Pierre Bezukhov message. Pierre Bezukhov: character description
One of the brightest masterpieces in Russian prose is the epic novel “War and Peace.” The four-volume work, which is distinguished by its diversity of plot lines and an extensive system of characters, the number of which reaches five hundred characters, is, first of all, not only a reflection of pictures of historical reality, but a novel of ideas. Tolstoy went to the final version of the work through ideological and plot quests, which also recalls the image of Pierre Bezukhov in Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.”
The ideological quest of the author and hero
Initially, Lev Nikolaevich did not plan to write the story of this character, creating him in the image of a Decembrist fighting for civil equality and freedom. However, gradually, as he comprehended historical events and wrote the novel, Tolstoy’s ideological orientation changed. At the end of the work, we clearly see that the true essence of the active hero’s destiny lies not in struggle, but in finding spiritual harmony and personal happiness through rapprochement with the people. Tolstoy reflected his ideological searches through the image of the main character - Pierre Bezukhov.
Development of the image of Pierre Bezukhov
At the beginning of the work, the hero is contrasted with the contemporary high society, in which insincerity, flattery, and superficiality reign. From the first pages of the novel, young Bezukhov appears as an open and honest person who, at all costs, tries to find the truth and his calling in life - this is the characterization of Pierre in Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace.”
Suddenly finding himself rich, Pierre becomes a victim of his own financial situation and falls into the shackles of an unhappy marriage. Marriage to Helen Kuragina made Pierre disillusioned with the spirituality and purity of the institution of marriage and family. Pierre still does not give up. He tries to find his place in life to do good, help people, and feel needed by society. He believes that he will definitely find his just cause: “I feel that besides me there are spirits living above me and that there is truth in this world.” These aspirations became the reason for the hero’s entry into the ranks of the Masonic movement. Imbued with the ideas of equality and brotherhood, mutual assistance and self-sacrifice, Pierre shares the views of Freemasonry with high ideological passion. However, this period of his life also brought disappointment. The hero again finds himself at a crossroads.
Whatever he did or thought was caused by the desire to carry out activities useful for society, for Russia. The War of 1812 was his chance to finally do the right thing and serve his people. The main character of the novel “War and Peace,” Pierre Bezukhov, with the same passion and zeal, lights up with the idea of sharing the fate of his people and contributing his all possible help for the common victory. For this purpose, he organizes a regiment and fully finances its support.
Not being a military man, Pierre cannot directly participate in hostilities, but the role of a passive observer is also not pleasant for such an active hero. He decides that it is he who needs to carry out the most important mission that will rid Russia of the French invaders. Desperate Pierre plans an assassination attempt on Napoleon himself, whom he once considered his idol. Following the lead of his ardent ideas, Bezukhov does not think about the possible consequences. Ultimately, his plan failed, and the hero himself was captured.
Understanding the essence of true human happiness
Another time of disappointment is coming. This time the hero is completely disappointed in faith in people, in kindness, in the possibility of mutual help and friendship. However, a meeting and conversation with Platon Karataev completely changes his worldview. It was this simple soldier who had the maximum influence on the hero’s change of heart. The simplicity and certain primitiveness of Karataev’s speech managed to reveal all the spiritual wisdom and value of human life more than intricate Masonic treatises.
Thus, Pierre's stay in captivity became decisive in the formation of his civic and personal consciousness. Finally, Pierre realizes that the essence of happiness was in fact so simple and was always on the surface, but he looked for its meaning in philosophical depths, personal suffering, and desires for active action. The hero realized that true happiness is to have the opportunity of spiritual and physical freedom, to live a simple life in unity with his people. “There is truth, there is virtue; and man’s highest happiness consists in striving to achieve them.” Awareness of such simple human values finally led the main character to mental balance, inner harmony and personal happiness.
Implementation of the novel's idea by the hero
At the end of his ideological quest, the author rewards Pierre with life in an atmosphere of real family idyll. The hero enjoys peace and happiness, surrounded by the care of his beloved wife and the happy voices of four children. The image of Pierre Bezukhov is the personification of the hero, through whose spiritual and ideological quests and the path of their awareness the main idea of the work is revealed.
As we see, like Pierre Bezukhov, the author himself renounces his original beliefs. Thus, at the heart of the novel “War and Peace” the main idea was not serving civic duty or participating in social movements. The main idea of the work and my essay on the topic: The image of Pierre Bezukhov in the novel “War and Peace” is in depicting the ideal of human happiness in the family circle, in life in one’s native land, in the absence of war, in unity with one’s people.
Work test
The young hero lived and studied abroad, returning to his homeland at the age of twenty. The boy suffered from the fact that he was an illegitimate child of noble birth.
The life path of Pierre Bezukhov in the novel “War and Peace” is a search for the meaning of human existence, the formation of a consciously mature member of society.
Petersburg adventures
The young count's first appearance in the world took place at Anna Scherrer's party, with a description of which begins Leo Tolstoy's epic work. The angular guy, who resembled a bear, was not dexterous in court etiquette, and indulged in behavior that was somewhat discourteous towards the nobles.
After ten years of strict upbringing, deprived of parental love, the guy finds himself in the company of the unlucky Prince Kuragin. A wild life begins without the restrictions of tutors, prejudices and control.
Alcohol flows like a river, and children of wealthy members of the nobility hang out in noisy company. There are rarely cases of shortage of money, few people dare to complain about the hussars.
Pierre is young, the awareness of his own personality has not yet come, there is no craving for any activity. The revelry eats up time, the days seem busy and fun. But one day the company, in a drunken stupor, tied a guard to the back of a trained bear. They released the beast into the Neva and laughed, looking at the screaming law enforcement officer.
The patience of society came to an end, the instigators of hooliganism were demoted in rank, and the erring young man was sent to his father.
Fight for inheritance
Arriving in Moscow, Pierre learns that Kirill Bezukhov is ill. The old nobleman had many children, all illegitimate with no right to inheritance. Anticipating a fierce struggle for the wealth left by him after his death, the father asks Emperor Alexander I to recognize Pierre as his legitimate son and heir.
Intrigues begin related to the redistribution of capital and real estate. The influential Prince Vasily Kuragin enters the struggle for the Bezukhovs' inheritance, planning to marry the young count to his daughter.
Having lost his father, the young man becomes depressed. Loneliness makes him withdrawn; he is not happy with his wealth and the title of count, which fell unexpectedly. Demonstrating concern for the inexperienced heir, Prince Kuragin arranges for him a prestigious position in the diplomatic corps.
Falling in love and marriage
Helen was a beauty, seductive, able to make eyes. The girl knew what men liked and how to attract attention. It was not particularly difficult to catch the sluggish young man in your net.
Pierre was inspired, the nymph seemed so fantastic to him, unattainable, secretly desired. He wanted to possess her so much that he did not have the strength to voice his feelings. Having developed passion and confusion in the gentleman’s soul, Prince Kuragin with effort organized and announced Bezukhov’s engagement to his daughter.
Their marriage was a disappointment for the man. In vain he looked for signs of female wisdom in his chosen one. They had absolutely nothing to talk about. The wife did not know anything about what her husband was interested in. On the contrary, everything that Helen wanted or dreamed of was petty, not worthy of attention.
Severance of relations and return to St. Petersburg
The connection between Countess Bezukhova and Dolokhov became known to everyone; the lovers did not hide it and spent a lot of time together. The Count challenges Dolokhov to a duel, offended by the painful situation. Having wounded his opponent, the man remained completely unharmed.
Having finally realized that he has connected his life not with a chaste, modest woman, but with a cynical and depraved woman, the count goes to the capital. Hatred tormented his heart, devastation filled his soul with pain. The collapse of hopes for a calm family life plunged Pierre into despondency; existence lost all meaning.
An unsuccessful marriage brought misfortune to the count; he turned away from his religious views, becoming a member of the Masonic society. He really wanted to be needed by someone, to turn his life into a stream of virtuous deeds, to become an impeccable member of society.
Bezukhov begins to improve the lives of the peasants, but nothing works out for him; bringing the desired order to the estates is more difficult than he thought. The estate, the count becomes the head of the St. Petersburg Masonic society.
Before the war
The reunion with Helen took place in 1809 under pressure from her father-in-law. The wife loved social life and turned men's heads at balls. Pierre was accustomed to consider her his punishment from God and patiently bore his burden.
A couple of times, through the efforts of his wife’s lovers, he was promoted in the civil service. This made me feel completely disgusted and ashamed. The hero suffers, rethinks life and changes internally.
Pierre's only joy was his friendship with Natasha Rostova, but after her engagement to Prince Bolkonsky he had to give up friendly visits. Fate made a new zigzag.
Once again disappointed in his human purpose, Bezukhov leads a chaotic lifestyle. The shocks suffered radically change the appearance of the hero. He returns to Moscow, where he finds noisy companies, champagne and nightly fun to drown out his mental pain.
War changes worldview
Bezukhov volunteered to go to the front when the French army approached Moscow. The Battle of Borodino became a significant date in Pierre's life. The patriot Bezukhov will never forget the sea of blood, the field covered with the bodies of soldiers.
Four weeks of captivity became a turning point for the hero. Everything that previously seemed important looked insignificant in the face of enemy aggression. Now the count knew how to build his life.
Family and Children
After being released from captivity, it became known about Helen's death. Remaining a widower, Bezukhov renewed his friendship with Natasha, who was grieving over the death of Andrei Bolkonsky. This was a different Pierre, the war cleansed his soul.
In 1813, he married Natasha Rostova in the hope of finding his happiness. Three daughters and a son made up the meaning of the life of the hero, who could not calm down his craving for the common good and virtue.
Leo Tolstoy loves his hero, who in some ways resembles the author. For example, with his aversion to war, true humanism and friendly attitude towards the whole world.
There are more than five hundred characters in Tolstoy's novel War and Peace. One of the main and brightest male roles went to Pierre Bezukhov. In the process of creating his creation, the author first planned to devote it to the fate of the nobles who took part in the uprising of 1825, but later decided to return to the narrative of an earlier stage of the development of Russia, to the period of his characters’ youth, their development and formation. In the work, Tolstoy chooses his favorites, and Pierre is one of them. The image of Bezukhov is the most unusual male image in the novel, constantly spinning in the thick of events. Pierre plays a huge role in the development of the novel's actions.
As one of his favorite heroes, Tolstoy begins the story about Pierre from the very beginning of his formation and development as a person. In his youth, Bezukhov was presented as very soft and did not have a strong character, but later he was able to become an organizer of a community against the tsar. The author introduced the hero Pierre into the works at a time when falsehood, flattery and ignorance reigned in society. He was radically different from others, he was an open and straightforward person. He was kind, in a very sincere way, and in this society it was very unnatural. People were afraid of Pierre; he could disrupt this established situation.
For the first time, young Pierre Bezukhov is introduced to the reader by Tolstoy in the salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherer, he is demonstrated as a violator of public peace and order, as well as the calm flow of the evening. He is not like others with the presence of an intelligent and observant look. People greet Pierre with a bow that belongs to the lower class. He is the illegitimate son of a nobleman under Catherine, Count Bezukhov, and later an illegitimate heir. Later on in the pages of the novel he becomes the owner of thousands of souls and millions. And become a welcome and dear guest of all salons and homes. Tolstoy does not hide his sympathy for Pierre Bezukhov and presents him as an eligible bachelor in two capitals. And he marries him to a bad and ignorant creature, the St. Petersburg beauty Elena Kuragina.
With the help of the image of Pierre Bezukhov, Tolstoy carries through the entire novel the idea of constant improvement and formation.
In Pierre's character there is also room for endless kindness. The hero is young and therefore the dream of glory does not leave him. He even participates and shoots in a duel. He is still ready for unpredictable and destructive actions due to his youth. Bezukhov accepted the ability to succumb to the calm flow of time, the ability to hear and listen. Platon Karataev, a teacher of righteous life, helped him in this.
Tolstoy gives Pierre the opportunity to fully comprehend simple human happiness and married him for the second time to Natalya Rostova. Later in the novel, Pierre is an experienced family man, the father of four children. Salons, meetings of Masons, thoughts of high destiny are a thing of the past.
This is his true happiness, peace and becoming a hero. But he is not going to stop, he is looking into the distance and making more ambitious plans for political activity. But Tolstoy does not show this to the reader, leaving him in a family, quiet, harmonious family circle, knowing that this is precisely the ideal of his life.
Option 2
There are about 500 characters in the novel War and Peace. Among them, Pierre Bezukhov especially stands out. Tolstoy decided to visit his great novel during the period of the uprising of the common people against government rule.
Pierre Bezukhov is the author's favorite hero. The hero became the center of the entire novel. As the main character, Tolstoy described the life and character of Bezukhov from a young age. In the book, the image of the hero changes several times. At a young age, he was a weak-willed guy who could not show any courage. Outwardly, the hero was a fat young man wearing glasses. He always wore a tailcoat and light trousers. He often visited the elite salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherer and always felt like a stranger. Falsehood has always reigned in this society; people from high society said flattering words to each other in order to get what they wanted.
His position rose sharply after receiving a large inheritance. Pierre attended social events where only the secular elite gathered. This is how he met Helen Kuragina and soon married her. He was soon disappointed to learn that Helen married for wealth. In marriage, she cheated on him with Dorokhov. He was a simple-minded man and lived only at the behest of his heart. Pierre was distinguished by immeasurable kindness, ardent and impulsive character and generosity of soul. Such positive qualities prevented Bezukhov from finding a common language with influential people. After disappointment with the surrounding society, Bezukhov joined the Masonic lodge. This community supported the idea of universal brotherhood. Mason Bazdeev became Bezukhov’s mentor. Having joined the lodge, the hero donates a large sum of money. He writes a diary in which he writes his observations. Bezukhov wanted to find the meaning of life and find the meaning of life.
The meeting and acquaintance with the soldier Karataev was important for Bezukhov. The soldier's speech had a decisive influence on Pierre's worldview. In captivity by the French army, Pierre acquired new personal qualities such as patience for the hardships of life. He no longer hated the French and began to look at life differently.
Upon his release from captivity, Bezukhov changed his attitude towards people. He sought to understand every person and always looked for positive character traits in those around him. Now he could easily refuse people financial assistance. Bezukhov acquired complete happiness after meeting Natasha Rostova. He became a happy family man and a good father of 4 children. After his marriage, he left the Masonic lodge and his wild lifestyle. He forgot about Kulagin and Dorokhov. With the advent of Natasha, he found a new meaning in life. The hero found happiness and joy, as well as long-awaited peace of mind. He decided not to stop at the happiness he had achieved. Bezukhov decided to engage in political activities. He discussed his future plans with Natasha’s brother Nikolai Rostov.
At the end of the novel, the main character Pierre Bezukhov has completely changed and showed only his best qualities. Serious life difficulties made Bezukhov a mature man and a happy family man.
Essay Characteristics and image of Bezukhov
I got the impression that Pierre Tolstoy partially wrote from himself. Both Pierre and Tolstoy are trying to find the truth and meaning of life. Both Pierre and, to some extent, Tolstoy have unhappy marriages. Pierre had enough willpower and character to radically change his life. Tolstoy also protests - he simply leaves home.
Pierre joins the Masonic lodge. Tolstoy “hits” religion. But this does not bring happiness and relief to either one or the other. Tolstoy does not see a way out of this situation, therefore, he shivers from side to side. The eternal misfortune of the Russian intelligentsia.
Pierre wants to do something significant for society, for the country. Either he wants there to be a republic, he already sees himself as a second Napoleon. On the contrary, he wants to defeat him. Many wanted to catch Bonaparte and take him to the king.
Pierre collects and equips an entire regiment with his own money. He is not stopped by the fact that he knows nothing about military affairs. He decides that he is entrusted with a great mission - to free the country from the hated Napoleon. The utopian idea fails miserably, and Pierre himself is captured.
A simple Russian soldier with his conversations changes his outlook on life. He begins to see clearly, the rose-colored glasses fall from his eyes, and his mind is cleared of unnecessary thoughts. Nothing in life happens for nothing, which means he needed this captivity to free himself from erroneous thoughts. Understand your true purpose.
What he was looking for lies literally on the surface, right under his nose. And he delved into philosophical treatises and Masonic lodges. Everything in life is simple - live yourself, enjoy life and don’t interfere with other people’s lives. By evil irony, it is the war that cuts this “Gordian” knot that Pierre tied around his neck.
Tolstoy also frees himself from erroneous thoughts. Now he understands what, or rather, who the meaning of life is.
Life gives Pierre a magnificent gift. He marries Natasha Rostova, with whom he was in love all his life, but could not give free rein to his feelings, since he was married. He bathes in a sea of human happiness. He loves and is loved. His wonderful wife gave him four beautiful children. She loves and idolizes him. That's all philosophy is.
The most important thing in the life of any person at all times is family. And then there’s work, friends, hobbies and everything else. Family gives strength and confidence in the future. When you know that your loved ones are waiting for you, you can move mountains.
Or you can take aim at the king. After all, the image of Pierre was conceived as the image of the future Decembrist.
Option 4
He did not get lost among the many other heroes of the novel. We can say that he is also Tolstoy’s favorite hero. Together with the author you can see the process of becoming a person. From a soft-bodied, spineless person from whom “ropes are twisted”, to a man who swung at the king himself.
We first see him in Anna Scherer's salon. What was he like? A short-haired fat man with glasses, a frill and trousers. He clearly doesn’t belong there; those around him secretly laugh at him. He is simple-minded and trusting and looks like either a bear cub or a big child. So naive, ignorant of life, that he can easily be deceived.
When he receives a huge inheritance and becomes one of the richest suitors in St. Petersburg, the ridicule stops. Cunning and predatory ladies are trying to get a rich groom into their networks. And the cold, selfish “doll” Helen Kuragina succeeds in this.
But he has to take off his rose-colored glasses and face the realities of real life. His wife cheats on him, and his lover challenges him to a duel. These events push him to join the Masonic lodge, where all people are brothers. That's what he thinks.
But membership in this organization does not bring him either happiness or peace of mind. But the simple Russian soldier Platon Karataev, with his peasant jokes and jokes, heals his tormented soul. Oh, this is Russian patience and humility (for the time being), tolerance towards French soldiers, forgiveness of friends and relatives.
After his captivity, Pierre seemed to be born again. He is more tolerant of people and tries to find positive qualities in every bad person.
It is not for nothing that Tolstoy brings together his two favorite heroes - Natasha and Pierre. Yes, Pierre is not the handsome Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, not the hussar Dolokhov, he is simple-minded, plump, with glasses. He is beautiful with inner beauty. He is generous. Suffice it to remember how he persuaded Prince Andrei to forgive Natasha: “A fallen woman can be forgiven.” But the prince did not forgive.
They are simply made for each other. They need each other. Having suffered, they deserve simple human happiness. Natasha blossoms from the true love of her loved one. They create a wonderful family. Pierre dotes on his wife and his four children.
Describing the family of Pierre and Natasha, perhaps Tolstoy wanted to see his family like this. But his wife, alas, is not Natasha Rostova. She tormented him with her nagging.
Pierre Bezukhov - Characteristics of the hero
Each of us has at least once thought about our behavior in life and at the same time about the meaning of existence on Earth. But it is almost impossible to get an answer to this, but it is even more difficult to make the right choice. It is this and many other problems of that time that Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” raises in the image of Pierre Bezukhov.
The young Count Pierre Bezukhov goes through many rapidly changing stages in the formation of his personality: from a lot of entertainment and disappointments. At the beginning of the novel, the spiritual state of high society causes a slight dislike, but over time, the attitude towards this quickly changes. Pierre never treated badly the people who were subordinate to him: he built special schools for them, trying to give them science that was inaccessible to them at that time. Like all men of the Russian Empire, Count Bezukhov dreamed of proving himself in war and personally killing Napoleon. The same, despite this, Pierre was a gentle and reasonable person, he could always come to the truth in a dispute with an opponent, but this also does not prevent him from defending his point of view at the right time. Like all people living on earth, Pierre makes mistakes. And one of these mistakes was a marriage with Helen Kuragina, which did not bring anything good, but only made her recognize all the falseness of the environment to which she belonged. There was no love between them, so Helen cheated on her husband: “she is a depraved woman. I asked her one day if she felt any signs of pregnancy. She laughed contemptuously and said that she was not a fool to want to have children, and that she would not have children from me.” Therefore, after some time, the count decides to dissolve the union between them.
After this, he plunges headlong into the idea of relief and equality in the lives of serfs. But this idea does not bring Pierre the spiritual satisfaction he expected. This made Bezukhov momentarily disappointed in his life. However, this did not last long, as his love for the young beauty Natasha Rostova awoke. Love for her helped, revived the count again and made him move on in life and dream of quiet happiness with the lady of his heart. But fate brings an unexpected twist: the Patriotic War.
To summarize all that has been said, Pierre Bezukhov went through a long and difficult path before he found happiness and peace. But the most important thing in the count's life lies ahead. Just like in all the other heroes of the epic novel, Tolstoy put into him the idea of serving people. Pierre also had a lot of hope for a happy and equal future, which makes him an unusual person for that period of time.
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One of the main characters of the epic “Warrior and Peace” is Pierre Bezukhov. The characteristics of the character in the work are revealed through his actions. And also through the thoughts and spiritual quests of the main characters. The image of Pierre Bezukhov allowed Tolstoy to convey to the reader an understanding of the meaning of the era of that time, of a person’s entire life.
Introducing the reader to Pierre
The image of Pierre Bezukhov is very difficult to briefly describe and understand. The reader needs to go with the hero throughout his entire
Acquaintance with Pierre is dated in the novel to 1805. He appears at a social reception hosted by Anna Pavlovna Scherer, a high-ranking Moscow lady. By that time, the young man did not represent anything interesting to the secular public. He was the illegitimate son of one of the Moscow nobles. He received a good education abroad, but upon returning to Russia, he did not find any use for himself. An idle lifestyle, carousing, idleness, dubious companies led to the fact that Pierre was expelled from the capital. With this life baggage he appears in Moscow. In turn, high society also does not attract the young man. He does not share the pettiness of interests, selfishness, and hypocrisy of its representatives. “Life is something deeper, more significant, but unknown to him,” reflects Pierre Bezukhov. “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy helps the reader understand this.
Moscow life
The change of residence did not affect the image of Pierre Bezukhov. By nature he is a very gentle person, easily falls under the influence of others, doubts about the correctness of his actions constantly haunt him. Unbeknownst to himself, he finds himself in captivity of the idle with her temptations, feasts and revelries.
After the death of Count Bezukhov, Pierre becomes the heir to the title and his father's entire fortune. Society's attitude towards young people is changing dramatically. A famous Moscow nobleman, in pursuit of the young count's fortune, marries his beautiful daughter Helen to him. This marriage did not foretell a happy family life. Very soon Pierre understands his wife’s deceit and deceit; her debauchery becomes obvious to him. Thoughts about his violated honor haunt him. In a state of rage, he commits an act that could prove fatal. Fortunately, the duel with Dolokhov ended with the wounding of the offender, and Pierre’s life was out of danger.
The path of quest of Pierre Bezukhov
After the tragic events, the young count thinks more and more about how he spends the days of his life. Everything around is confusing, disgusting and meaningless. He understands that all secular rules and norms of behavior are insignificant compared to something great, mysterious, unknown to him. But Pierre does not have sufficient fortitude and knowledge to discover this great thing, to find the true purpose of human life. The thoughts did not leave the young man, making his life unbearable. A brief description of Pierre Bezukhov gives us the right to say that he was a deep, thinking person.
Passion for Freemasonry
Having parted with Helen and given her a large share of his fortune, Pierre decides to return to the capital. On the way from Moscow to St. Petersburg, during a short stop, he meets a man who talks about the existence of the Masonic brotherhood. Only they know the true path, they are subject to the laws of existence. For Pierre's tormented soul and consciousness, this meeting, as he believed, was salvation.
Arriving in the capital, he, without hesitation, accepts the ritual and becomes a member of the Masonic lodge. The rules of another world, its symbolism, and views on life captivate Pierre. He unconditionally believes everything he hears at meetings, although much of his new life seems gloomy and incomprehensible to him. The journey of Pierre Bezukhov's search continues. The soul still rushes about and finds no peace.
How to make life easier for people
New experiences and searches for the meaning of life lead Pierre Bezukhov to the understanding that the life of an individual cannot be happy when there are many disadvantaged people around, deprived of any rights.
He decides to take actions aimed at improving the lives of the peasants on his estates. Many people don't understand Pierre. Even among the peasants, for whose sake all this was started, there is misunderstanding and rejection of the new way of life. This discourages Bezukhov, he is depressed and disappointed.
The disappointment was final when Pierre Bezukhov (whose description describes him as a soft, trusting person) realized that he had been cruelly deceived by the manager, his funds and efforts had been wasted.
Napoleon
The alarming events taking place in France at that time occupied the minds of the entire high society. excited the consciousness of young and old. For many young people, the image of the great emperor became an ideal. Pierre Bezukhov admired his successes and victories, he idolized the personality of Napoleon. I didn’t understand the people who decided to resist the talented commander and the great revolution. There was a moment in Pierre's life when he was ready to swear allegiance to Napoleon and defend the gains of the revolution. But this was not destined to happen. Feats and achievements for the glory of the French Revolution remained only dreams.
And the events of 1812 will destroy all ideals. The adoration of Napoleon's personality will be replaced in Pierre's soul by contempt and hatred. An irresistible desire will appear to kill the tyrant, taking revenge for all the troubles that he brought to his native land. Pierre was simply obsessed with the idea of reprisal against Napoleon; he believed that this was destiny, the mission of his life.
battle of Borodino
The Patriotic War of 1812 broke the established foundation, becoming a real test for the country and its citizens. This tragic event directly affected Pierre. The aimless life of wealth and comfort was abandoned by the count without hesitation for the sake of serving the fatherland.
It was during the war that Pierre Bezukhov, whose characterization had not yet been flattering, began to look at life differently, to understand what was unknown. Getting closer to soldiers, representatives of the common people, helps to re-evaluate life.
The great Battle of Borodino played a special role in this. Pierre Bezukhov, being in the same ranks with the soldiers, saw their true patriotism without falsehood and pretense, their readiness to give their lives for the sake of their homeland without hesitation.
Destruction, blood, and related experiences give rise to the spiritual rebirth of the hero. Suddenly, unexpectedly for himself, Pierre begins to find answers to the questions that have tormented him for so many years. Everything becomes extremely clear and simple. He begins to live not formally, but with all his heart, experiencing a feeling unfamiliar to him, an explanation for which at this moment he cannot yet give.
Captivity
Further events unfold in such a way that the trials that befell Pierre should harden and finally shape his views.
Finding himself in captivity, he goes through an interrogation procedure, after which he remains alive, but before his eyes, several Russian soldiers, who were captured by the French with him, are executed. The spectacle of the execution does not leave Pierre's imagination, bringing him to the brink of madness.
And only a meeting and conversations with Platon Karataev again awaken a harmonious beginning in his soul. Being in a cramped barracks, experiencing physical pain and suffering, the hero begins to feel truly himself. The life path of Pierre Bezukhov helps to understand that being on earth is a great happiness.
However, the hero will have to reconsider his own life more than once and look for his place in it.
Fate decrees that Platon Karataev, who gave Pierre an understanding of life, was killed by the French because he fell ill and could not move. Karataev's death brings new suffering to the hero. Pierre himself was released from captivity by the partisans.
Native
Having been freed from captivity, Pierre receives news one after another from his relatives, about whom he knew nothing for a long time. He becomes aware of the death of his wife Helen. Best friend, Andrei Bolkonsky, is seriously wounded.
The death of Karataev and disturbing news from relatives again excite the hero’s soul. He begins to think that all the misfortunes that happened were his fault. He is the cause of the death of people close to him.
And suddenly Pierre catches himself thinking that in difficult moments of emotional distress the image of Natasha Rostova suddenly appears. She instills calm in him, gives him strength and confidence.
Natasha Rostova
During subsequent meetings with her, he realizes that he has developed a feeling for this sincere, intelligent, spiritually rich woman. Natasha has a reciprocal feeling for Pierre. In 1813 they got married.
Rostova is capable of sincere love, she is ready to live in the interests of her husband, to understand, to feel him - this is the main dignity of a woman. Tolstoy showed the family as a way to preserve a person. The family is a small model of the world. The health of this cell determines the state of the entire society.
Life goes on
The hero gained an understanding of life, happiness, and harmony within himself. But the path to this was very difficult. The work of internal development of the soul accompanied the hero all his life, and it gave its results.
But life does not stop, and Pierre Bezukhov, whose characterization as a seeker is given here, is again ready to move forward. In 1820, he informed his wife that he intended to become a member of a secret society.
In the title of the epic novel “War and Peace,” Leo Tolstoy reflected the idea of the work, which was to reveal the relationships of society during the Napoleonic War. The author decided to introduce his heroes into just such a situation, because only in “an event that is contrary to human reason and all human nature” can one see a real human face.
Tolstoy hid his own position regarding military operations in the image of Pierre Bezukhov, a hero who is a real opponent of the war. The dialogue between Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky makes it clear to the reader that Pierre is a true humanist, since it is he who is trying to convince Bolkonsky: if there were no war, then “it would be wonderful.” In addition, the author conveys the idea of philanthropy in the image of Bezukhov through an episode illustrating the battle on the Borodino field.
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The author specifically creates the image of Pierre during the battle, who was dressed in a white suit. We can say that through this detail Tolstoy shows the reader that a person who has never seen war does not even imagine its bloody destruction. That is why Bezukhov will be the person who will be horrified by what he sees during the battle. The hero in battle does not even have time to understand “that the colonel was killed, that the one who shouted: “Brothers!” there was a prisoner who, in front of his eyes, was bayoneted in the back by another soldier.” Pierre did not even distinguish the Russians from the French; he saw only soldiers “with faces disfigured by suffering.” The hero understands that a terrible picture is unfolding before his eyes, disgusting to human consciousness, which is why he exclaims: “Now they (the French) will leave this, now they will be horrified by what they did! This episode shows: Pierre is a true humanist to whom war is alien.
From the first episode, illustrating the salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherer, the reader understands: Pierre Bezukhov is different from the characters around him. Bezukhov, having returned from France to Russia, finds himself in secular society for the first time, and therefore does not know at all about its rules and traditions. For example, the hero, without listening to Aunt Scherer’s speech, turned around and left the elderly lady. In addition, the hero could freely say that Napoleon was great, and the French Revolution was necessary. Bezukhov, although he entered secular society, did not belong to them.
It is important to say that at the very beginning of the novel the author presents Pierre as a rowdy. Since after arriving in Russia the hero is just beginning his journey of quest, he tries to “enter” various companies. Bezukhov lived in the Kuragins’ house and participated in Anatole’s “rubbish life,” which is why the hero becomes involved in the story of how several people tied a policeman to the back of a bear.
Further, the author connects Pierre Bezukhov and Helen Kuragin by marriage, which was built entirely on material gain, since the elder Kuragin, knowing about the hero’s inheritance, constantly pushed him to get married. It is worth noting that this union was only a parody of family life: the whole city knows about Helen’s infidelities, and Bezukhov regretted the unsuccessful marriage. After another betrayal by Kuragina, Bezukhov learns from an anonymous letter that the subject of her new love affairs is Dolokhov, a hero whom Pierre, out of old friendship, invites to live in his house. Unable to withstand such humiliation, Pierre Bezukhov challenges Fyodor Dolokhov to a duel. Perhaps the hero would not have decided to fight, but Dolokhov himself provoked such a course of events. During a dinner in honor of Bagration, Fyodor makes a toast: “To the health of beautiful women…. and their lovers,” and then snatches an anonymous letter from Bezukhov’s hands.
Not recognizing family happiness, Bezukhov becomes disillusioned with his lifestyle and begins to look for his way in this world. The hero was afraid that “having entered this life with all his teeth and hair,” he would leave it “without one tooth and hair,” without ever understanding the meaning of life. With this metaphor, the author explains to the reader that Pierre was afraid to spend his best years of life solving eternal questions. In addition, even Bezukhov despised people who were satisfied with their position. The hero drowned out his own mental pain with wine, because only with the help of alcohol did he realize that “that tangled knot of life” was not as terrible as he thought. The hero asked rhetorical questions: “What is bad? What well?" Bezukhov, not finding the proper answer, believed that only after death he could find out everything and “stop asking.” We can say that Pierre was unhappy.
Only the old Mason, Osip Bazdeev, manages to restore Bezukhov’s faith in life. He manages to indicate the path to knowledge of the truth, which lies through the perception of “the highest wisdom and truth” - “the purest moisture”, that is, the qualities that are the foundation of the spiritual component of a person. But they can only be absorbed by the soul, into which is embedded the “light of God,” called conscience. In order to come to the knowledge of the truth, it is necessary to come to independent spiritual purification. The old man convinces the hero that he can benefit his neighbor if he helps tens of thousands of slaves. Later, Bezukhov joined the Masonic lodge, where he received teachings on immortality.
It is worth noting that Pierre fully realized the teachings of the Freemason only in captivity, as he finds himself in an extreme situation. Bezukhov, walking freely around the camp, provokes the anger of the French soldiers, after which he pronounces the final monologue in his character. The hero realizes his unity with the world and is no longer afraid of possible death, since he is sure that no one can kill his immortal soul. After this episode, Bezukhov stops looking for his path in life, because he is already finding harmony.
It should be noted that after his marriage to Natasha Rostova, the hero “began to live in a big house, with a family.” Pierre Bezukhov was completely surrounded by relatives, who replaced his “most expensive luxury.” Pierre explains that the new way of life is cheap, which means it is much closer and more accessible to the hero. The author assesses Pierre's activities through the eyes of Nikolenka, for whom Bezukhov was “an object of admiration and passionate love.” We can say that the author specifically focuses the reader’s attention on the epilogue, illustrating the family life of the Bezukhovs, through whom he conveys the truth - if such families exist, then they will adorn society.
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