"War and Peace": characteristics of heroes (briefly)

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In this article we will introduce you to the main characters of the work of Leo Tolstoy "War and Peace". Characteristics of the characters include the main features of appearance and inner world. All the characters in the story are very interesting. Very large in volume is the novel "War and Peace". The characteristics of the heroes are given only briefly, but meanwhile, a separate work can be written for each of them. Let's start our analysis with a description of the Rostov family.

Ilya Andreevich Rostov

The Rostov family in the work are typical Moscow representatives of the nobility. Its head, Ilya Andreevich, is known for his generosity and hospitality. This is a count, the father of Petya, Vera, Nikolai and Natasha Rostovs, a rich man and a Moscow gentleman. He is motivated, good-natured, loves to live. In general, speaking of the Rostov family, it should be noted that sincerity, goodwill, lively contact and ease in communication werecommon to all its representatives.

Some episodes from the life of the writer's grandfather were used by him to create the image of Rostov. The fate of this person is aggravated by the realization of ruin, which he does not immediately understand and is unable to stop. In its appearance, there are also some similarities with the prototype. This technique was used by the author not only in relation to Ilya Andreevich. Some internal and external features of Leo Tolstoy's relatives and friends are also guessed in other characters, which is confirmed by the characteristics of the heroes. "War and Peace" is a large-scale work with a huge number of characters.

Nikolai Rostov

Nikolai Rostov - son of Ilya Andreevich, brother of Petya, Natasha and Vera, hussar, officer. At the end of the novel, he appears as the husband of Princess Marya Bolkonskaya. In the appearance of this man one could see "enthusiasm" and "swiftness". It reflected some of the features of N. I. Tolstoy, the father of the writer, who participated in the war of 1812. This hero is distinguished by such features as cheerfulness, openness, goodwill and self-sacrifice. Convinced that he is not a diplomat or an official, Nikolai leaves the university at the beginning of the novel and enters the hussar regiment. Here he participates in the Patriotic War of 1812, in military campaigns. Nicholas takes his first baptism of fire when the Enns is crossed. In the battle of Shengraben, he was wounded in the arm. After passing the test, this man becomes a real hussar, a brave officer.

Petya Rostov

Petya Rostov is the youngest child in the Rostov family, brother of Natasha, Nikolai and Vera. He appears at the beginning of the work as a small boy. Petya, like all Rostovs, is cheerful and kind, musical. He wants to imitate his brother and also wants to join the army. After the departure of Nikolai, Petya becomes the main concern of the mother, who only realizes at that time the depth of her love for this child. During the war, he accidentally ends up in the Denisov detachment with an assignment, where he remains, because he wants to take part in the case. Petya dies by coincidence, showing before his death the best features of the Rostovs in relations with his comrades.

Countess Rostova

Rostova is a heroine, when creating the image of which the author used character traits, as well as some circumstances of the life of L. A. Bers, the mother-in-law of Lev Nikolayevich, and also P. N. Tolstoy, the writer's paternal grandmother. The Countess is used to living in an atmosphere of kindness and love, in luxury. She is proud of the trust and friendship of her children, pampers them, worries about their fate. Despite external weakness, even some self-will, this heroine makes reasonable and balanced decisions regarding her children. Dictated by love for children and her desire to marry Nikolai to a we althy bride at any cost, as well as nit-picking Sonya.

Natasha Rostova

Natasha Rostova is one of the main characters of the work. She is the daughter of Rostov, the sister of Petya, Vera and Nikolai. At the end of the novel, she becomes the wife of Pierre Bezukhov. This girl is presented as "ugly but alive", withbig mouth, black-eyed. Tolstoy's wife and her sister T. A. Bers served as the prototype for this image. Natasha is very sensitive and emotional, she can intuitively guess the characters of people, sometimes selfish in manifestations of feelings, but most often capable of self-sacrifice and self-forgetfulness. We see this, for example, during the removal of the wounded from Moscow, as well as in the episode of nursing the mother after Petya died.

One of the main advantages of Natasha is her musicality, beautiful voice. With her singing, she can awaken all the best that is in a person. This is what saves Nikolai from despair after he lost a large sum.

Natasha, constantly carried away, lives in an atmosphere of happiness and love. After meeting Prince Andrei, a change occurs in her fate. The insult inflicted by Bolkonsky (the old prince) pushes this heroine to be infatuated with Kuragin and to refuse Prince Andrei. Only after feeling and experiencing a lot, she realizes her guilt before Bolkonsky. But this girl feels true love only for Pierre, whose wife she becomes at the end of the novel.

Sonya

Sonya is the pupil and niece of Count Rostov, who grew up in his family. She is 15 at the beginning of the story. This girl fits perfectly into the Rostov family, she is unusually friendly and close to Natasha, she has been in love with Nikolai since childhood. Sonya is silent, restrained, cautious, reasonable, she has a highly developed ability for self-sacrifice. She attracts attention with moral purity and beauty, but she does not have that charm and immediacy thatNatasha.

Pierre Bezukhov

Pierre Bezukhov is one of the main characters in the novel. Therefore, without him, the characterization of the heroes ("War and Peace") would be incomplete. Let us briefly describe Pierre Bezukhov. He is the illegitimate son of a count, a famous nobleman, who became the heir to a huge fortune and title. In the work, he is depicted as a fat, massive young man, wearing glasses. This hero is distinguished by a timid, intelligent, natural and observant look. He was brought up abroad, appeared in Russia shortly before the start of the 1805 campaign and the death of his father. Pierre is inclined to philosophical reflections, smart, kind-hearted and gentle, compassionate towards others. He is also impractical, sometimes subject to passions. Andrei Bolkonsky, his closest friend, characterizes this hero as the only "living person" among all representatives of the world.

Anatole Kuragin

Anatole Kuragin - officer, brother of Ippolit and Helen, son of Prince Vasily. Unlike Ippolit, the "calm fool", Anatole's father looks at Anatole as a "restless fool" who must always be rescued from various troubles. This hero is stupid, impudent, dapper, not eloquent in conversations, depraved, not resourceful, but he has confidence. He looks at life as a constant amusement and pleasure.

Andrey Bolkonsky

Andrey Bolkonsky - one of the main characters in the work, the prince, brother of Princess Marya, son of N. A. Bolkonsky. Described as a "quite handsome" young man of "small stature". He is proud, intelligent, looking for great spiritual and intellectual content in life. Andrey is educated, restrained, practical, has a strong will. His idol at the beginning of the novel is Napoleon, who will also be introduced to readers just below by our characterization of heroes ("War and Peace"). Andrei Balkonsky dreams of imitating him. After participating in the war, he lives in the village, raises his son, and takes care of the household. Then he returns to the army, dies in the battle of Borodino.

Platon Karataev

Let's imagine this hero of the work "War and Peace". Platon Karataev - a soldier who met Pierre Bezukhov in captivity. In the service, he is nicknamed the Falcon. Note that this character was not in the original version of the work. His appearance was caused by the final design in the philosophical concept of "War and Peace" of the image of Pierre.

When first meeting this good-natured, affectionate man, Pierre was struck by the feeling of something calm emanating from him. This character attracts others with his calmness, kindness, confidence, and also smiling. After the death of Karataev, thanks to his wisdom, folk philosophy, expressed unconsciously in his behavior, Pierre Bezukhov understands the meaning of life.

But not only fictional characters are depicted in the work "War and Peace". Characteristics of heroes include real historical figures. The main ones are Kutuzov and Napoleon. Their images are quitedescribed in detail in the work "War and Peace". The stats of the heroes we mentioned are below.

Kutuzov

Kutuzov in the novel, as in reality, is the commander-in-chief of the Russian army. Described as a man with a puffy face, disfigured by a wound, with an aquiline nose. He steps heavily, full, gray-haired. For the first time on the pages of the novel appears in an episode when a review of troops near Branau is depicted. He impresses everyone with his knowledge of the matter, as well as the attention that is hidden behind external absent-mindedness. Kutuzov is able to be diplomatic, he is quite cunning. Before the Battle of Shengraben, he blesses Bagration with tears in his eyes. A favorite of military officers and soldiers. He believes that time and patience are needed to win the campaign against Napoleon, that the matter can be decided not by knowledge, not by intelligence, and not by plans, but by something else that does not depend on them, that a person is not able to really influence the course of history. Kutuzov contemplates the course of events more than intervenes in them. However, he knows how to remember everything, listen, see, not interfere with anything useful and not allow anything harmful. This is a modest, simple and therefore majestic figure.

Napoleon

Napoleon is a real historical person, the French emperor. On the eve of the main events of the novel is the idol of Andrei Bolkonsky. Even Pierre Bezukhov bows before the greatness of this man. His confidence and complacency are expressed in the opinion that his presence plunges people into self-forgetfulness and delight, that everything in the world depends only on him.will.

This is a brief description of the characters in the novel "War and Peace". It can serve as a basis for a more detailed analysis. Turning to the work, you can supplement it if you need a detailed description of the characters. "War and Peace" (1 volume - the introduction of the main characters, subsequent - the development of characters) describes in detail each of these characters. The inner world of many of them changes over time. Therefore, Leo Tolstoy presents in dynamics the characteristics of the heroes ("War and Peace"). Volume 2, for example, reflects their life between 1806 and 1812. The next two volumes describe further events, their reflection in the fate of the characters.

Characteristics of heroes are of great importance for understanding such a creation of Leo Tolstoy as the work "War and Peace". The philosophy of the novel is reflected through them, the author's ideas and thoughts are transmitted.