War and Peace

Prince Andrei Bolkonsky is one of the most tragic characters in War and Peace. Andrei begins the story as a brooding, handsome man who shares Pierre’s idealism and romantic outlook on life. However, his idealism is challenged by a series of unfortunate events. He loses his wife Lisa as she gives birth, and the expression on her dying face fills him with guilt that plagues him for the rest of his life. As a result, he feels distant and unconnected to their son, whose presence makes him remember Lisa. Andrei develops a cynicism and a pessimism that he never truly shakes. Even his brief love for Natasha is overshadowed by his sense of family duty, his disregard for her feelings of neglect, and jealousy about her feelings for Anatole.

Andrei’s attempts at personal glory also flounder. He draws up battle plans that he never gets the chance to show to the superior officers he idolizes. He tries to lead a glorious charge in his first real battle but fails to inspire the men around him. Eventually, he realizes that men lie about their glorious deeds. Disillusioned by his childhood hero Napoleon, Andrei has a moment of epiphany on a battlefield that rids him of the desire for military valor. Nevertheless, he suffers a fatal wound in another battle. Only when Andrei is close to death can he forgive Natasha and develop a more sanguine view of everything around him. For Andrei, death is a release from pain and obligations.

Andrei functions as a counterpoint to Pierre, who emerges from the war as a happier, more fully realized person. Andrei shows the negative impact of war, while Pierre shows how suffering can enrich a character.

Natasha Rostov is the central female character in War and Peace. A quintessential Russian aristocrat, she begins the novel as a beautiful young woman whose singing, appearance, and charm attract the romantic and sexual attention of men. Moreover, Natasha is as resilient as she is charming: As she grows older, her inner strength helps her overcome great tragedy.

Natasha thinks she loves three men during the course of the story: Andrei, Anatole, and Pierre. Each deepens her understanding of relationships and sexuality, making her maturation and readiness for the partnership of marriage. Her love for Andrei is a teenager’s crush: She sees him as a handsome, complicated older man who will whisk her away into a fairytale life. And, like a crush, this passion fades as soon as Andrei is out of sight. Desperate for affection, Natasha’s heart wanders to the dashing but disreputable Anatole. In this case, Natasha is less in love with the rakish seducer than in lust. Discovering her sexuality through his clear desire for her, Natasha nearly destroys her reputation by running away with him.

Natasha’s love for Pierre is different. Natasha and Pierre come together almost by accident, when she is in mourning for Andrei and her young brother Petya, and when he is still recovering from his experiences as a prisoner. Their love is organic, deep, and built on a mutual understanding of pain. Natasha’s marriage to Pierre shows her growth as a character. She values him not for his looks but for his personality—the key to a lasting connection. As a happily married woman, Natasha finds meaning through her children, whose upbringing provides a satisfaction and purpose she previously lacked.

Nikolai Rostov, the oldest Rostov sibling, spends the novel learning how to reject his self-interested desires in favor of family duty and military responsibility. As a young man, Nikolai wants personal glory, preferably as an army officer—this is how he plans to measure up to his ideal of manhood. He also wants marry the penniless Sonya, playing out the role of romantic rescuer, the wealthy heir who elevates a deserving orphaned young woman. Both dreams revolve around his sense of aristocratic honor, an unhelpful value he clings to even as his family descends into financial trouble.

However, Nikolai discovers that he must balance his own personal happiness with the fortunes of his family. He must repair the damage done by his father’s profligate spending, a duty that sacrifices his promise to Sonya. Likewise, in the military, he learns to let go of individual pride and instead subsumes himself in group loyalty and patriotism, particularly after an inspiring moment seeing Tsar Alexander. While executing routine officer business, he ends up having a moment of glory after all—rescuing Marya Bolkonsky from her rebellious serfs. The event leads to their marriage, which is the near-perfect solution to Nikolai’s problems. Marya’s wealth saves his family, and she becomes an incredibly dedicated life partner for him. Nikolai gives up his role in the military and finds a new purpose as a landowner. He devotes himself to land management with the same zeal as he devoted himself to the military, which keeps Nikolai happy in his old age.

Marya Bolkonsky is the novel’s most religious character. She is a committed member of the Russian Orthodox Church, and her Christian beliefs inform everything she does. This includes enduring her aging father’s angry bullying. After her brother Andrei leaves home, Marya dedicates herself to managing the estate and helping her father, even though he treats her with contempt. Religion is a release for Marya, who believes in a higher power that will save her from her suffering.

This salvation comes in the form of Nikolai, who rescues Marya after her father’s death. The meeting with Nikolai shows Marya that a different way of living is possible. After they marry, Marya becomes a committed mother, raising her family in her ancestral home as her husband tends to the estates. Marya’s domestic gratification is married to her spiritual satisfaction, and her family is a reward for the suffering she endures throughout the novel.

The real historical General Kutuzov led the Russian army during Napoleon’s invasion. The novel depicts him as past his prime, a vestigial remnant of an older world. Younger generals and officers mock Kutuzov, resentful of his cautious command because they want to seize glory for themselves. Compared to the aggressive Napoleon and the young and inspiring Tsar Alexander, Kutuzov seems slow and plodding. When he allows the French to take the city of Moscow, his critics see him as a failure.

However, the novel portrays Kutuzov as a man deeply in tune with the chaotic nature of historical events. He alone understands the importance of morale and psychology to the war effort—and he realizes that giving up Moscow will inspire Russian troops while occupying an empty city will only depress the French. Kutuzov is vindicated: Napoleon cannot hold Moscow, and the French flee. He is the first general to truly defeat Napoleon, though because the tsar dislikes relying on this aging man, traditional history does not credit him for the victory.

Helene, the daughter of Prince Vasili, is a beautiful woman whom Pierre marries when he first comes into his fortune. Rumors of sexual licentiousness swirl around Helene: that she and her brother Anatole have an incestuous relationship, and that she has multiple affairs while married to Pierre. Despite these rumors, or possibly because of them, Helene is a central figure in high society. Cold and manipulative, she sees other people as existing solely for her entertainment. She arranges a relationship between Natasha Rostov and Anatole despite knowing that her brother will treat Natasha poorly. Helene eventually tires of her marriage to Pierre, converting to Catholicism to get a divorce, though not before her untimely death.

Anatole Kuragin is an amoral, handsome man whose behavior scandalizes Russian high society. Anatole drinks, gambles, and womanizes—behavior that earns him the label of degenerate. Anatole functions as the catalyst for Natasha’s emerging sexuality; his rakish charm and physical appeal almost convince her to run off with him. To escape the consequences of this escapade, Anatole joins the military. During the war, Anatole loses a leg. The amputation highlights the novel’s theme of random chance ruling life: While the man Anatole wronged dies from a battle wound, Anatole survives mostly intact.

Boris Drubetskoy is the only son of an aristocratic family that has fallen on hard times. To return his family to its former glory, he dedicates his life to climbing the ranks of Russian high society. Boris’s ambition cannot afford principles; instead, he is a social chameleon who adapts to whatever surroundings will most benefit his status. Marriage, jobs, and friendship are only of use if they benefit Boris. Eventually, Boris becomes a member of the tsar’s retinue and a well-respected man at the court—he has mastered the art of success.

Dolokhov is drunken sadist and a celebrated soldier. The behavior that makes him a reprobate in society also makes him an important asset on the battlefield. Dolokhov is in a cycle of promotion and demotion in the army, as officers do not tolerate his insubordination during peacetime, but they appreciate his effectiveness during war. Dolokhov shows the different standards that govern civilian and combat life—and the incompatibility of civilized behavior and fighting brutality.