Tolstoy's war and peace is a family thought. The idea is “family. In the Kuragin family, the greedy father raised unworthy children

Closely connected with the theme of the people in the novel theme of family and nobility. The author divides the nobles into “haves” (these include Andrei Bolkonsky, Pierre Bezukhov), local patriots (old man Bolkonsky, the Rostovs), and secular nobility (the salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherer, Helen).

According to Tolstoy, the family is the soil for the formation of the human soul. And at the same time, each family is a whole world, special, unlike anything else, full of complex relationships. In the novel “War and Peace,” the theme of family, according to the author’s plan, serves as the most important means of organizing the text. The atmosphere of the family nest determines the characters, destinies and views of the heroes of the work. In the system of all the main images of the novel, the author identifies several families, using the example of which he expresses his attitude towards the ideal of home - these are the Rostovs, the Bolkonskys, the Kuragins.

The Rostovs and Bolkonskys are not just families, they are ways of life based on national traditions. These traditions were most fully manifested in the life of the Rostov representatives - a noble-naive family living by feelings, combining a serious attitude to family honor (Nikolai Rostov does not refuse his father’s debts), warmth and cordiality of family relationships, hospitality and hospitality that distinguishes Russian people. Talking about Petya, Natasha, Nikolai and the elder Rostovs, Tolstoy sought to artistically recreate the history of an average noble family at the beginning of the 19th century.

During the course of the story, Tolstoy introduces the reader to all representatives of the Rostov family, talking about them with deep interest and sympathy. The Rostov house in Moscow was considered one of the most hospitable, and therefore one of the most beloved. A kind, carefree and forgiving spirit of benevolent love reigned here. This caused good-natured ridicule among some, but it did not prevent anyone from taking advantage of Count Rostov’s hospitable generosity: kindness and love are always attractive.

The most prominent representative of the Rostov family is Natasha - charming, natural, cheerful and naive. All these traits are dear to Tolstoy, and for them he loves his heroine. Starting from the first acquaintance, the writer emphasizes that Natasha is not like other characters in the novel. We see her as a daring child when, at her name day, she fearlessly, despite the presence of Countess Akhrosimova (whom the whole world was afraid of), asks what kind of cake will be served for dessert; then matured, but still just as lively, spontaneous and charming, when she has to make the first important decision - to refuse Denisov, who proposed to her. She says: “Vasily Dmitrich, I feel so sorry for you!.. No, but you are so nice... but don’t... this is... otherwise I will always love you...” There is no direct logic in Natasha’s words , but at the same time they are touchingly pure and truthful. Later we see Natasha with Nikolai and Petya in Mikhailovsk, visiting her uncle, when she performs a Russian dance, causing admiration from those around her; Natasha, in love with Prince Andrei, and then carried away by Anatoly Kuragin. As she grows up, Natasha’s character traits also develop: love of life, optimism, amorousness. Tolstoy shows her in joy, in grief, and in despair, and shows her in such a way that the reader cannot doubt: all her feelings are sincere and genuine.

As the story progresses, we learn a lot of important things about Count Rostov: about the financial worries of Ilya Nikolaevich; about his hospitality and good nature; about how inimitably and fervently he dances Danila Kupora; about how much effort he makes to organize a reception in honor of Bagration; about how, in a fit of patriotic delight, returning from the palace where he heard and saw the emperor, he lets his youngest minor son go to war. Tolstoy almost always shows Countess Rostova through the eyes of Natasha. Her main feature is her love for children. For Natasha, she is the first friend and adviser. The Countess understands her children perfectly and is always ready to warn them against mistakes and give the necessary advice.

Tolstoy treats Petya, the youngest son of the Rostovs, with especially touching sympathy. This is a wonderful, kind, loving and beloved boy, so similar to Natasha, a faithful companion of her games, her page, unquestioningly fulfilling all the desires and whims of his sister. He, like Natasha, loves life in all its manifestations. He knows how to take pity on the captive French drummer, invites him to dinner and treats him to fried meat, just as his father, Count Rostov, invited everyone to his house to feed and caress him. Petya's death is clear evidence of the senselessness and mercilessness of the war.

For the Rostovs, love is the basis of family life. Here they are not afraid to express their feelings either to each other or to friends and acquaintances. The love, kindness and warmth of the Rostovs extend not only to its members, but also to people who, by the will of fate, have become their loved ones. So, Andrei Bolkonsky, finding himself in Otradnoye, struck by Natasha’s cheerfulness, decides to change his life. In the Rostov family they never condemn or reproach each other even when an act committed by one of its members deserves condemnation, be it Nikolai, who lost a huge amount of money to Dolokhov and put the family in danger of ruin, or Natasha, who tried to escape with Anatoly Kuragin. Here we are always ready to help each other and stand up for a loved one at any moment.

Such purity of relationships and high morality make the Rostovs similar to the Bolkonskys. But the Bolkonskys, in contrast to the Rostovs, attach great importance to their birth and wealth. They do not accept everyone indiscriminately. A special order reigns here, understandable only to family members; here everything is subordinated to honor, reason and duty. All representatives of this family have a clearly expressed sense of family superiority and self-esteem. But at the same time, in the Bolkonskys’ relationship there is natural and sincere love, hidden under the mask of arrogance. The proud Bolkonskys are noticeably different in character from the cozy and homely Rostovs, and that is why the unity of these two families, in the author’s view, is possible only between uncharacteristic representatives of these families (Nikolai Rostov and Princess Marya).

The Bolkonsky family in the novel is contrasted with the Kuragin family. Both the Bolkonskys and the Kuragins occupy a prominent place in the social life of Moscow and St. Petersburg. But if, when describing the members of the Bolkonsky family, the author draws attention to issues of pride and honor, then the Kuragins are depicted as active participants in intrigues and behind-the-scenes games (the story with Count Bezukhov’s briefcase), regulars at balls and social events. The way of life of the Bolkonsky family is based on love and cohesion. All representatives of the Kuragin family are united by immorality (secret connections between Anatole and Helen), unscrupulousness (an attempt to arrange Natasha’s escape), prudence (the marriage of Pierre and Helen), and false patriotism.

It is no coincidence that representatives of the Kuragin family belong to high society. From the first pages of the novel, the reader is transported to the St. Petersburg drawing rooms of high society and gets acquainted with the “cream” of this society: nobles, dignitaries, diplomats, ladies-in-waiting. As the narrative progresses, Tolstoy tears away the veils of external brilliance and refined manners from these people, and their spiritual squalor and moral baseness are revealed to the reader. There is neither simplicity, nor goodness, nor truth in their behavior and relationships. Everything is unnatural, hypocritical in Anna Pavlovna Scherer’s salon. Everything alive, be it a thought and a feeling, a sincere impulse or a topical wit, fades away in a soulless environment. That is why the naturalness and openness in Pierre’s behavior frightened Scherer so much. Here they are accustomed to “decently pulled masks”, to a masquerade. Prince Vasily speaks lazily, like an actor in an old play, while the hostess herself behaves with artificial enthusiasm.

Tolstoy compares the evening reception at Scherer’s to a spinning workshop, in which “spindles made noise evenly and incessantly from different sides.” But in these workshops, important matters are decided, state intrigues are woven, personal problems are solved, selfish plans are outlined: places are looked for for unsettled sons, like Ippolit Kuragin, profitable parties for marriage are discussed. In this light, “eternal inhuman enmity, the struggle for mortal blessings, boils.” Suffice it to recall the distorted faces of the “mournful” Drubetskaya and the “merciful” Prince Vasily, when the two of them clutched the briefcase with the will at the bedside of the dying Count Bezukhov.

Prince Vasily Kuragin, the head of the Kuragin family, is a bright type of enterprising careerist, money-grubber and egoist. Entrepreneurship and acquisitiveness became, as it were, “involuntary” traits of his character. As Tolstoy emphasizes, Prince Vasily knew how to use people and hide this skill, covering it with subtle observance of the rules of secular behavior. Thanks to this skill, Prince Vasily achieves a lot in life, because in the society in which he lives, the search for various kinds of benefits is the main thing in relations between people. For the sake of his own selfish goals, Prince Vasily is developing very vigorous activity. Suffice it to recall the campaign launched to get Pierre married to his daughter Helen. Without waiting for Pierre and Helen's explanation or matchmaking, Prince Vasily bursts into the room with an icon in his hands and blesses the newlyweds - the mousetrap slammed shut. The siege of Maria Bolkonskaya, a rich bride for Anatole, began, and only chance prevented the successful completion of this “operation.” What kind of love and family well-being can we talk about when marriages are made out of open calculation? Tolstoy tells with irony about Prince Vasily, when he fools and robs Pierre, embezzling income from his estates and keeping several thousand quitrents from the Ryazan estate, hiding his actions under the guise of kindness and care for the young man, whom he cannot leave to the mercy of fate. .

Helen is the only one of all the children of Prince Vasily who does not burden him, but brings joy with her successes. This is explained by the fact that she was a true daughter of her father and early understood what rules she needed to play by in the world in order to achieve success and occupy a strong position. Beauty is Helen's only virtue. She understands this very well and uses it as a means to achieve personal gain. When Helen walks through the hall, the dazzling whiteness of her shoulders attracts the gaze of all the men present. Having married Pierre, she began to shine even brighter, did not miss a single ball and was always a welcome guest. Having openly cheated on her husband, she cynically declares that she does not want to have children from him. Pierre rightly defined its essence: “Where you are, there is debauchery.”

Prince Vasily is openly burdened by his sons. The youngest son of Prince Vasily, Anatol Kuragin, causes disgust from the very first moment of meeting him. When writing a description of this hero, Tolstoy noted: “He is like a beautiful doll, there is nothing in his eyes.” Anatole is sure that the world was created for his pleasure. According to the author, “he was instinctively convinced that he could not live differently than he lived,” that he “must live on an income of thirty thousand and always occupy the highest position in society.” Tolstoy repeatedly emphasizes that Anatole is handsome. But his outer beauty contrasts with his empty inner appearance. Anatole's immorality is especially evident during his courtship of Natasha Rostova, when she was the bride of Andrei Bolkonsky. Anatol Kuragin became a symbol of freedom for Natasha Rostova, and she, with her purity, naivety and faith in people, could not understand that this is freedom from the boundaries of what is permitted, from the moral framework of what is permissible. The second son of Prince Vasily - Ippolit - is described by the author as a rake and a veil. But unlike Anatole, he is also mentally limited, which makes his actions especially ridiculous. Tolstoy devotes rather little space to Ippolit in the novel, not deigning him with his attention. The beauty and youth of the Kuragins takes on a repulsive character, for this beauty is insincere, not warmed by the soul.

Tolstoy depicted the declaration of love between Boris Drubetsky and Julie Karagina with irony and sarcasm. Julie knows that this brilliant but poor handsome man does not love her, but demands a declaration of love according to all the rules for his wealth. And Boris, uttering the right words, thinks that it is always possible to arrange it so that he rarely sees his wife. For the Kuragins and Drubetskys, all means are good to achieve success and fame and strengthen their position in society. You can join a Masonic lodge, pretending that you are close to the ideas of love, equality, brotherhood, although in fact the only purpose of this is the desire to make profitable acquaintances. Pierre, a sincere and trusting man, soon saw that these people were not interested in questions of truth, the good of humanity, but in the uniforms and crosses that they sought in life.

“Tolstoy’s novel differs from an ordinary family novel in that it is, so to speak, an open family, with an open door - it is ready to spread, the path to the family is the path to people,” N. Berkovsky writes about the novel “War and Peace.”
In the novel "War and Peace" L.N. Tolstoy talks about different families - these include the Bolkonskys, who preserve aristocratic traditions; and representatives of the Moscow nobility Rostov; the Kuragin family, deprived of mutual respect, sincerity and connections; the Berg family, which begins its existence by laying the “material foundation”. And in the epilogue of the novel, Tolstoy presents to the readers two new families - Pierre and Natasha, Nikolai and Marya - families based on sincere and deep feelings.
Let's try to rank the families presented in the novel according to their proximity to Tolstoy's idea of ​​an ideal family.
Bergi.
Berg himself has much in common with Griboyedov’s Molchalin (moderation, diligence and accuracy). According to Tolstoy, Berg is not only a philistine in himself, but also a part of the universal philistinism (acquisitive mania takes over in any situation, drowning out the manifestation of normal feelings - the episode with the purchase of furniture during the evacuation of most residents from Moscow). Berg “exploits” the war of 1812, “squeezing” the maximum benefit out of it for himself. The Bergs try with all their might to resemble the models accepted in society: the evening that the Bergs throw is an exact copy of many other evenings with candles and tea. Vera (although she belongs to the Rostov family by birth) even as a girl, despite her pleasant appearance and development, good manners and “correctness” of judgment, pushes people away with her indifference to others and extreme selfishness.
Such a family, according to Tolstoy, cannot become the basis of society because... The “foundation” underlying it is material acquisitions, which are more likely to devastate the soul and contribute to the destruction of human relationships rather than unification.
Kuragins- Prince Vasily, Hippolyte, Anatole, Helen.
Family members are connected only by external relations. Prince Vasily does not have a fatherly feeling for children, all Kuragins are disunited. And in independent life, the children of Prince Vasily are doomed to loneliness: Helen and Pierre have no family, despite their official marriage; Anatole, being married to a Polish woman, enters into new relationships and is looking for a rich wife. Kuragins organically fit into the society of the regulars of Anna Pavlovna Scherer's salon with its falsehood, artificiality, false patriotism, and intrigue. The true face of Prince Vasily is revealed in the episode of dividing the inheritance of Kirila Bezukhov, which he does not intend to refuse under any circumstances. He actually sells his daughter, marrying her to Pierre. The animal and immoral principle inherent in Anatol Kuragin is especially clearly manifested when his father brings him to the Bolkonskys’ house in order to marry Princess Marya to him (episode with Mademoiselle Burien). And his attitude towards Natasha Rostova is so low and immoral that it does not need any comments. Helene completes the family gallery with dignity - she is a predatory woman, ready to marry for money and position in society for the sake of convenience, and then treat her husband cruelly.
The lack of connections and spiritual closeness makes this family formal, that is, people living in it are related only by blood, but there is no spiritual kinship or human closeness in this house, and therefore, it can be assumed that such a family cannot cultivate a moral attitude towards life.
Bolkonsky.
The head of the family, the old Prince Bolkonsky, establishes a meaningful life in Bald Mountains. He is all in the past - he is a true aristocrat, and he carefully preserves all the traditions of the aristocracy.
It should be noted that real life is also in the old prince’s field of attention - his awareness of modern events surprises even his son. An ironic attitude towards religion and sentimentality brings father and son closer together. The death of the prince, according to Tolstoy, is retribution for his despotism. Bolkonsky lives “by the mind”; an intellectual atmosphere reigns in the house. The old prince even teaches his daughter the exact and historical sciences. But, despite a number of the prince’s eccentricities, his children - Prince Andrei and Princess Marya - love and respect their father, forgiving him some tactlessness and harshness. Perhaps this is the phenomenon of the Bolkonsky family - unconditional respect and acceptance of all senior family members, unaccountable, sincere, in some ways even sacrificial love of family members for each other (Princess Marya decided for herself that she would not think about personal happiness , so as not to leave the father alone).
The relationships that have developed in this family, according to Tolstoy, contribute to the education of such feelings as respect, devotion, human dignity, and patriotism.
Rostov.
Using the example of the Rostov family, Tolstoy presents his ideal of family life, good relations between all family members. The Rostovs live the “life of the heart,” without demanding special intelligence from each other, treating life’s troubles with ease and ease. They are characterized by a truly Russian desire for breadth and scope. All members of the Rostov family are characterized by liveliness and spontaneity. The turning point in the life of the family is leaving. Moscow in 1812, the decision to give up the carts intended for the removal of property for the transport of the wounded, which actually resulted in the ruin of the Rostovs. Old man Rostov dies with a feeling of guilt for ruining his children, but with a sense of fulfilled patriotic duty. Children in the Rostov family inherit the best qualities from their parents - sincerity, openness, selflessness, the desire to love the whole world and all humanity.
And yet, it is probably no coincidence that in the epilogue of the novel Tolstoy talks about two young families.
Nikolai Rostov and Marya Bolkonskaya.
The love of these people arises at a time of trouble looming over the fatherland. Nikolai and Marya are characterized by a commonality in the perception of people. This is a union in which husband and wife mutually enrich themselves spiritually. Nikolai makes Marya happy, and she brings kindness and tenderness into the family.
Natasha Rostova and Pierre Bezukhov.
The purpose of their love is marriage, family and children. Here Tolstoy describes an idyll - an intuitive understanding of a loved one. The charm of Natasha the girl is clear to everyone, the charm of Natasha the woman is clear only to her husband. Each of them finds in love and family exactly what he has been striving for all his life - the meaning of his life, which, according to Tolstoy, for a woman consists of motherhood, and for a man - in the awareness of himself as a support for a weaker person, his necessity.
To sum up the discussion, it can be noted that the theme of family, its significance in the development of a person’s character for Tolstoy in the novel “War and Peace” is one of the most important. The author tries to explain many of the features and patterns in the lives of his characters by their belonging to one or another family. At the same time, he emphasizes the great importance of the family in the formation of both a young person and his character, and an adult. Only in the family does a person receive everything that subsequently determines his character, habits, worldview and attitude.

The main thought in L.N. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace,” along with the people’s thought, is “family thought.” The writer believed that the family is the basis of the entire society, and it reflects the processes that occur in society.
The novel shows heroes who go through a certain path of ideological and spiritual development; through trial and error, they try to find their place in life and realize their purpose. These characters are shown against the backdrop of family relationships. So, the Rostov and Bolkonsky families appear before us. Tolstoy depicted the entire Russian nation from top to bottom in his novel, thereby showing that the top of the nation had become spiritually dead, having lost contact with the people. He shows this process using the example of the family of Prince Vasily Kuragin and his children, who are characterized by the expression of all the negative qualities inherent in people of high society - extreme selfishness, baseness of interests, lack of sincere feelings.
All the heroes of the novel are bright individuals, but the members of the same family have a certain common feature that unites them all.
Thus, the main feature of the Bolkonsky family can be called the desire to follow the laws of reason. None of them, except, perhaps, Princess Marya, is characterized by an open manifestation of their feelings. The image of the head of the family, the old prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky, embodies the best features of the ancient Russian nobility. He is a representative of an ancient aristocratic family, his character bizarrely combines the morals of an imperious nobleman, before whom all the household tremble, from the servants to his own daughter, an aristocrat proud of his long pedigree, the traits of a man of great intelligence and simple habits. At a time when no one required women to display any special knowledge, he teaches his daughter geometry and algebra, motivating it like this: “And I don’t want you to be like our stupid ladies.” He educated his daughter in order to develop in her the main virtues, which, in his opinion, were “activity and intelligence.”
His son, Prince Andrei, also embodied the best features of the nobility, the progressive noble youth. Prince Andrei has his own path to understanding real life. And he will go through errors, but his unerring moral sense will help him get rid of false ideals. So, . Napoleon and Speransky turn out to be debunked in his mind, and love for Natasha will enter his life, so unlike all the other ladies of high society, the main features of which, in his opinion and the opinion of his father, are “selfishness, vanity, insignificance in everything” . Natasha will become for him the personification of real life, opposing the falsehood of the world. Her betrayal of him is tantamount to the collapse of an ideal. Just like his father, Prince Andrei is intolerant of simple human weaknesses that his wife, a very ordinary woman, has, a sister who is looking for some special truth from “God’s people,” and many other people whom he encounters in life.
A peculiar exception in the Bolkonsky family is Princess Marya. She lives only for the sake of self-sacrifice, which is elevated to a moral principle that determines her entire life. She is ready to give all of herself to others, suppressing personal desires. Submission to her fate, to all the whims of her domineering father, who loves her in his own way, religiosity is combined in her with a thirst for simple, human happiness. Her humility is the result of a peculiarly understood sense of duty as a daughter who does not have the moral right to judge her father, as she says to Mademoiselle Burien: “I will not allow myself to judge him and would not want others to do so.” But nevertheless, when self-esteem demands, she can show the necessary firmness. This is revealed with particular force when her sense of patriotism, which distinguishes all Bolkonskys, is insulted. However, she can sacrifice her pride if it is necessary to save another person. So, she asks for forgiveness, although she is not guilty of anything, from her companion for herself and the serf servant, on whom her father’s wrath fell.
Another family depicted in the novel is in some way opposed to the Bolkonsky family. This is the Rostov family. If the Bolkonskys strive to follow the arguments of reason, then the Rostovs obey the voice of feelings. Natasha is little guided by the requirements of decency, she is spontaneous, she has many child traits, which is highly valued by the author. He emphasizes many times that Natasha is ugly, unlike Helen Kuragina. For him, it is not the external beauty of a person that is important, but his internal qualities.
The behavior of all members of this family shows high nobility of feelings, kindness, rare generosity, naturalness, closeness to the people, moral purity and integrity. The local nobility, unlike the highest St. Petersburg nobility, is faithful to national traditions. It was not for nothing that Natasha, dancing with her uncle after the hunt, “knew how to understand everything that was in Anisya, and in Anisya’s father, and in her aunt, and in her mother, and in every Russian person.”
Tolstoy attaches great importance to family ties and the unity of the whole family. Although the Bolkonsikh clan should unite with the Rostov clan through the marriage of Prince Andrei and Natasha, her mother cannot come to terms with this, cannot accept Andrei into the family, “she wanted to love him like a son, but she felt that he was a stranger and terrible to her Human". Families cannot unite through Natasha and Andrei, but are united through the marriage of Princess Marya to Nikolai Rostov. This marriage is successful, it saves the Rostovs from ruin.
The novel also shows the Kuragin family: Prince Vasily and his three children: the soulless doll Helen, the “dead fool” Ippolit and the “restless fool” Anatole. Prince Vasily is a calculating and cold intriguer and ambitious man who claims the inheritance of Kirila Bezukhov, without having a direct right to do so. He is connected with his children only by blood ties and common interests: they care only about their well-being and position in society.
The daughter of Prince Vasily, Helen, is a typical social beauty with impeccable manners and reputation. She amazes everyone with her beauty, which is described several times as “marble,” that is, cold beauty, devoid of feeling and soul, the beauty of a statue. The only thing that occupies Helen is her salon and social receptions.
The sons of Prince Vasily, in his opinion, are both “fools.” His father managed to place Hippolytus in the diplomatic service, and his fate is considered settled. The brawler and rake Anatole causes a lot of trouble for everyone around him, and, in order to calm him down, Prince Vasily wants to marry him to the rich heiress Princess Marya. This marriage cannot take place due to the fact that Princess Marya does not want to part with her father, and Anatole indulges in his former amusements with renewed vigor.
Thus, people who are not only related by blood, but also spiritually, unite into families. The ancient Bolkonsky family is not interrupted by the death of Prince Andrei; Nikolenka Bolkonsky remains, who will likely continue the tradition of moral quests of his father and grandfather. Marya Bolkonskaya brings high spirituality to the Rostov family. So, “family thought,” along with “folk thought,” is the main one in L. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace.” Tolstoy's family is studied at turning points in history. Having shown three families most fully in the novel, the writer makes it clear to the reader that the future belongs to such families as the Rostov and Bolkonsky families, who embody sincerity of feelings and high spirituality, the most prominent representatives of which each go through their own path of rapprochement with the people.

“War and Peace” is one of the best works of Russian and world literature. In it, the author historically correctly recreated the life of Russian people at the beginning of the 19th century. The writer describes in detail the events of 1805-1807 and 1812. Despite the fact that the “family thought” is the main one in the novel “Anna Karenina”, in the epic novel “War and Peace” it also occupies a very important place. Tolstoy saw the beginning of all beginnings in the family. As you know, a person is not born good or bad, but his family and the atmosphere that prevails within it make him so. The author brilliantly outlined many of the characters in the novel, showed their formation and development, which is called the “dialectics of the soul.” Tolstoy, paying great attention to the origins of the formation of a person’s personality, has similarities with Goncharov. The hero of the novel “Oblomov” was not born apathetic and lazy, but life in his Oblomovka, where 300 Zakharovs were ready to fulfill his every desire, made him so.
Following the traditions of realism, the author wanted to show and also compare various families that are typical of their era. In this comparison, the author often uses the technique of antithesis: some families are shown in development, while others are frozen. The latter includes the Kuragin family. Tolstoy, showing all its members, be it Helen or Prince Vasily, pays great attention to the portrait and appearance. This is no coincidence: the external beauty of the Kuragins replaces the spiritual. There are many human vices in this family. Thus, the meanness and hypocrisy of Prince Vasily are revealed in his attitude towards the inexperienced Pierre, whom he despises as an illegitimate. As soon as Pierre receives an inheritance from the deceased Count Bezukhov, his opinion about him completely changes, and Prince Vasily begins to see in Pierre an excellent match for his daughter Helen. This turn of events is explained by the low and selfish interests of Prince Vasily and his daughter. Helen, having agreed to a marriage of convenience, reveals her moral baseness. Her relationship with Pierre can hardly be called a family one; the spouses are constantly separated. In addition, Helen ridicules Pierre's desire to have children: she does not want to burden herself with unnecessary worries. Children, in her understanding, are a burden that interferes with life. Tolstoy considered such a low moral decline to be the most terrible thing for a woman. He wrote that the main purpose of a woman is to become a good mother and raise worthy children. The author shows all the uselessness and emptiness of Helen's life. Having failed to fulfill her destiny in this world, she dies. None of the Kuragin family leaves behind heirs.
The complete opposite of the Kuragins is the Bolkonsky family. Here you can feel the author’s desire to show people of honor and duty, highly moral and complex characters.
The father of the family is Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky, a man of Catherine’s temperament, who places honor and duty above other human values. This is most clearly manifested in the scene of farewell to his son, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who is leaving for the war. The son does not let his father down, does not lose honor. Unlike many adjutants, he does not sit at headquarters, but is on the front line, in the very center of military operations. The author emphasizes his intelligence and nobility. After the death of his wife, Prince Andrey was left with Nikolenka. We can have no doubt that he will become a worthy person and, like his father and grandfather, will not tarnish the honor of the old Bolkonsky family.
The daughter of the old Prince Bolkonsky is Marya, a person of pure soul, pious, patient, kind. The father did not show his feelings for her, since it was not in his rules. Marya understands all the prince’s whims and treats them resignedly, because she knows that her father’s love for her is hidden in the depths of his soul. The author emphasizes in the character of Princess Marya self-sacrifice for the sake of another, a deep understanding of daughterly duty. The old prince, unable to pour out his love, withdraws into himself, sometimes acting cruelly. Princess Marya will not contradict him: the ability to understand another person, to enter into his position - this is one of the main traits of her character. This trait often helps save a family and prevents it from falling apart.
Another antithesis to the Kuragin clan is the Rostov family, showing whom Tolstoy emphasizes such qualities of people as kindness, spiritual openness within the family, hospitality, moral purity, innocence, closeness to people's life. Many people are drawn to the Rostovs, many sympathize with them. Unlike the Bolkonskys, an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding often reigns within the Rostov family. This may not always be the case in reality, but Tolstoy wanted to idealize openness and show its necessity between all family members. Each member of the Rostov family is an individual.
Nikolai, the eldest son of the Rostovs, is a brave, selfless man, he passionately loves his parents and sisters. Tolstoy notes that Nikolai does not hide from his family his feelings and desires that overwhelm him. Vera, the Rostovs' eldest daughter, is noticeably different from other family members. She grew up an outsider in her family, withdrawn and angry. The old count says that the countess “did something with her.” Showing the Countess, Tolstoy focuses on her trait of selfishness. The Countess thinks exclusively about her family and wants to see her children happy at all costs, even if their happiness is built on the misfortune of other people. Tolstoy showed in her the ideal of a female mother who worries only about her cubs. This is most clearly demonstrated in the scene of the family's departure from Moscow during the fire. Natasha, having a kind soul and heart, helps the wounded leave Moscow, giving them carts, and leaves all the accumulated wealth and belongings in the city, since this is a profitable business. She does not hesitate to make a choice between her well-being and the lives of other people. The Countess, not without hesitation, agrees to such a sacrifice. Blind maternal instinct shines through here.
At the end of the novel, the author shows us the formation of two families: Nikolai Rostov and Princess Marya Bolkonskaya, Pierre Bezukhov and Natasha Rostova. Both the princess and Natasha, each in their own way, are morally high and noble. They both suffered a lot and finally found their happiness in family life and became the guardians of the family hearth. As Dostoevsky wrote: “Man is not born for happiness and deserves it through suffering.” These two heroines have one thing in common: they will be able to become wonderful mothers, they will be able to raise a worthy generation, which, according to the author, is the main thing in a woman’s life, and Tolstoy, in the name of this, forgives them some of the shortcomings characteristic of ordinary people.
As a result, we see that “family thought” is one of the fundamental ones in the novel. Tolstoy shows not only individuals, but also families, shows the complexity of relationships both within one family and between families.

“War and Peace” is a Russian national epic, which reflected the national character of the Russian people at the moment when their historical fate was being decided. L.N. Tolstoy worked on the novel for almost six years: from 1863 to 1869. From the very beginning of work on the work, the writer’s attention was attracted not only by historical events, but also by the private, family life of the characters. Tolstoy believed that the family is a unit of the world, in which the spirit of mutual understanding, naturalness and closeness to the people should reign.
The novel “War and Peace” describes the life of several noble families: the Rostovs, the Bolkonskys and the Kuragins.
The Rostov family is an ideal harmonious whole, where the heart prevails over the mind. Love binds all family members. It manifests itself in sensitivity, attention, and closeness. With the Rostovs, everything is sincere, it comes from the heart. Cordiality, hospitality, hospitality reign in this family, and the traditions and customs of Russian life are preserved.
Parents raised their children, giving them all their love. They can understand, forgive and help. For example, when Nikolenka Rostov lost a huge amount of money to Dolokhov, he did not hear a word of reproach from his father and was able to pay off his gambling debt.
The children of this family have absorbed all the best qualities of the “Rostov breed”. Natasha is the personification of heartfelt sensitivity, poetry, musicality and intuitiveness. She knows how to enjoy life and people like a child.
Life of the heart, honesty, naturalness, moral purity and decency determine their relationships in the family and behavior among people.
Unlike the Rostovs, the Bolkonskys live with their minds, not their hearts. This is an old aristocratic family. In addition to blood ties, the members of this family are also connected by spiritual closeness.
At first glance, the relationships in this family are difficult and devoid of cordiality. However, internally these people are close to each other. They are not inclined to show their feelings.
Old Prince Bolkonsky embodies the best features of a serviceman (nobility, devoted to the one to whom he “sworn allegiance.” The concept of honor and duty of an officer was in the first place for him. He served under Catherine II, participated in Suvorov’s campaigns. He considered intelligence and activity to be the main virtues , and his vices are laziness and idleness. The life of Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky is a continuous activity. He either writes memoirs about past campaigns, or manages the estate. Prince Andrei Bolkonsky greatly respects and honors his father, who was able to instill in him a high concept of honor. the road is the road of honor,” he says to his son. And Prince Andrei follows his father’s parting words both during the campaign of 1806, in the battles of Shengraben and Austerlitz, and during the war of 1812.
Marya Bolkonskaya loves her father and brother very much. She is ready to give all of herself for the sake of her loved ones. Princess Marya completely submits to her father's will. His word is law for her. At first glance, she seems weak and indecisive, but at the right moment she shows strength of will and fortitude.
Both the Rostovs and the Bolkonskys are patriots, their feelings were especially clearly manifested during the Patriotic War of 1812. They express the people's spirit of war. Prince Nikolai Andreevich dies because his heart could not stand the shame of the retreat of the Russian troops and the surrender of Smolensk. Marya Bolkonskaya rejects the French general's offer of patronage and leaves Bogucharovo. The Rostovs give their carts to the soldiers wounded on the Borodino field and pay the most dearly - with the death of Petya.
Another family is shown in the novel. This is Kuragin. The members of this family appear before us in all their insignificance, vulgarity, callousness, greed, and immorality. They use people to achieve their selfish goals. The family is devoid of spirituality. For Helen and Anatole, the main thing in life is the satisfaction of their base desires. They are completely cut off from people's life, they live in a brilliant but cold world, where all feelings are perverted. During the war, they lead the same salon life, talking about patriotism.
In the epilogue of the novel, two more families are shown. This is the Bezukhov family (Pierre and Natasha), which embodied the author's ideal of a family based on mutual understanding and trust, and the Rostov family - Marya and Nikolai. Marya brought kindness and tenderness, high spirituality to the Rostov family, and Nikolai shows kindness in his relationships with those closest to him.
By showing different families in his novel, Tolstoy wanted to say that the future belongs to families such as the Rostovs, Bezukhovs, and Bolkonskys.

"War and Peace" is a Russian national epic, which reflected the national character of the Russian people at the moment when their historical fate was being decided. L.N. Tolstoy worked on the novel for almost six years: from 1863 to 1869. From the very beginning of work on the work, the writer’s attention was attracted not only by historical events, but also by private family life.

For L.N. Tolstoy himself, one of his main values ​​was family. The family in which he grew up, without which we would not have known the Tolstoy writer, the family that he created himself. Family as a school of life and family as an institution. In life, a family is a way of reproduction and the best means to instill moral principles in a person and develop his talents. Family is the transfer of experience of generations, the uniqueness of a nation.

“Family thought” was first seriously touched upon by Tolstoy in “Childhood.” He depicts his family, its climate, the relationship between children and parents and the influence of the family atmosphere on himself. The apogee of the development of “family thought” in Tolstoy’s work was the novel “Anna Karenina”. The novel “War and Peace” examines the Patriotic War of 1812 through the prism of “family thought.”

The novel "War and Peace" describes the life of several noble families: the Rostovs, the Bolkonskys and the Kuragins.

The Bolkonskys and Rostovs are families with whom Tolstoy sympathizes. From them come Marya and Andrei Bolkonsky, Natasha - the writer’s favorite characters. The members of these families were subjected to three main tests by the writer: social life, love, war. Families are shown not in isolation from the surrounding world, but in close contact with it and contacts with each other. It is in this way that Tolstoy reveals “family thought.”

In the Rostov family, it was customary not to be afraid to express their feelings: cry, fall in love. This was one of the most hospitable families in Moscow. In addition to their children, they raised Boris and Sonya. An atmosphere of universal love and trust reigned in the house. Love binds all family members. It manifests itself in sensitivity, attention, and closeness. With the Rostovs, everything is sincere, it comes from the heart. Cordiality, hospitality, hospitality reign in this family, and the traditions and customs of Russian life are preserved. Only from such a family can children like Nikolai and Natasha come out. These are people with a strong intuitive beginning, but do not carry any spiritual values. That is why they are drawn to the Bolkonsky family, who carry moral and spiritual values.

The Bolkonsky family has a spartan atmosphere. It’s not customary to cry here, they don’t like guests here, everything here is subordinated to reason. This is an old aristocratic family. In addition to blood ties, the members of this family are also connected by spiritual closeness. Nikolai Andreevich, loving his daughter, forces her to study natural sciences, believing that she is completely bad. However, the princess’s spiritual foundations prevail. The happiness given to her at the end of the novel is a reward for suffering. Prince Andrey is the image of a real man: strong-willed, strong, practical, educated, moderately sensitive.

These two families form, as it were, two halves, and it is quite natural that they are attracted to each other, and they form harmonious couples. The spiritual and practical are reunited in the pair Nikolai - Princess Marya. The same thing should have happened between Prince Andrei and Natasha, but Bolkonsky’s death prevents this.

Tolstoy contrasts the Kuragin family with Rostov and Bolkonsky. Kuragins are a symbol of a degraded family, a family in which material interests are placed above spiritual ones. The members of this family appear before us in all their insignificance, vulgarity, callousness, and greed. Kuragins live an artificial life; they are selfishly occupied with everyday interests. The family is devoid of spirituality. For Helen and Anatole, the main thing in life is the satisfaction of their base desires. They are completely cut off from people's life, they live in a brilliant but cold world, where all feelings are perverted. Prince Vasily is so carried away by secular affairs that he has lost all human essence. According to Tolstoy, this family has no right to exist, almost all of its members die. The family of Vera and Berg can be compared with the Kuragins. Their whole life consists of imitating others. Their motto is “like others.” This family will be given children, but they will certainly be moral monsters.

The couple Natasha Rostova - Pierre Bezukhov becomes the ideal of a harmonious family. All of Pierre’s spiritual quests and all of Natasha’s tireless energy went towards creating a strong and reliable family. It is safe to say that their children will grow up healthy physically and morally.

By showing three families most fully in the novel, Tolstoy makes it clear to the reader that the future belongs to families such as the Rostov and Bolkonsky families, who embody sincerity of feelings and high spirituality.

"Family Thought" in the novel "War and Peace"

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy believed that when working on a work, one must love the “main idea” in it and reduce all other ideas to it. Sofya Andreevna Tolstaya wrote down in his diary his words that, when creating “War and Peace,” he “loved folk thought,” and in “Anna Karenina” - “family thought.” Indeed, “popular thought” is the fundamental idea of ​​“War and Peace” as a historical and philosophical work. But Tolstoy’s very approach to art history, which involves comprehending the laws of history through a scrupulous study of the entire course of human life, includes an intense interest in the family, so “War and Peace” can also be considered as a family chronicle. And Tolstoy’s innovation was manifested not only in his views on art, science and philosophy, but also in his attitude to everything related to the theme of family and everyday life.

Novels of the “natural school” were structured in such a way that the attention of authors and readers was focused on social and philosophical problems. The heroes realized themselves in the spiritual sphere, in public service and treated everyday life with deep contempt. “The prose of the natural school in general created ironic pictures of almost all accepted forms of social and domestic life... The everyday, economic, practical-everyday side of life here does not look everywhere as a natural element of the process of human existence: it appears before the heroes as a threat, as the beginning , hostile to everything that is best in their personality,” writes A. Zhuk. Tolstoy was outraged by this arrogant irony over the foundations of human existence. In the family, in family life, he saw one of the main areas of human self-realization, requiring talent, soul, and creative insights. For him, the family is a microcosm of the human community, the beginning and basis of society. And the most important characteristic of the heroes of War and Peace is their family life.

Three families, three houses, three “breeds” of people form the basis of the “family thought” of the novel: the Rostovs, the Bolkonskys and the Kuragins. The world of the Kuragins is a world of the secular mob, of perverted relationships with others and with loved ones. Their family is openly and actively opposed by the author to the world of the Bolkonskys and Rostovs. But the families of his beloved heroes do not at all duplicate each other, they also oppose each other in many ways: it is no coincidence that the elder Rostovs are alien to Prince Andrei, Nikolai is unpleasant; It is no coincidence that Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky will not accept Natasha and will be so opposed to his son’s marriage.

The houses of the Rostovs and Bolkonskys differ primarily in their internal atmosphere. In the Rostov family they openly rejoice and openly cry, openly fall in love and all experience everyone’s love dramas together. Their hospitality is famous throughout Moscow, they are ready to accept and treat anyone: in the family, in addition to four natural children, Sonya is being raised.

Everything is different at the estate in Bald Mountains. There is a spirit of isolation and Spartan restraint reigning there; there it is not customary to be recklessly frank: only in decisive moments of life do they sparingly and carefully pronounce Bolkon’s words of love and open their souls. But it's not just a matter of different lifestyles. These families live in different systems of moral values. And, going out into the world, each hero carries within himself not only the usual family way of life, but also the morality accepted in his home, the attitude towards himself and the world brought up by his parents.

The hospitable and generous house of the Rostovs cannot but charm the reader. Tolstoy describes the Count and Countess with tenderness: these elderly people who have lived their lives together tenderly and reverently love each other; they have wonderful children; in their home it is cozy for both friends and strangers... And we are ready to ignore several dissonant notes in this family harmony: the coldness of Vera, who despises everyone; Sonya's passionate desire to sacrifice herself to benefactors and her fear that the countess will oppose her marriage to Nikolai. However, further, following the fate of the heroes, we will increasingly have to look back at that first evening in the Rostov house and think about the hints dropped by the author, as if in passing.

It becomes more and more unpleasant to meet Vera on the pages of the novel. Sonya’s desire to sacrifice herself becomes more and more persistent in order to show how grateful she is to the family that sheltered her. And Nikolai surprises: a sincere, kind fellow, brave, honest and sensitive - but uninteresting, catastrophically colorless! He does not know how to think at all, he is afraid to think: this will be revealed with tragic clarity in the case of Denisov, when loyal enthusiasm completely obscures Nikolai Rostov’s thoughts about the broken fate of his unjustly convicted friend. And in the way Natasha, without reasoning, obeying only physical attraction, rushes to Anatole, this Rostov desire to “live by feelings” will also manifest itself, this freeing of oneself from the obligation to think and be responsible for one’s actions.

In order to understand Tolstoy’s attitude to the family, to its role in the life of every person and all humanity, it is necessary to pay special attention to the female characters of the novel.

If a man mainly realizes himself in public service, in the social sphere, then a woman’s world, according to Tolstoy, is the family. It is the woman who creates this microcosm of humanity, and she is responsible for it before people and before God. She raises children, all her life she creates that Home, which becomes her main world, a reliable and calm rear for her husband and the source of everything for the younger generation. She affirms the system of moral values ​​that dominates the house; she spins the threads that connect all members of her family.

Tolstoy House cannot create unloved heroines. Helen and Anna Pavlovna Scherer, symbolizing for the author not only the lack of spirituality and soullessness of the world, but also the absolute loss of the feminine principle, replaced by the cult of physical beauty, are located on the “negative pole” of the novel. They are confronted by Natasha and Princess Marya. But the world of the novel is not monochromatic, and as straightforward as Tolstoy is in his historical and philosophical reasoning, so secretly and latently does he carry out his most important thoughts about the role of the family, about the highest purpose of women. Here the author does not declare anything openly: he is counting on a thoughtful, thoughtful reader. Tolstoy is sure: the purpose of a woman is to be a faithful, loving wife and mother, selflessly devoted to her family. But here, too, there is an important, key point for the author: her love and devotion have no right to cross certain limits! What are these boundaries? To understand them, let's return to the Rostov family.

Where could soulless Vera come from in a kind, loving family?! Count Ilya Andreevich himself tries to explain this phenomenon very simply and equally unconvincingly: “The Countess was being clever with Vera.” It’s unlikely that a loving mother could have done such tricks with her daughter so that a smaller copy of Helen would grow out of her! What's the matter? It's probably something to do with the "countess" herself.

The further you go, the worse things get for the Rostovs. The old count's economic carelessness, habitual hospitality and generous help have done their job: the family is close to ruin. And then there’s Nikolai’s loss and Vera’s dowry, which Berg demanded! And the poorer the Rostovs become, the more clearly the base, terrible traits appear in the countess: stinginess, spiritual callousness, the desire to sacrifice “strangers” for “our own.” One can understand the Countess when she does not want to give carts for the wounded: she is a mother, on carts is the last thing the family has, what will go into Natasha’s dowry, what Nikolai and Petya can live on! She does not want anything for herself, she thinks about the children, fulfilling her maternal duty. But is it possible, while caring for the well-being of your children, to sacrifice the lives of wounded soldiers?! Is it possible, when thinking about their material well-being, not to think about what a terrible lesson in inhumanity children are receiving?!

Let us remember how Prince Andrey was escorted to war by his father:

Remember one thing, Prince Andrei: if they kill you, it will hurt me, an old man... - He suddenly fell silent and suddenly continued in a loud voice: - And if I find out that you did not behave like the son of Nikolai Bolkonsky, I will be... ashamed ! - he squealed.

“You don’t have to tell me this, father,” the son said, smiling.

These are the moral foundations in the Bolkonsky family, in which they first of all think about the soul, about honor, and then about life and well-being. The old prince loves his son endlessly, but would prefer to see him dead than dishonored and his name besmirched. And therefore, Prince Andrei can make mistakes, he can succumb to the hypnosis of Napoleonic ideas, but he cannot afford to chicken out, sit out in the bushes - as Nikolai Rostov allowed himself to do in the first battle. Remember what Nikolai thought during his first battle: “Who are they? Why are they running? Are they really running to me? Are they really running to me? And why? Kill me? Me, whom everyone loves so much?” The thoughts of young Rostov are natural, because the sense of self-preservation is natural. But they are also immoral. It was at this moment that the immorality of the blind love of the old countess manifested itself in him. And even though the scene with the carts has not yet occurred, revealing to us Countess Rostova’s readiness to sacrifice strangers for the sake of her children, this quality of her love is already visible in Nikolai’s reaction: let everyone die except him. Her love has always been like this, always based on this - and passed on to her children the basics of inhumanity.

Isn’t Countess Rostova’s attitude towards Sonya inhumane?! Having sheltered her husband's niece, almost the same age as Natasha, she did not forget for a second that this child was a stranger, that she had benefited this girl. Of course, Sonya was not reproached with the piece for the time being. But her persistent desire to prove her gratitude speaks more clearly than clear that, without reproach, the girl was not allowed to forget for a second about her fate as a bitter orphan, a poor relative who is fed out of mercy. What could be more immoral?!

Mother's love is holy - this is undoubtedly for Tolstoy. But he sharply separates the love of a mother, who raises and educates a Man, from the blind, animal love of a female for her cub. The old countess's love has too much of an animal, unreasoning element. This does not mean that there is nothing else at all: her children, except Vera, grow up to be honest, kind, decent people who overcome their selfishness. But blind adoration for her child dominates the countess’s feelings.

Let's try to see her whole life clearly. The author introduces us to an already elderly, long-formed woman. But it’s still easy to understand what she was like in her youth. And first of all, her best friend from her youth, Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskaya, helps us in this. On the pages of War and Peace, Drubetskaya is always “with her son” - she is completely absorbed in her love for Boris. For the sake of the “sacred goal” - her son’s promotion, his career, his successful marriage - she is ready for any meanness, humiliation, or crime. Countess Rostova herself has not yet shown herself to be like Drubetskaya, but she fully understands her friend and sympathizes with her. This type of love is natural for both of them. And the closeness of the countess with Anna Mikhailovna cannot but be alarming.

And now we already see the dear Countess Rostova “in the mirror” of Anna Mikhailovna. They are from the same world, from the world of secular relations, secular calculations and gossip, secular friendships and conventions - a world to which Count Ilya Andreevich Rostov is deeply alien. Having married him, Nathalie Shinshina abandoned much of her world, but did not lose a living connection with it. This especially affected Vera - precisely because, while raising her first daughter, Countess Rostova was still young, the influence of the Drubetskys, Kuragins and their circle on her was still too strong, she was unable to convey to her eldest daughter anything except selfishness, falsehood and callousness .

The stronger the spiritual connection between the countess and her husband became over the years, the duller the “Shinshin” voice sounded in her, the louder the “Rostov” one. And now she already has a hostile attitude towards Vera, and increasingly values ​​the soul in those around her, and not the external gloss. The “Shinshinsky” voice barely sounds: in relation to Sonya, who is being raised like her own daughter, but who somehow cannot forget that she has been “blessed”, that she is, in essence, a stranger. It sounds in tender friendship with Drubetskaya, in unreasoning love for children... This voice is almost indistinguishable while the Rostovs are doing well. But he, and only he, will be heard in moments of crisis, when it is necessary to win back his carts from the wounded, to demand sacrifice from Sonya... Tolstoy will terribly punish this heroine. Having brought her to a happy ending, to a happy old age among children and grandchildren, in contentment and prosperity, he will deprive her of the opportunity to enjoy all this. In the epilogue we do not see Countess Rostova. Before us is the aged Nathalie Shinshina. Of all the household, she most needs her companion Sonya, of all the signs of attention - gifts... And, although the old countess’s mind did not fade away, her life turned into a purely physiological process.

Let us recall that the internal structure of the novel is based on the poles of “peace” and “war”, on the opposition of “Napoleonic” and “anti-Napoleonic” ideas. And in “family thought” this confrontation also forms the basis of the author’s beliefs. The criterion - and an unmistakable criterion - here is the attitude towards children. Both Helen and maid of honor Scherer are childless. Moreover, it is impossible to imagine them surrounded by children. Absolute selfishness deprives them of the possibility of motherhood. And in Helen’s clear reluctance to have children, Tolstoy sees not only the result of her hopeless spiritual depravity and emptiness, but also the rational course of nature, depriving this monster of her feminine, maternal nature. For the relationship with children of people like Helen is deeply inhuman. Let us remember what a terrible mixture of base instincts and impulses the members of the Kuragin family are connected to each other. The mother experiences jealousy and envy towards her daughter; both brothers do not hide their physical attraction to their sister; the father sincerely welcomes arranged marriages for children, dirty intrigues, bad connections... It seems that the growth of this nest of sins and vices can only be stopped physically - and all three younger Kuragins remain childless.

If people close to the “Napoleonic pole” of the novel have and love children - even with a lower, blind, instinctive love (like Anna Drubetskaya), then Napoleon himself and the heroes equivalent to him (Helen) are not even capable of this. Let us remember the brilliant description of Napoleon in front of the portrait of his son: he looked at the portrait - “and pretended to be thoughtfully tender.” It would seem that no matter how scoundrel this man is, why can’t he love his own son? But no, in Tolstoy’s moral and philosophical system everything is deeply interconnected, and Napoleon, who embodies the inhuman idea of ​​war, cannot experience human feelings of pure love, sincere affection. The author explores too deeply the nature of psychological and emotional life, the operation of the laws of the world order within the framework of the individual. And this research leads him to a terrible conclusion: the inhumane, anti-moral idea of ​​war, having captured the personality, destroys it to the ground, burns out all human qualities and leaves only base instincts that feed the idea itself - insatiable vanity, absolute selfishness, the desire for destruction. The “Napoleonic idea” turns out to be a cancerous tumor, devouring the personality of the bearer and easily penetrating into the consciousness of people who are not protected from it by firm moral principles.

What brings up these moral principles in a person? First and foremost, family.

Old Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky is not ideal. He is proud and not always fair; the character of this man is difficult. He cannot insure his children from life's mistakes, completely protect them from the influence of the surrounding world, from the penetration of Napoleonic ideas into their minds and souls. But it gives children a powerful weapon: the desire for absolute honesty with oneself, unconditional respect for the moral precepts of humanity, a dominant sense of duty, responsibility for every step and every thought. Prince Andrei will succumb to the obsession of the Napoleonic idea - and will stand, reject it, and find his true path. “Napoleonic” egoism and selfishness will seize the soul of Princess Marya in the dying days of Nikolai Andreevich - and she admits this to herself with horror, and curses herself - and stands, cleanses her soul from this filth.

And in the epilogue of the novel we will see two wonderful families - Natasha and Pierre and Marya and Nikolai. Almost all of Tolstoy's favorite heroes stand at the origins of the new - third - generation. We see the peaceful flow of life - beautiful, full of pure joys and creative works. But for the author, only one family is ideal - the Bezukhov family.

She is absolutely harmonious. Having overcome all temptations, conquered their base instincts, made terrible mistakes and atoned for them, cleansed of the Napoleonic idea, Natasha and Pierre enter a new phase of life. Each of them condemned himself so severely for the crimes committed against morality and his own soul, as no one could condemn them. And this - the only - way to overcome errors led them to the true light. In the Bezukhov family, Pierre is the head, the intellectual center. The spiritual support of the family, its foundation is Natasha. All the energy that allowed young Natasha to explore the world, to be keenly interested in everyone around her, that made her sing, dance, that pulled her to fly, went into a new great cause - creating a family. For the adult Natasha, giving birth and raising children and caring for her husband is her life, her only and most important work. And she gives herself entirely to this - so much so that she does not allow herself to be wasted either on singing or on thoughts about her own attractiveness. There is not a drop of selfishness left in Natasha, and this makes her beautiful and perfect in Tolstoy’s eyes. All communication with the world in the Bezukhov family is carried out through Pierre: his hard work for the benefit of Russia (in the secret societies of future Decembrists) is the most important social contribution of this family. It is possible only insofar as Natasha stands at the center of the family, never stopping for a moment her enormous selfless work, supported by the great, spiritual love of all members of this family. The human equivalence of Pierre and Natasha is the basis of the harmony of the Bezukhov family. The new Rostov family, the family of Nikolai and Marya, is deprived of this.

And here the point is not that Countess Marya is smarter than her husband, although this is also very important. She as a person is immeasurably deeper than him. Nikolai admires his wife, realizing that he will never understand her, that a certain area of ​​her life is forever closed from him. But this most important sphere is spiritual life. And no wonderful human qualities of Nikolai - neither kindness, nor decency, nor modesty, nor hard work - can compensate for his spiritual inferiority, inability to think and be responsible for his actions before his own conscience. You can be calm about Nikolai Rostov as long as the world around you is stable, until the breath of the Napoleonic idea touches it. But already in the prosperous, happy epilogue we feel how a new crisis is approaching, the pre-storm atmosphere is thickening. Russian society is already divided into future Decembrists and those who will find themselves on the other side of the barricades. In the novel, Tolstoy does not want to judge and analyze Decembrism as a phenomenon - this is a topic for a separate study. The author studies what led the country to the creation of revolutionary societies, and on what grounds Russia was divided into rebels and those suppressing the uprising. And why from the same Rostov family will come the future wife of the Decembrist Natasha and Nikolai, already ready to suppress the anti-government rebellion.

It is important that in the epilogue the author, as it were, withdraws from pronouncing his verdict on the split in the Bezukhov-Rostov family. Let us remember that in the chapter about the council in Fili, Tolstoy gave the reader the opportunity to see the disputing parties through the eyes of a child, so that, abandoning the arguments of logic, he could feel the sincerity of the motives of each character. Malasha doesn’t understand what the military is talking about, but with all her heart she sympathizes with Kutuzov: “... in her soul she kept her grandfather’s side.” The child is free in perception; no beautiful words about “sacred duty” will overshadow Malasha’s false intonation. Tolstoy uses the same technique in the first epilogue. The author chooses the boy Nikolenka Bolkonsky as the judge in the dispute between Rostov and Bezukhov about the fate of Russia and the duty of an honest citizen. And his pure, unclouded perception turns out to be the truest, most righteous judgment for Tolstoy. Nikolenka’s attitude towards Nikolai Rostov and Pierre seems to lay down a pattern of the author’s attitude towards these heroes. He “loved his uncle, but with a barely noticeable tinge of contempt. He adored Pierre. He did not want to be either a hussar or a Knight of St. George, like Uncle Nikolai, he wanted to be a scientist, smart and kind, like Pierre.”

Nikolenka’s attitude is the most important criterion for Tolstoy: a child who has the opportunity to choose between two life principles chooses Pierre.

Bibliography

Dolinina N.G. Through the pages of War and Peace. Notes about the novel by L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace". - St. Petersburg: "Lyceum", 1999.

Zhuk A.A. Russian prose of the second half of the 19th century. - M.: "Enlightenment", 1981.

Monakhova O.P., Malkhazova M.V. Russian literature of the 19th century. Part 1. - M.-1994