparison of Platon Karataev and Tikhon Shcherbaty in the novel.
We meet Tikhon Shcherbaty in the partisan detachment of Vasily Denisov. This man from the people is opposed in his qualities to Platon Karataev. Unlike the peace-loving and all-forgiving Plato, the hero is full of hatred for the enemy. A man does not rely on God and fate, but prefers to act. An active, savvy partisan is a general favorite in the detachment. When necessary, he is cruel and merciless and rarely leaves the enemy alive. The idea of "non-resistance to evil by violence" is alien and incomprehensible to Shcherbaty. He is "the most useful and brave man in the squad".
Giving a description of Platon Karataev and Tikhon Shcherbaty, Tolstoy compares their external features, character traits and life position. Tikhon is hardworking and cheerful in a peasant way. He never loses heart. His rough speech is filled with jokes and jokes. Strength, dexterity, self-confidence distinguishes him from the soft and unhurried Plato. Both characters are well remembered, thanks to a detailed description. Platon Karataev is fresh and neat, without gray hair. Tikhon Shcherbaty highlights the lack of a tooth, which is why his nickname went.
Tikhon Shcherbaty is a character in which the image of the Russian people is personified - a hero who defended his Fatherland. The fearlessness, strength and cruelty of such partisans struck terror into the hearts of the enemy. Thanks to such heroes, the Russian people managed to win. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy understands the need for such behavior of his hero and partially justifies it in our eyes.
Platon Karataev is a representative of the other half of the Russian people who believe in God, who knows how to endure, love and forgive. They, like halves of one whole, are necessary for a complete picture of the character of the Russian peasant.
The image of Plato dear to the author
The sympathies of Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy, of course, are on the side of Platon Karataev. The humanist writer all his conscious life opposes war, the most inhuman and cruel, in his opinion, event in the life of society. With his work, he preaches the ideas of morality, peace, love, mercy, and war brings death and misfortune to people. Terrible pictures of the Battle of Borodino, the death of young Petya, the painful death of Andrei Bolkonsky make the reader shudder with horror and pain that any war entails. Therefore, the importance of the image of Plato in the novel "War and Peace" can hardly be overestimated. This person is the embodiment of the author's main idea of a harmonious life in harmony with oneself. The writer sympathizes with people like Platon Karataev. The author, for example, approves of Petit's deed, pitying the French captive boy, understands the feelings of Vasily Denisov, who does not want to shoot the captured French. Tolstoy does not accept the heartlessness of Dolokhov and the excessive cruelty of Tikhon Shcherbaty, believing that evil begets evil. Realizing that war is impossible without blood and violence, the writer believes in the victory of reason and humanity.