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 a real human face be seen.
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 who, out of old friendship, is invited to live in his house by Pierre. 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's good? 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.
L.N. Tolstoy is a writer of enormous, worldwide scale, since the subject of his research was man, his soul. For Tolstoy, man is part of the Universe. He is interested in the path a person’s soul takes in its quest for the high, the ideal, in its quest to know itself.
Pierre Bezukhov is an honest, highly educated nobleman. This is a spontaneous nature, capable of acutely feeling and easily excited. Pierre is characterized by deep thoughts and doubts, a search for the meaning of life. His life path is complex and tortuous. At first, under the influence of youth and the environment, he makes many mistakes: he leads the reckless life of a social reveler and slacker, he allows Prince Kuragin to rob himself and marry his daughter Helen. Pierre fights in a duel with Dolokhov, breaks up with his wife, and becomes disillusioned with life. He hates the universally recognized lies of secular society, and he understands the need for struggle.
At this critical moment, Pierre falls into the hands of the freemason Bazdeev. This “preacher” deftly places in front of the gullible count the networks of a religious-mystical society that called for the moral improvement of people and their unification on the basis of brotherly love. Pierre understood Freemasonry as a doctrine of equality, brotherhood and love. This helped him direct his efforts towards the improvement of the serfs. He freed the peasants, established hospitals, shelters, and schools.
The War of 1812 forces Pierre to get down to business again, but his passionate appeal to help the Motherland causes general discontent among the Moscow nobility. He fails again. However, overwhelmed by a patriotic feeling, Pierre, with his own money, equips a thousand militia and himself remains in Moscow to kill Napoleon: “either die, or stop the misfortunes of all of Europe, which, in Pierre’s opinion, originated from Napoleon alone.”
An important stage in Pierre’s quest is his visit to the Borodino field at the time of the famous battle. He realized here that history is created by the most powerful force in the world - the people. Bezukhov approvingly perceives the soldier’s wise words: “They want to attack all the people, one word - Moscow. They want to make one end.” The sight of animated and sweaty militia men working in the field with loud laughter and chatter “affected Pierre more than anything he had seen and heard so far about the solemnity and significance of the present moment.”
If Pierre's closer rapprochement with ordinary people occurs after a meeting with a soldier, a former peasant, Platon Karataev, who, according to Tolstoy, is a part of the masses. From Karataev, Pierre gains peasant wisdom, in communication with him “he finds that calmness and self-satisfaction for which he had vainly strived before.”
The life path of Pierre Bezukhov is typical of the best part of the noble youth of that time. It was from such people that the iron cohort of the Decembrists was made up. They have a lot in common with the author of the epic, who was faithful to the oath he took in his youth: “To live honestly, you have to struggle, get confused, fight, make mistakes, start and give up again, and start again and give up again, and forever fight and lose. And calmness is spiritual meanness.”
And therefore his image is extremely important for us. In this article we will look at Pierre Bezukhov through the prism of three events or chains of different incidents: Napoleon’s rise to the throne, the Battle of Borodino, and we’ll talk about captivity. You can also read more on our website.
The arrival of Napoleon
France was in a state of anxiety and uncertainty about the future. The entire high society was absorbed in these thoughts, and the fact that Napoleon came to power greatly influenced the minds of young and old people. Young people admired the image of the great commander; many considered him a model. When we talk about Pierre Bezukhov in the novel "War and Peace", it is worth saying that he, too, was delighted with what Napoleon did, his personality and his talent, and it was difficult for Pierre to understand why there were people who were preventing the emperor from creating a great revolution .
At one time, Pierre even wanted to take the oath to stand on the side of Napoleon, but this never happened. Conceivable exploits and achievements for the benefit of the revolutionary movement of France had to collapse in Pierre’s soul. In 1812, when the ideals were lost, Pierre began to despise Napoleon and even began to hate him. Instead of adoring this person, Pierre decided that he himself must destroy this enemy, whose tyrannical rule brought only troubles to his native land. If you look at this hero of Tolstoy at that moment, you can say that Pierre Bezukhov in the novel “War and Peace” is a man obsessed with the desire to deal with Napoleon. Moreover, he believed that by doing this he would fulfill his mission on earth, and this was his destiny.
Pierre at the Battle of Borodino
In 1812, the Patriotic War broke out, and all the foundations of society were broken. Of course, all this also affected Pierre, who had previously led a completely aimless and riotous life. Now, in order to serve his Motherland, Pierre left everything and went to fight. And how the personality of Pierre Bezukhov changes here in the novel “War and Peace”! He searched for himself so much, rushed in vain in search of meaning in life, and then he had the opportunity to get closer to the soldiers who came from ordinary people, to give life a different assessment. And in many ways this became possible thanks to the Battle of Borodino.
The soldiers were mostly true patriots, and this was not false or pretentious. They were ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the fatherland, and Pierre saw all the horrors of war and the mood of ordinary soldiers. Pierre suddenly begins to understand the questions that have been tormenting him for so long. It turns out that everything is so clear. And Pierre Bezukhov wants, following the unfamiliar feeling that has appeared, to breathe deeply and give life his whole heart.
Pierre Bezukhov in the novel "War and Peace" - captivity
Leo Tolstoy continues to show the development of Pierre's personality, and what happens to him next fully tempers him and forms mature views on life. Pierre Bezukhov is captured, and the French interrogate him, leaving him alive. However, some other prisoners are executed, and Pierre almost goes crazy after this. Bezukhov's meeting with a man named Platon Karataev helps the hero find harmony in his soul.
Although the barracks are cramped, there is physical pain in his body and oppressive emotions, Pierre Bezukhov suddenly realizes that he is truly a happy person. Something changed in his heart, he reevaluated his ideals and looked at everything around him differently. As a result, the French also kill Platon Karataev, who gave Pierre the opportunity to look at life correctly. The hero suffers madly, and soon he is released from captivity by the partisans.
We remind you that you can read Pierre’s full description. And in this article we examined the topic: Pierre Bezukhov in the novel "War and Peace".
>Characteristics of heroes War and Peace
Characteristics of the hero Pierre Bezukhov
Pierre Bezukhov is one of the main characters of the novel "War and Peace". Pierre is the illegitimate son of the rich and influential Count Bezukhov, from whom he received the title and inheritance only after his death. The young count lived abroad until he was 20, where he received an excellent education. Arriving in St. Petersburg, he almost immediately became one of the richest young men, and was very confused, because he was not ready for such great responsibility and did not know how to manage estates and dispose of serfs. Pierre was very different in his absurdity and naturalness from people of high society, and some took advantage of his gullibility. Prince Kuragin, obsessed with the idea of taking possession of Pierre's fortune, married him to his daughter Helen. Bezukhov soon realizes that he does not love his wife at all, that she is a cold, dissolute and calculating woman, and tries to break up with her. The duel with Dolokhov and the breakup with his wife lead Pierre to severe disappointment in people and life. He leaves the city and on the way meets the Mason Bazdeev, and since Pierre had a penchant for philosophical reasoning and was easily influenced by others, he joined the Masonic society to find the meaning of life and change society for the better. Because of his impracticality, he is unable to reorganize and make the lives of his peasants easier, although he tried very hard and saw his happiness in caring for others.
With the beginning of the war, Pierre changes his opinion about Napoleon, because he considered him his idol, and after the Russians leave Moscow, Bezukhov remains in the city to kill Napoleon. Pierre strives for unity with the people; he understands that social life weighs heavily on him. He helps the soldiers in the Battle of Borodino, and at the same time feels that he is needed on the battlefield. And having been captured, he enjoys the fact that he endures all the suffering together with everyone else. After meeting with Platon Karataev, Pierre begins to think that each person has his own purpose in life. By nature, Bezukhov is a very emotional person and because of this, it is difficult for him to perceive difficult reality.
Pierre Bezukhov is one of the central characters in Tolstoy's novel War and Peace.
His appearance with soft and rounded shapes, a plump, kind face with glasses and a sincere childish smile, distinguish him from all other characters, making the image memorable and very extraordinary.
Throughout the work, he lives a difficult and interesting life, full of various events and life trials.
Characteristics of the main character
Pierre is the illegitimate son of the rich and influential Count Kirill Bezukhov, who after his death received his title and a significant inheritance. We first meet him in 1805 in the fashionable secular salon of Anna Scherer. Pierre is a young man of twenty years old, distinguished by a massive and thick figure, has a round face with glasses, and a cropped head. It is clear that the person feels confused and a little awkward; he is new here, because before that time he lived abroad for a long time, where he received an excellent education and became familiar with European progressive views on life.
His appearance, as well as his simple manner of behavior, strikingly distinguishes him from those present, bringing considerable concern to the owner of the salon; she is very frightened by the timid, but nevertheless very observant and natural look of the unusual guest. Pierre's only friend, whom he also meets here, is the young Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, they are glad to meet, because they have not seen each other for many years. They are united by kinship of souls and worship of Napoleon Bonaparte, whom they consider the greatest figure of that time.
One of the most striking character traits of Bezukhov is his kindness and simplicity. He easily succumbs to the influence of others, and Prince Vasily Kuragin is in a hurry to take advantage of this, who manages to arrange Bezukhov’s marriage with his beautiful, but absolutely spoiled and depraved Helen. Married life does not bring him happiness; his wife constantly cheats and deceives him. He is even forced to fight a duel with her lover Dolokhov, although this is absolutely contrary to his kind and gentle nature. Empty social life and its entertainment are disgusting to Bezukhov; he dreams of something higher and greater, but does not know how to change his lifestyle and fill it with meaning. Disappointed in people and in his whole life, Pierre gives up everything and leaves for Moscow.
Along the way, he joins the Freemasons movement and accepts their ideals, trying to implement new projects. For example, having arrived at his estate, he decides to make life easier for the peasants and make their lives better. However, the peasants themselves resist innovation, so he quickly becomes disillusioned, and again he is consumed by hopelessness and depression.
Before the war with the French, Pierre is depressed by the approaching terrible events and their mystical harbingers. The hero's difficult moral state is complicated by his feeling of deep love for Natasha Rostova, whom he met as a 13-year-old girl in her parents' house. He was attracted by her liveliness and openness, so that looking at her he wanted to “laugh himself, without knowing why.”
(Pierre came to the Battle of Borodino more as an observer than a participant)
The philosophical and mystical ideas of Freemasonry contribute to the fact that Bezukhov decides to hide in Moscow, where Napoleon’s army is moving to kill him. He becomes an observer rather than a participant in the Battle of Borodino, is captured and there, having met a simple soldier Platon Karataev, he understands that the meaning of life must be sought in communication with his native nature and unity with his people. A man not of his circle, an ordinary peasant, reveals to him that the meaning of life and the purpose of any person is to be a reflection and part of the world. After this meeting, Pierre learned to love life in all its manifestations and see “the eternal and infinite in everything.”
Returning from captivity, Bezukhov meets Natasha Rostova, devastated and heartbroken after the death of people close to her, he consoles and supports her as his most faithful and devoted friend. Experiences and losses bring them closer, and in 1813 Rostova becomes his wife. Real family and marital happiness awaits them, Natasha turns out to be a wonderful mother and housewife, love and idyll reign in their home. Husband and wife understand and appreciate each other, and are ready to overcome any troubles and obstacles in their life path together.
The image of the main character
(Sergei Bondarchuk plays Pierre Bezukhov in his film "War and Peace", USSR 1966)
The real prototypes of Bezukhov’s image were the Decembrists who returned from exile, whose difficult fates gave the brilliant Russian writer rich material for writing the greatest epic about the events before and after 1812. In the process of working on the novel and in its early edition, the future character of the future Pierre Bezukhov was represented by various names - Arkady Bezukhy, Prince Kushev, Pyotr Medynsky, and the storyline always remained unchanged, which showed the evolution of the hero from the simplicity and naivety of adolescence, to maturity and wisdom in later years.
The image of Bezukhov throughout the novel develops in the direction of rapprochement and unity with the people, with their principles and ideological ideals. The character of each of the heroes of the novel is the embodiment of some principle: Rostov - emotional, Volkonsky - rational, Platon Karataev - intuitive, and in Bezukhov all principles are harmoniously combined into a single whole, so the heroes are close to each other and connected by kinship of souls.
The image of Pierre is very close and understandable to the author, because the combination of rational and emotional principles in life was close to him, he also cared for the fate of the people and his formation as a person took place in the struggle between the mind and feelings. And although Pierre is happy in a quiet family haven, he does not forget about his duty to society and will continue to take part in the struggle for its improvement. Bezukhov, according to the author’s plan, will become a Decembrist in the future, because after what he experienced and understood, he will never be able to live as before, now his destiny is to fight for the people and their happy life.