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Any reader who thoughtfully delves into Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy’s legendary epic novel “War and Peace” encounters images of amazing heroes. One of these is Andrei Bolkonsky, an extraordinary man with a multifaceted character.

Description of Andrei Bolkonsky

“...Short stature, a very handsome young man with certain dry features,” is how Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy describes his hero when the reader first meets him at Anna Pavlovna Sherer’s evening. “Everything in his figure, from his tired, bored look to his quiet, measured step, represented the sharpest contrast with his little, lively wife.

Apparently, everyone in the living room was not only familiar to him, but he was so tired of it that looking at them and listening to them was very boring for him...” Most of all, the young man was bored when he saw his wife’s face.

It would seem that nothing this evening could raise young man mood, and he perked up only when he saw his friend Pierre Bezukhov. From this we can conclude that Andrey values ​​​​friendship.

The young Prince Bolkonsky is characterized by such qualities as nobility, respect for elders (it is enough to see how he loved his father, calling him “You, father ...”), as well as education and patriotism.

There will come a time of difficult trials in his destiny, but for now he is a young man who is loved and accepted by secular society.

Thirst for fame and subsequent disappointment

Andrei Bolkonsky's values ​​gradually change throughout the novel War and Peace. At the beginning of the work, an ambitious young man strives at all costs to gain human recognition and glory as a brave warrior. “I love nothing but fame, human love. Death, wounds, loss of family, nothing scares me,” he exclaims, wanting to go to war with Napoleon.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the “characteristics of the Rostov family” in Leo Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”

Savor it seems empty to him, but the young man wants to be useful to society. At first he serves as Kutuzov’s adjutant, but in the Battle of Austerlitz he is wounded and ends up in the hospital. The family considers Andrei missing, but for Bolkonsky himself this time has become very important for reassessment of values. The young man is disappointed in his former idol Napoleon, seeing him as a worthless man rejoicing in the death of people.

“At that moment Napoleon seemed to him such a small, insignificant person in comparison with what was now happening between his soul and this high, endless sky with clouds running across it.” Now that Bolkonsky’s goal in life - to achieve fame and recognition - has collapsed, the hero is overcome by strong emotional experiences.

Having recovered, he decides not to fight anymore, but to devote himself to his family. Unfortunately, this did not happen.

Another shock

The next blow for Andrei Bolkonsky was the death during childbirth of his wife Elizabeth. If it were not for the meeting with his friend Pierre Bezukhov, who tried to convince him that life is not over, and he needs to fight, despite the trials, it would have been much more difficult for the hero to survive such grief. “I live and this is not my fault, therefore, I need to live until death somehow better, without interfering with anyone,” he lamented, sharing his experiences with Pierre.

But, thanks to the sincere support of a comrade, who convinced his friend that “you have to live, you have to love, you have to believe,” the hero of the novel survived. During this difficult period, Andrei not only gained courage in his soul, but also met his long-awaited love.

For the first time, Natasha and Andrei meet at the Rostov estate, where the prince comes to spend the night. Disappointed in life, Bolkonsky understands that finally the happiness of true and bright love has smiled on him.

A pure and purposeful girl opened his eyes to the fact that he needs to live for the people, do good for those around him. A new, hitherto unknown to him, feeling of love flared up in Andrei’s heart, which Natasha shared.

They got engaged, and maybe would have become a wonderful couple. But circumstances intervened again. A fleeting hobby appeared in the life of Andrei’s beloved, which led to disastrous consequences. It seemed to her that she had fallen in love with Anatoly Kuragin, and although the girl later repented of her betrayal, Andrei could no longer forgive her and treat her the same way. “Of all the people, I have never loved or hated anyone more than her,” he admitted to his friend Pierre. The engagement was called off.

Death of Andrei in the War of 1812

Going to the next war, Prince Bolknonsky no longer pursues ambitious plans. His main goal is to protect his homeland and his people from the attacking enemy. Now Andrei is fighting next to ordinary people, soldiers and officers, and does not consider this shameful. “...He was entirely devoted to the affairs of his regiment, he was caring for his people and officers and affectionate with them. In the regiment they called him our prince, they were proud of him and loved him...” writes Leo Tolstoy, characterizing his favorite hero.

The wound in the Battle of Borodino was fatal for Prince Andrei.

Already in the hospital, he meets with ex-lover Natasha Rostova, and feelings between them flare up with new strength. “...Natasha, I love you too much. More than anything else…” he admits.

However, this revived love does not stand a chance, because Bolkonsky is dying. The devoted girl spends the last days of Andrei’s life next to him.

He not only knew that he would die, but he felt that he was dying, that he was already half dead. He experienced a consciousness of alienation from everything earthly and a joyful and strange lightness of being. He, without haste and without worry, awaited what lay ahead of him. That formidable, eternal, unknown, distant, the presence of which he never ceased to feel throughout his entire life, was now close to him and - due to the strange lightness of being that he experienced - almost understandable and felt...”

This is how the earthly life of Andrei Bolkonsky ended sadly. He experienced many sorrows and troubles, but the path to eternity opened ahead.

If it weren't for the war...

Every thoughtful reader can conclude: how much grief and misfortune the war brought to humanity. After all, if not for the mortal wound that Andrei received on the battlefield, perhaps their love with Natasha Rostova would have had a happy continuation. After all, they loved each other so much and could symbolize the ideal family relations. But, alas, man does not spare his own kind and absurd confrontations claim many lives of people who, if they remained alive, could bring considerable benefit to the Fatherland.

It is this idea that runs through the entire work of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy.

One of the main images of the novel “War and Peace” by the great Russian humanist Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy - Andrei Bolkonsky - is an example of an aristocrat, owner of the most best features, which can only be characteristic of a person. The moral quest of Andrei Bolkonsky and his relationships with other characters only serve as clear evidence that the author managed to embody willpower and realism in this.

General information

Being the son of Prince Bolkonsky, Andrei inherited a lot from him. In the novel "War and Peace" he is contrasted with Pierre Bezukhov, who is more romantic, although he has a complex character. The younger Bolkonsky, working with commander Kutuzov, has a sharply negative attitude towards Vyatka society. In his soul he harbors romantic feelings for Natasha Rostova, whose poetry captivated the hero. His whole life is a path of quest and attempts to find the worldview of the common people.

Appearance

For the first time this hero appears on the pages of the novel “War and Peace” at the very beginning, namely at the evening of Anna Pavlovna Scherer. His behavior clearly indicates that he is not only not seduced, but in the most literal sense repulsed, and he does not find anything pleasant here. He makes no effort to hide how disappointed he is in these mannered, deceitful speeches, and calls all the visitors to such meetings “stupid society.” The image of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky is a reflection of a man who is disappointed in false morality and who is disgusted by the manner of falsity that reigns in high circles.

The prince is not attracted by such communication, but he is much more disappointed that his wife, Lisa, cannot do without small talk and superficial people. He is here only for her sake, because he himself feels like a stranger at this celebration of life.

Pierre Bezukhov

The only person whom Andrei can consider his friend, close to him in spirit, is Pierre Bezukhov. Only with Pierre can he be frank and, without any pretense, admit to him that such a life is not for him, that he lacks sharpness, that he cannot fully self-realize, using the inexhaustible source of thirst for real life inherent in him.

The image of Andrei Bolkonsky is the image of a hero who does not want to remain in the shadows behind the backs of his colleagues. He wants to do serious things and make important decisions. Although he has the opportunity to stay in St. Petersburg and become an aide-de-camp, he wants much more. On the eve of serious battles, he goes to the very heart of the fighting. For the prince, such a decision becomes a treatment for his long-term dissatisfaction with himself and an attempt to achieve something more in life.

Service

In the army, the prince does not behave exactly as many would act if they were in his place. He does not even think about immediately obtaining a high position, taking advantage of his aristocratic origins. He deliberately wants to start his service from the lowest positions in Kutuzov's army.

In his aspirations, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky differs sharply not only from representatives high society, who found themselves in the war, but also from ordinary employees who, at any cost, want to get the coveted high post. Their main goal is regalia and recognition, no matter how useful they are or how brave they are in battle.

Bolkonsky is no stranger to vanity, but it is expressed completely differently. Prince Andrei Bolkonsky feels that he is to some extent responsible for the fate of Russia and the people. He was especially influenced by the Ulm defeat and the appearance of General Mack. During this period, important changes occur in the hero’s soul that will affect his entire life. future life. He felt “at ease” and realized that it was in the army that he could realize his powerful potential. The boredom disappeared from his face, and from his entire appearance it became clear that the prince was full of energy, which he wanted to direct to achieve his goals, that is, to protect the Russian people.

The prince becomes ambitious, he wants to accomplish a feat so that his name will be etched in history for many centuries. Kutuzov is pleased with his employee and considers him one of the best officers.

The life of Andrei Bolkonsky in the army is radically different from the “insipid” existence among society ladies that he led earlier. He is ready to take action and does not hesitate to do so. The hero demonstrated honor and courage already during the Battle of Shengraben, when he bravely circled around the positions, despite the relentless, non-stop fire of the enemy. During this battle, the younger Bolkonsky had the opportunity to witness the heroism shown by the artillerymen. In addition, the prince showed his courage by standing up for the captain.

Battle of Austerlitz

Recognition, honor and eternal memory are the most basic goals that are a priority in order to fully reveal the image of Andrei Bolkonsky. Summary the events of the Battle of Austerlitz will only help to understand how important it became for the prince. This battle was a turning point in moral quests and an attempt to accomplish a feat for the younger Bolkonsky.

He hoped that during this battle he would be lucky enough to show all his courage and become a hero. He actually managed to accomplish a feat during the battle: when the ensign carrying the banner fell, the prince raised him and led the battalion into the attack.

However, Andrei did not succeed in becoming a hero to the fullest, because it was during the Battle of Austerlitz that many soldiers were killed, and the Russian army suffered terrible losses. Here the prince realized that his desire to gain world fame was just an illusion. After such a fall, the plans of the ambitious prince undergo dramatic changes. He no longer admires the image of the great Napoleon Bonaparte; now this brilliant commander becomes for him just a simple soldier. This battle and the reasoning inspired by it are completely new and one of the most important stages in the quest of Tolstoy’s hero.

Return to secular society

Significant changes in the prince’s worldview occur upon his return to where he was sent after a serious injury received on the battlefield. The image of Andrei Bolkonsky becomes more pragmatic, especially after new tragic events occur in his life. Soon after his return, his wife dies in birth pangs, giving birth to her son Nikolenka, who will later become the continuer of his father’s spiritual quest.

It seems to Andrei that he is guilty of what happened, that his actions are the cause of his wife’s death. This state, close to depression, together with the mental disorder that appeared after the defeat, leads the prince to the idea that he should renounce his claims to military glory, and at the same time stop any public activity.

Renaissance

The arrival of Pierre Bezukhov at Bolkonsky's estate brings radical changes to the prince's life. He takes active position and begins to make many transformations in his possessions: he makes the peasants free, exchanges corvée for quitrent, writes out a maternity grandmother and pays the salary of the priest who teaches peasant children.

All this brings him a lot of positive emotions and satisfaction. Although he did all this “for himself,” he managed to do much more than Pierre.

Natasha Rostova

The image of Andrei Bolkonsky cannot be fully analyzed without mentioning Natasha. Meeting this young girl leaves an indelible imprint on the prince’s soul. Her energy, sincerity and spontaneity allow Andrey to once again feel a taste for life and take part in social activities.

He decided to set about drawing up state laws and entered the service of a certain Speransky. Soon he becomes deeply disillusioned with the usefulness of such activities and realizes that he is surrounded by complete falsehood. However, after returning, he sees Natasha again and perks up. The characters flare up feelings that, it would seem, should end in a happy marriage. However, many obstacles appear on their way, and everything ends in a break.

Borodino

Disillusioned with everything and everyone, the prince goes to the army. He is again fascinated by military affairs, and aristocrats who crave only fame and profit arouse more and more disgust in him. He is confident of his victory, but, alas, Tolstoy prepared a different end for his hero. During the battle, Andrei was mortally wounded and soon died.

Before his death, an understanding of the essence of life descended on the prince. Lying on his deathbed, he realized that the guiding star of every person should be love and mercy for his neighbor. He is ready to forgive Natasha, who betrayed him, and believed in the infinite wisdom of the Creator. The image of Andrei Bolkonsky embodies all the best and purest that should be in a person’s soul. Having gone through a difficult but short one, he still understood something that many would not be able to comprehend in an eternity.

After reading L.N. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace,” readers encounter some images of heroes who are morally strong and set a life example for us. We see heroes who go through a difficult path to find their truth in life. This is how the image of Andrei Bolkonsky is presented in the novel “War and Peace”. The image is multifaceted, ambiguous, complex, but understandable to the reader.

Portrait of Andrei Bolkonsky

We meet Bolkonsky at the evening of Anna Pavlovna Scherer. L.N. Tolstoy gives him the following description: “...short stature, a very handsome young man with certain dry features.” We see that the prince’s presence at the evening is very passive. He came there because it was supposed to: his wife Lisa was at the evening, and he had to be next to her. But Bolkonsky is clearly bored, the author shows this in everything “... from a tired, bored look to a quiet, measured step.”

In the image of Bolkonsky in the novel “War and Peace,” Tolstoy shows an educated, intelligent, noble secular man who knows how to think rationally and be worthy of his title. Andrei loved his family very much, respected his father, the old Prince Bolkonsky, called him “You, father...” As Tolstoy writes, “... cheerfully endured his father’s ridicule of new people and with visible joy called his father to a conversation and listened to him.”

He was kind and caring, although he may not seem like that to us.

Heroes of the novel about Andrei Bolkonsky

Lisa, the wife of Prince Andrei, was somewhat afraid of her strict husband. Before leaving for the war, she told him: “...Andrey, you have changed so much, you have changed so much...”

Pierre Bezukhov “...considered Prince Andrei an example of all perfections...” His attitude towards Bolkonsky was sincerely kind and gentle. Their friendship remained faithful to the end.

Marya Bolkonskaya, Andrei’s sister, said: “You are good to everyone, Andre, but you have some kind of pride in thought.” By this she emphasized her brother’s special dignity, his nobility, intelligence, and high ideals.

Old Prince Bolkonsky had high hopes for his son, but he loved him like a father. “Remember one thing, if they kill you, it will hurt me, an old man... And if I find out that you did not behave like the son of Nikolai Bolkonsky, I will be... ashamed!” - the father said goodbye.

Kutuzov, the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, treated Bolkonsky in a fatherly manner. He received him cordially and made him his adjutant. “I need good officers myself...” said Kutuzov when Andrei asked to be released into Bagration’s detachment.

Prince Bolkonsky and the war

In a conversation with Pierre Bezukhov, Bolkonsky expressed the thought: “Drawing rooms, gossip, balls, vanity, insignificance - this is a vicious circle from which I cannot get out. I'm going to war now, greatest war, which has only happened, but I don’t know anything and I’m no good.”

But Andrei’s craving for fame, for his greatest destiny was strong, he was heading towards “his Toulon” - here he is, the hero of Tolstoy’s novel. “...we are officers who serve our Tsar and Fatherland...” Bolkonsky said with true patriotism.

At the request of his father, Andrei ended up at Kutuzov’s headquarters. In the army, Andrei had two reputations, very different from each other. Some “listened to him, admired him and imitated him,” others “considered him a pompous, cold and unpleasant person.” But he made them love and respect him, some were even afraid of him.

Bolkonsky considered Napoleon Bonaparte a “great commander.” He recognized his genius and admired his talent for warfare. When Bolkonsky was assigned the mission to report to the Austrian Emperor Franz about the successful battle of Krems, Bolkonsky was proud and glad that he was the one going. He felt like a hero. But having arrived in Brunne, he learned that Vienna was occupied by the French, that there was “the Prussian Union, betrayal of Austria, a new triumph of Bonaparte...” and no longer thought about his glory. He thought about how to save the Russian army.

In the Battle of Austerlitz, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky in the novel War and Peace is at the peak of his glory. Without expecting it, he grabbed the thrown banner and shouted “Guys, go ahead!” ran towards the enemy, and the whole battalion ran after him. Andrei was wounded and fell on the field, there was only the sky above him: “... there is nothing but silence, calm. And thank God!..” Andrei’s fate after the Battle of Austrelitz was unknown. Kutuzov wrote to Bolkonsky’s father: “Your son, in my eyes, with a banner in his hands, in front of the regiment, fell as a hero worthy of his father and his fatherland... it is still unknown whether he is alive or not.” But soon Andrei returned home and decided not to participate in any military operations anymore. His life acquired apparent calm and indifference. The meeting with Natasha Rostova turned his life upside down: “Suddenly such an unexpected confusion of young thoughts and hopes, contradictory to his whole life, arose in his soul...”

Bolkonsky and love

At the very beginning of the novel, in a conversation with Pierre Bezukhov, Bolkonsky said the phrase: “Never, never get married, my friend!” Andrei seemed to love his wife Lisa, but his judgments about women speak of his arrogance: “Egoism, vanity, stupidity, insignificance in everything - these are women when they show themselves as they are. If you look at them in the light, it seems like there is something, but there’s nothing, nothing, nothing!” When he first saw Rostova, she seemed to him like a joyful, eccentric girl who only knew how to run, sing, dance and have fun. But gradually a feeling of love came to him. Natasha gave him lightness, joy, a sense of life, something Bolkonsky had long forgotten. There was no more melancholy, contempt for life, disappointment; he felt a completely different, new life. Andrei told Pierre about his love and became convinced of the idea of ​​marrying Rostova.

Prince Bolkonsky and Natasha Rostova were matched. Separating for a whole year was torment for Natasha, and a test of feelings for Andrei. Having been carried away by Anatoly Kuragin, Rostova did not keep her word to Bolkonsky. But by the will of fate, Anatol and Andrei ended up together on their deathbed. Bolkonsky forgave him and Natasha. After being wounded on the Borodino field, Andrei dies. His last days Natasha spends her life with him. She looks after him very carefully, understanding and guessing with her eyes what exactly Bolkonsky wants.

Andrei Bolkonsky and death

Bolkonsky was not afraid to die. He had experienced this feeling twice already. Lying under the Austerlitz sky, he thought that death had come to him. And now, next to Natasha, he was absolutely sure that he had not lived this life in vain. Prince Andrei's last thoughts were about love, about life. He died in complete peace, because he knew and understood what love is, and what he loves: “Love? What is love?... Love interferes with death. Love is life..."

But still, in the novel “War and Peace” Andrei Bolkonsky deserves special attention. That is why, after reading Tolstoy’s novel, I decided to write an essay on the topic “Andrei Bolkonsky - the hero of the novel “War and Peace.” Although there are enough worthy heroes in this work, Pierre, Natasha, and Marya.

Work test

The figure of Prince Andrei is one of the most controversial in the novel. The hero's self-awareness and worldview go through a long and complex evolutionary path throughout the entire work. The character's values ​​change, as well as his idea of ​​family, love, war and peace.

For the first time, the reader meets the prince surrounded by people from secular society and a young pregnant wife who fits perfectly into this circle. The clearest contrast is between Andrei and Lisa: she is soft, round, open and friendly, he is prickly, angular, withdrawn and somewhat arrogant. She prefers the noise of social salons, and he is close only to the thunder of military operations; in peacetime, Bolkonsky would choose village silence and solitude. They are too different and are doomed to a complete misunderstanding of each other's worldviews. The little princess is alien to Andrei’s tossing and turning, his thorny path of finding himself, and he, fixated on introspection, notices only the external lightness of his wife’s character, which he mistakenly interprets as emptiness inner world. The hero does not know what to do with his young family; he is too vague about the responsibilities of a husband and father and does not want to understand them. The example given to him by his parent also cannot positively influence the situation. Nikolai Bolkonsky raises his children in strictness; he is stingy with communication and, even more so, with affection.

Andrei Bolkonsky is very similar to his father. Perhaps that is why he has such a strong desire for military glory. He better understands the realities of war, feels needed and applicable in this area, and therefore strives in every possible way to protect himself from the environment of an inactive, eternally idle world. He hurries to the front, leaving his family behind, like some kind of ballast holding him back on his way to the heights looming before him. Prince Andrei still realizes what he has deprived himself of, but it will be too late. The death of his wife will make him take a new look at the people around him. Bolkonsky will feel guilty before the little princess for the inattention that he always bestowed on her. He will try to build his relationship with his father, sister, and later with his growing son differently.

Many significant events will happen in the life of this person, which will one way or another influence his worldview. Even before the tragic death of Princess Lisa, the “immeasurably high” sky of Austerlitz appears to Andrey. This will be Bolkonsky's first meeting with death. He will see the world quiet and calm, the way the prince’s relatives and friends accept and love him. He will feel happy.

His soul will never calm down, and will forever demand something unattainable. He would feel in his element again when he returned to the front, but by then his days would be numbered. Having received a mortal wound in the Battle of Borodino, Andrei Bolkonsky will end his journey in the arms of Natasha Rostova and Princess Marya.

Bolkonsky's sister always tried to soften her brother and reconcile him with life. Princess Marya, accompanying Andrei on his last journey, helps him accept death and return to God without fear. Perhaps only there his soul can find peace.

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Andrei Bolkonsky is the son of a rich, noble, respected nobleman of the Catherine era. Andrey is the most educated man of his time. Well-mannered, smart, decent, honest, proud. Strong-willed, reserved and practical. Strongly developed sense of self-esteem. At the beginning of the novel, married to the little princess, he feels unhappy and treats her with contempt. secular society and admits to Pierre that such a life is not for him. He loves work, strives for useful activity and cannot be satisfied with that brilliant, idle, but empty life with which the people of his circle are completely satisfied. To change his lifestyle, he goes to war - he is attracted by military glory. His hero is Napoleon, and he wants to conquer his Toulon. He is captivated by the activities of the headquarters, where Kutuzov himself notices in him the outlook of a statesman. Andrei Bolkonsky is on the battlefield during the Battle of Shengrabin. On the Field of Austerlitz he performs a heroic act. Seriously wounded, he looks into the bottomless sky, which seems to speak of the worthlessness of his desires. Andrey is disappointed. On the battlefield, he saw his idol, who seemed to him a small and insignificant man in a gray frock coat, admiring the many dead. Bolkonsky took this disappointment hard. Having recovered from injury and having lost his wife, who died in childbirth, he decides to live only for himself and no longer serve. He gives his strength to those close to him. He is engaged in the improvement of his estate. Having released 300 serfs, he replaced the rest with quitrent. To help the women, he sent a learned grandmother to Bogucharovo and instructed the priest to teach peasant children for a salary. He read a lot and worked on drawing up a new military manual. But all this did not absorb his strength. His gaze was dead and extinct. He became convinced of the futility of his activities under the existing regime when he met with Arakcheev and Speransky.

Influenced by a trip to Otradnoye and a meeting with Natasha Rostova, Andrei Bolkonsky returns to active life, realizing that at 30 it doesn’t end yet. He discovers a different perception of life in his love for Natasha Rostova. Communication with her awakens the best feelings in the hero. After Natasha's betrayal, his love for her did not fade until the end of his life, when he understood Natasha's suffering and forgave her. The ability for deep feeling complements his inner wealth, his spiritual beauty. When did it start Patriotic War In 1812, Prince Andrey without hesitation joined the army, where he began to command a regiment. Personal glory no longer attracted him. He understood that as a nobleman who loves his homeland, he must be where it is difficult, where he is most useful.

The path of Andrei Bolkonsky is the path to the people, the path to selfless service to the homeland. Bolkonsky belonged to that advanced part of the nobility from whose midst the Decembrists emerged.

The image of Andrei Bolkonsky in the novel "War and Peace" (2nd version)

The greatest work of the Russian writer - L. N. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” - illuminates important aspects folk life, views, ideals, life and morals of various strata of society in peacetime and in the difficult days of war. The author stigmatizes high society and treats the Russian people with warmth and pride throughout the entire narrative. But the high society, which unites all the nobility, has its heroes. Tolstoy contrasts the Bolkonsky and Rostov families with those who are deeply indifferent to the fate of their homeland. The unusual, bright and short life of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky is filled with constant moral quests, the desire to know the meaning of life, for goodness and truth. At our first acquaintance with Prince Andrei, we see in him a restless person, dissatisfied with his real life. Wanting to be useful to the Fatherland, dreaming of a military career, Prince Bolkonsky left for military service in 1805. At this time, he is passionate about the fate of Bonaparte.
Bolkonsky begins his military service from the lower ranks among the adjutants at Kutuzov’s headquarters and, unlike staff officers such as Drubetskoy, is not looking for an easy career and awards. Prince Andrei is a patriot by nature, he feels responsible for the fate of the Fatherland, for the fate of the Russian army, and considers it necessary to be where it is especially difficult, where the fate of what is dear to him is being decided.
Among the main questions that concern Tolstoy are: true patriotism and the heroism of the Russian people. In the novel, Tolstoy talks a lot about the faithful sons of the Fatherland, ready to give their lives to save their homeland. One of them is Prince Andrei Bolkonsky: “Having seen Mak and heard the details of his death, he realized that half of the campaign was lost, understood the difficulty of the position of the Russian troops and vividly imagined what awaited the army and the role that he would have to play in it "
Prince Andrei insists that he be sent to Bagration’s detachment, which was tasked with detaining the enemy and not allowing him to cut off “the route of communication with the troops coming from Russia.” Kutuzov’s words: “If one tenth of his detachment comes tomorrow, I will thank God” did not stop Bolkonsky. “That’s why I ask you to send me to this detachment,” he answered.
The birth of a child and at the same time the death of his wife, before whom he felt guilty, in my opinion, aggravated, so to speak, spiritual crisis Bolkonsky. It seems to him that his life is over. He was disappointed in everything: “I live and it’s not my fault, therefore, I need to live until death somehow better, without interfering with anyone,” says Prince Andrei to Pierre. And, in my opinion, it was under the influence of Pierre that it began spiritual rebirth Prince Andrei: “... for the first time after Austerlitz he saw that high, eternal sky... and something that had long fallen asleep, something better that was in him, suddenly woke up joyfully and youthfully in his soul.” And the meeting with Natasha Rostova in Otradnoye finally awakens him to life. Love for the cheerful, poetic Natasha gives birth in Andrey’s soul to dreams of family happiness. Natasha became the second for him, new life. She had something that the prince did not have, and she harmoniously complemented him.
After Natasha’s confession, Andrei’s ardor subsides. Now he feels responsible for Natasha, he wants this, and at the same time he is afraid. After listening to his father, Andrei postpones the wedding for a year. Natasha and Andrey - very different people. She is young, inexperienced, trusting and spontaneous. Already behind him whole life, death of wife, son, trials of difficult wartime, meeting with death. Therefore, Andrei cannot fully understand the essence of a young girl who has absolutely no life experience. Natasha lives by feelings, Andrey lives by reason.
And again Andrey suffers deep disappointment. In his absence, Natasha cannot live in peace, she needs movement, feelings, a change of scenery, new events, new acquaintances, and she finds herself in a world inhabited by Helen, Anatole, and Prince Vasily - cynical, cold representatives of high society. Natasha cannot resist the seducer - Anatole.
All dreams of a family collapsed in Andrei’s soul: “That endless receding vault of the sky that stood above him before suddenly turned into a low vault that definitely pressed on him, in which everything was clear, but there was nothing eternal and mysterious.” And Prince Andrei again returns to his element - to the army. There he must think, first of all, not about himself, but about the interests of his Fatherland, about the lives of his soldiers. Bolkonsky “... was entirely devoted to the affairs of his regiment. He was caring for his men and officers and affectionate with them. The regiment called him “our prince.” They were proud of him and loved him.”
On the eve of the Battle of Borodino, Prince Andrei was filled with firm confidence that the Russian army would win the upcoming battle. He believed in the people, his soldiers, in the rightness of the fight for the Fatherland. Andrei walked on the grass, admired the beauty of his native land, looked at the flowers, soil, leaves, grass. And in this peaceful and calm moment he receives a mortal wound. Enduring severe suffering, realizing that he is dying, before the mystery of death he experiences a feeling of universal love and forgiveness. At this tragic moment, another meeting of Prince Andrei and Natasha takes place. War and suffering made Natasha an adult, now she understands how cruelly she treated Bolkonsky, betrayed him wonderful person because of his childhood passion. Natasha is on her knees asking the prince for forgiveness. And he forgives her, he loves her again. He already loves with an unearthly love, and this love brightens up his last days in this world. Dying, Bolkonsky unites with eternity. He always strived for this, but could not connect the heavenly and earthly. Prince Andrei managed to do this by gaining faith.

The image of Andrei Bolkonsky in the novel "War and Peace" (version 3)

Introducing readers to Andrei Bolkonsky, Tolstoy paints a portrait of his hero. Prince Andrei Bolkonsky was small in stature, a very handsome young man with definite and dry features. In the Scherer salon, where we first meet him, he has a tired, bored look, often “a grimace spoils it Beautiful face" But when Pierre approached him, Bolkonsky “smiled with an unexpectedly kind and pleasant smile.”

During a conversation with Pierre, “his dry face everything trembled with the nervous revival of every muscle; the eyes, in which the fire of life had previously seemed extinguished, now shone with a radiant bright shine.” And so everywhere and always: dry, proud and cold with everyone who is unpleasant to him (and he is unpleasant to careerists, soulless egoists, bureaucrats, mental and moral nonentities), Prince Andrei is kind, simple, sincere, frank, with simple faces, alien to any falsehood and lies. He respects and appreciates those in whom he sees serious inner content.

Prince Andrey is a richly gifted person. He has an extraordinary mind, distinguished by a penchant for serious, deep work of thought and introspection; At the same time, he is completely alien to daydreaming and the “foggy philosophizing” associated with it. However, this is not a dry, rational person. He has a rich spiritual life, deep feelings. Prince Andrei is a man of strong will, an active, creative nature, he strives for a broad social and government activities. This need is supported in him by his inherent ambition, the desire for fame and power. It should be said, however, that Prince Andrei is incapable of bargaining with his conscience. He is honest, and his desire for glory is combined with a thirst for selfless achievement.

A complex and deep nature, Prince Andrei lives in a period of social excitement that gripped the educated circles of the nobility during the Patriotic War, in the atmosphere in which the future Decembrists were formed. In such an environment, the deep, sober mind of Prince Andrei, enriched with a variety of knowledge, critical of the surrounding reality, seeks the meaning of life in activities that would bring him moral satisfaction.

The war awakened ambition in him. Napoleon’s dizzying career makes him dream of his “Toulon,” but he thinks of winning it not by avoiding dangers at headquarters, but in battle, with his courage. This is what Prince Andrei does at Austerlitz. But after being seriously wounded at Austerlitz, he experiences a sharp mental reaction: he becomes convinced of the pettiness of his ambitious goals.

Under the influence of everything he experienced in the war, Prince Andrei falls into a gloomy, depressed mood and experiences a severe mental crisis. In a conversation with Pierre, who visited him in Bogu-charov at this time, he, irritable and nervous, develops in front of his interlocutor a theory of life that is completely unusual for him. “Living for yourself, now avoiding these two evils (remorse and illness) - that’s all my wisdom now.” But Pierre does not believe this “wisdom” - and rightly so: all the qualities of Prince Andrei and his life practice (measures to improve the life of the peasants, their partial liberation) contradict this.

The meeting with Natasha in Otradnoye revived Prince Andrey to life. He developed a need for broad government activities. He goes to St. Petersburg and meets here with the most prominent figure of the era - Speransky. But soon the nature of Speransky, a man of a cold mind, pushes him away. He felt the falseness in Speransky - and his illusions about the possibility of fruitful activity among the bureaucrats and court parties dissipated. He experiences disappointment again.

Prince Andrei has a great will to life, and to life specifically with people: “It is necessary that life should not be for me alone, so that it is reflected on everyone and that everyone lives with me.”

The danger looming over the country transformed Prince Andrei. The patriotism of Prince Andrei is clearly formulated in his words spoken to Borodin the day before: “The French have ruined my house and are going to ruin Moscow, they have insulted and are insulting me every minute. And Timokhin and the entire army think so. We must execute them."

The path of Prince Andrei is the path of gradual rapprochement with the people. He sees his main purpose in serving the people. Prince Andrei takes care of his peasants: he lists several hundred of his serfs as “free cultivators” (that is, he sets them free, giving them land), for others he replaces corvee with quitrent, etc.

When the Patriotic War began, Prince Andrei voluntarily joined the army. He refuses to serve on the staff of the “person of the sovereign.” He is convinced that only service in the active army will give him the confidence that he will be useful in the war. Having received command of the regiment, Prince Andrei becomes even closer to the people. “In the regiment they called him our prince, they were proud of him and loved him.” Thus, in the spiritual renewal of Prince Andrei main role played by ordinary Russian soldiers.

A serious wound received on the Borodino field interrupts the activities of Prince Andrei. But his inquisitive thoughts continue to work during his illness. Lying at the dressing station, he sums up his life's journey.

Prince Andrei passionately wants to live, and at the same time he thinks: “But isn’t it all the same now?.. And what will happen there (that is, after death.) and what was there? Why did I feel sorry to part with my life? There was something in this life that I did not understand and do not understand.”

And in these moments, a fiery thought dawns on him about the enormous, universal, all-forgiving love for people that he would have brought if he had remained alive.

But Prince Andrey was not destined to recover from his wound. In Yaroslavl, where the Rostovs transported him, he realized that he was dying. In semi-delirium, in hours of suffering solitude, he painfully thinks about what eternal love is, and comes to the realization that it requires renunciation of life: “To love everyone, to always sacrifice oneself for love meant not to love anyone, it meant not to live this earthly life." This was a clear sign of a mental breakdown.

However, when Natasha was next to him again, Prince Andrei again returned to the thought of life and earthly love. “Everything that exists, everything exists only because I love,” he reasons. Thus, two contradictory statements struggle in his soul: love is life and love is death.

The second one wins. “His soul was not in a normal state,” explains the author. Prince Andrei ultimately comes to an idealistic understanding of love and death: “Love is God, and to die means for me, a particle of love, to return to a common and eternal source.” He himself understood that there was something missing in these thoughts, that in them “there was something one-sided, personal, mental - there was no obviousness.”

Shortly before his death, he had a difficult dream. In a dream, he again fights for life, experiencing a painful fear of death. But death wins even in a dream, and Prince Andrei wakes up with the thought that death is liberation. With this thought he dies.

His dying thoughts are the thoughts of a man broken by illness and suffering, unusual for the sober mind of Prince Andrei. The spiritual appearance of Prince Andrey is characterized not by these dying thoughts, colored by mysticism, but by his inquisitive, sober, materialistic mind, his desire for social activities, his love for the people, the struggle for whose happiness he would have devoted his life if he had not died from a wound. Death cut short his quest.

The spiritual appearance of Prince Andrei and all his activities give the right to assume that if he had remained alive, his quest would have led him to the camp of the Decembrists.