The idea is “folk. People's thought in the epic novel "War and Peace" People's thought, war and peace

Tolstoy believed that a work can be good only when the writer loves his main idea in it. In War and Peace, the writer, as he admitted, loved "people's thought". It lies not only and not so much in the depiction of the people themselves, their way of life, their life, but in the fact that every positive hero of the novel ultimately connects his fate with the fate of the nation.

The crisis situation in the country, caused by the rapid advance of Napoleonic troops deep into Russia, revealed their best qualities, made it possible to take a closer look at the man who was previously perceived by the nobles only as an obligatory attribute of the landowner’s estate, whose lot was hard peasant labor. When a serious threat of enslavement loomed over Russia, the men, dressed in soldiers' greatcoats, forgetting their long-standing sorrows and grievances, together with the “gentlemen” courageously and steadfastly defended their homeland from a powerful enemy. Commanding a regiment, Andrei Bolkonsky for the first time saw patriotic heroes in the serfs, ready to die to save the fatherland. These main human values, in the spirit of “simplicity, goodness and truth,” according to Tolstoy, represent “folk thought,” which constitutes the soul of the novel and its main meaning. It is she who unites the peasantry with the best part of the nobility with a single goal - the fight for the freedom of the Fatherland. The peasantry, which organized partisan detachments that fearlessly exterminated the French army in the rear, played a huge role in the final destruction of the enemy.

By the word “people” Tolstoy understood the entire patriotic population of Russia, including the peasantry, the urban poor, the nobility, and the merchant class. The author poetizes the simplicity, kindness, and morality of the people, contrasting them with the falsehood and hypocrisy of the world. Tolstoy shows the dual psychology of the peasantry using the example of his two typical representatives: Tikhon Shcherbaty and Platon Karataev.

Tikhon Shcherbaty stands out in Denisov’s detachment for his unusual daring, agility and desperate courage. This man, who at first fought single-handedly against the “miroders” in his native village, attached to Denisov’s partisan detachment, soon became one of the most useful person in the squad. Tolstoy concentrated in this hero the typical features of a Russian folk character. The image of Platon Karataev shows a different type of Russian peasant. With his humanity, kindness, simplicity, indifference to hardships, and a sense of collectivism, this inconspicuous “round” man was able to return to Pierre Bezukhov, who was in captivity, faith in people, goodness, love, and justice. His spiritual qualities opposed to the arrogance, selfishness and careerism of the high society of St. Petersburg. Platon Karataev remained the most precious memory for Pierre, “the personification of everything Russian, good and round.”

In the images of Tikhon Shcherbaty and Platon Karataev, Tolstoy concentrated the main qualities of the Russian people, who appear in the novel in the person of soldiers, partisans, servants, peasants, and the urban poor. Both heroes are dear to the writer’s heart: Plato as the embodiment of “everything Russian, good and round,” all those qualities (patriarchalism, kindness, humility, non-resistance, religiosity) that the writer highly valued among the Russian peasantry; Tikhon - as the embodiment of a heroic people who rose up to fight, but only at a critical, exceptional time for the country ( Patriotic War 1812). Tolstoy condemns Tikhon’s rebellious sentiments in peacetime.

Tolstoy correctly assessed the nature and goals of the Patriotic War of 1812, deeply understood the decisive role of the people defending their homeland in the war from foreign invaders, rejecting official assessments of the war of 1812 as a war of two emperors - Alexander and Napoleon. On the pages of the novel and, especially in the second part of the epilogue, Tolstoy says that until now all history has been written as history individuals, as a rule, tyrants, monarchs, and no one thought about what is driving force history. According to Tolstoy, this is the so-called “swarm principle”, the spirit and will of not one person, but the nation as a whole, and how strong the spirit and will of the people are, so probable are certain historical events. In Tolstoy’s Patriotic War, two wills collided: the will of the French soldiers and the will of the entire Russian people. This war was fair for the Russians, they fought for their Motherland, so their spirit and will to win turned out to be stronger than the French spirit and will. Therefore, Russia's victory over France was predetermined.

The main idea determined not only art form works, but also characters, assessment of his heroes. The War of 1812 became a milestone, a test for everyone goodies in the novel: for Prince Andrei, who feels an extraordinary uplift before the Battle of Borodino, believes in victory; for Pierre Bezukhov, all of whose thoughts are aimed at helping to expel the invaders; for Natasha, who gave the carts to the wounded, because it was impossible not to give them back, it was shameful and disgusting not to give them back; for Petya Rostov, who takes part in the hostilities of a partisan detachment and dies in a battle with the enemy; for Denisov, Dolokhov, even Anatoly Kuragin. All these people, throwing away everything personal, become one and participate in the formation of the will to win.

The theme of guerrilla warfare occupies a special place in the novel. Tolstoy emphasizes that the war of 1812 was truly a people's war, because the people themselves rose up to fight the invaders. The detachments of elders Vasilisa Kozhina and Denis Davydov were already operating, and the heroes of the novel, Vasily Denisov and Dolokhov, were also creating their own detachments. Tolstoy calls the brutal, life-and-death war “the club of the people’s war”: “The club of the people’s war rose with all its formidable and majestic force, and, without asking anyone’s tastes and rules, with stupid simplicity, but with expediency, without understanding nothing, it rose, fell and nailed the French until the entire invasion was destroyed.” In the actions of the partisan detachments of 1812, Tolstoy saw the highest form of unity between the people and the army, which radically changed the attitude towards war.

Tolstoy glorifies the “club of the people’s war”, glorifies the people who raised it against the enemy. “Karps and Vlass” did not sell hay to the French even for good money, but burned it, thereby undermining the enemy army. The small merchant Ferapontov, before the French entered Smolensk, asked the soldiers to take his goods for free, since if “Raceya decided,” he himself would burn everything. Residents of Moscow and Smolensk did the same, burning their houses so that they would not fall to the enemy. The Rostovs, leaving Moscow, gave up all their carts to transport the wounded, thus completing their ruin. Pierre Bezukhov invested huge amounts of money in the formation of a regiment, which he took as his own support, while he himself remained in Moscow, hoping to kill Napoleon in order to behead the enemy army.

“And good for that people,” wrote Lev Nikolaevich, “who, not like the French in 1813, saluted according to all the rules of art and turned the sword over with the hilt, gracefully and courteously handing it over to the magnanimous winner, but good for those people who, in a moment of testing, without asking how others acted according to the rules similar cases, with simplicity and ease, picks up the first club he comes across and nails it until in his soul the feeling of insult and revenge is replaced by contempt and pity.”

The true feeling of love for the Motherland is contrasted with the ostentatious, false patriotism of Rostopchin, who, instead of fulfilling the duty assigned to him - to remove everything valuable from Moscow - worried the people with the distribution of weapons and posters, since he liked the “beautiful role of the leader of popular feeling.” At an important time for Russia, this false patriot dreamed only of a “heroic effect.” When huge amount people sacrificed their lives to save their homeland, the St. Petersburg nobility wanted only one thing for themselves: benefits and pleasures. A bright type of careerist is given in the image of Boris Drubetsky, who skillfully and deftly used connections and the sincere goodwill of people, pretending to be a patriot, in order to move up the career ladder. The problem of true and false patriotism posed by the writer allowed him to broadly and comprehensively paint a picture of military everyday life and express his attitude towards the war.

The aggressive, aggressive war was hateful and disgusting to Tolstoy, but, from the point of view of the people, it was fair and liberating. The writer's views are revealed both in realistic paintings, saturated with blood, death and suffering, and in the contrasting comparison of the eternal harmony of nature with the madness of people killing each other. Tolstoy often puts into the mouths of his favorite heroes own thoughts about the war. Andrei Bolkonsky hates her because he understands that her main goal is murder, which is accompanied by treason, theft, robbery, and drunkenness.

The novel by L.N. Tolstoy was created in the 1860s. This time became in Russia a period of the highest activity of the peasant masses and the rise of the social movement.
The central theme of the literature of the 60s of the 19th century was the theme of the people. To consider it, as well as to highlight many major problems of our time, the writer turned to the historical past: the events of 1805-1807 and the War of 1812.
Researchers of Tolstoy’s work disagree on what he meant by the word “people”: peasants, the nation as a whole, merchants, philistines, and patriotic patriarchal nobility. Of course, all these layers are included in Tolstoy’s understanding of the word “people,” but only when they are bearers of morality. Everything that is immoral is excluded by Tolstoy from the concept of “people”.
With his work the writer asserted the decisive role masses in history. In his opinion, the role outstanding personality in the development of society is insignificant. No matter how brilliant a person is, he cannot at will direct the movement of history, dictate his will to it, or control the actions of a huge mass of people living a spontaneous, swarm life. History is made by people, the masses, the people, and not by a person who has risen above the people and taken upon himself the right to at will predict the direction of events.
Tolstoy divides life into upward and downward, centrifugal and centripetal. Kutuzov, to whom the natural course of world events within its national-historical boundaries is open, is the embodiment of the centripetal, ascending forces of history. The writer emphasizes the moral height of Kutuzov, since this hero is associated with the masses ordinary people joint goals and actions, love for the homeland. He receives his strength from the people, he experiences the same feelings as the people.
The writer also focuses on the merits of Kutuzov as a commander, whose activities were invariably directed towards one goal that was of national significance: “It is difficult to imagine a goal more worthy and more consistent with the will of the entire people.” Tolstoy emphasizes the purposefulness of all Kutuzov’s actions, the concentration of all forces on the task that confronted the entire Russian people in the course of history. An exponent of popular patriotic feeling, Kutuzov also becomes the guiding force of popular resistance, raising the spirit of the troops he commands.
Tolstoy portrays Kutuzov as folk hero who achieved independence and freedom only in alliance with the people and the nation as a whole. In the novel, the personality of the great commander is contrasted with the personality of the great conqueror Napoleon. The writer exposes the ideal of unlimited freedom, which leads to the cult of a strong and proud personality.
So, the author sees the significance of a great personality in the feeling of history taking place as the will of providence. Great people like Kutuzov, who have a moral sense, their experience, intelligence and consciousness, guess the requirements of historical necessity.
“People's thought” is also expressed in the images of many representatives of the noble class. The path of ideological and moral growth leads positive heroes to rapprochement with the people. Heroes are tested by the Patriotic War. The independence of private life from the political game of the elite emphasizes the indissoluble connection of the heroes with the life of the people. The viability of each character is tested by “popular thought.”
She helps Pierre Bezukhov discover and demonstrate his best qualities; The soldiers call Andrei Bolkonsky “our prince”; Natasha Rostova takes out carts for the wounded; Marya Bolkonskaya rejects Mademoiselle Burien's offer to remain in Napoleon's power.
Closeness to the people is most clearly manifested in the image of Natasha, in whom Russian was originally inherent national character. In the scene after the hunt, Natasha listens with pleasure to the playing and singing of her uncle, who “sang as the people sing,” and then she dances “The Lady.” And everyone around her is amazed at her ability to understand everything that was in every Russian person: “Where, how, when did this countess, raised by a French emigrant, suck into herself this spirit from this Russian air that she breathed?”
If Natasha is completely characterized by Russian character traits, then in Prince Andrei Russian beginning interrupted by the Napoleonic idea; however, it is precisely the peculiarities of the Russian character that help him understand all the deceit and hypocrisy of Napoleon, his idol.
Pierre finds himself in the peasant world, and the life of the villagers gives him serious thoughts.
The hero realizes his equality with the people, even recognizes the superiority of these people. The more he understands the essence and strength of the people, the more he admires them. The strength of the people lies in its simplicity and naturalness.
According to Tolstoy, patriotism is a property of the soul of any Russian person, and in this respect the difference between Andrei Bolkonsky and any soldier of his regiment is insignificant. War forces everyone to act and do things that are impossible not to do. People do not act according to orders, but obeying an inner feeling, a sense of the significance of the moment. Tolstoy writes that they united in their aspirations and actions when they sensed the danger looming over the entire society.
The novel shows the greatness and simplicity of the life of a swarm, when everyone does their part of the common cause, and a person is driven not by instinct, but by laws public life, as Tolstoy understands them. And such a swarm, or world, consists not of an impersonal mass, but of individual individuals who do not lose their individuality in merging with the swarm. This includes the merchant Ferapontov, who burns his house so that it does not fall to the enemy, and Moscow residents who leave the capital simply for the consideration that it is impossible to live in it under Bonaparte, even if there is no danger. Participants in the swarm life are the men Karp and Vlas, who do not give the hay to the French, and that Moscow lady who left Moscow with her araps and pugs back in June out of the consideration that “she is not Bonaparte’s servant.” All these active people participants in folk, swarm life.
Thus, the people for Tolstoy are a complex phenomenon. The writer did not consider the common people an easily controlled mass, since he understood them much more deeply. In a work where “folk thought” is in the foreground, a variety of manifestations of folk character are depicted.
Close to the people is Captain Tushin, whose image combines “small and great,” “modest and heroic.”
The theme of the people's war sounds in the image of Tikhon Shcherbaty. This hero is certainly useful in guerrilla warfare; cruel and merciless towards enemies, this character is natural, but Tolstoy has little sympathy. The image of this character is ambiguous, just as the image of Platon Karataev is ambiguous.
When meeting and getting to know Platon Karataev, Pierre is struck by the warmth, good nature, comfort, and calmness emanating from this man. It is perceived almost symbolically, as something round, warm and smelling of bread. Karataev is characterized by amazing adaptability to circumstances, the ability to “get used to” in any circumstances.
The behavior of Platon Karataev unconsciously expresses the true wisdom of the folk, peasant philosophy of life, over the comprehension of which the main characters of the epic are tormented. This hero presents his reasoning in parable form. This, for example, is the legend about an innocently convicted merchant suffering “for his own and for other people’s sins,” the meaning of which is that one must humble himself and love life, even when one suffers.
And yet, unlike Tikhon Shcherbaty, Karataev is hardly capable of decisive action; his good looks lead to passivity. He is contrasted in the novel with Bogucharov’s men, who rebelled and spoke out for their interests.
Along with true nationality, Tolstoy also shows pseudo-nationality, a counterfeit of it. This is reflected in the images of Rostopchin and Speransky - specific historical figures, who, although they try to assume the right to speak on behalf of the people, have nothing in common with them.
In the work itself artistic storytelling at times it is interrupted by historical and philosophical digressions, similar in style to journalism. The pathos of Tolstoy's philosophical digressions is directed against liberal-bourgeois military historians and writers. According to the writer, “the world denies war.” Thus, the device of antithesis is used to describe the dam that Russian soldiers see during the retreat after Austerlitz - ruined and ugly. In times of peace, it was surrounded by greenery, neat and well-built.
Thus, in Tolstoy’s work the question of man’s moral responsibility to history is especially acute.
So, in Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” people come closest to spiritual unity, since it is the people, according to the writer, who are the bearers of spiritual values. The heroes who embody “popular thought” are in a constant search for truth, and therefore, in development. In spiritual unity the writer sees the path to overcoming the contradictions of contemporary life. The War of 1812 was a real historical event where the idea of ​​spiritual unity came true.

The novel "War and Peace" was conceived as a novel about a Decembrist returning after an amnesty in 1856. But the more Tolstoy worked with archival materials, the more he realized that without telling about the uprising itself, and, more deeply, about the War of 1812, it was impossible to write this novel. Thus, the concept of the novel gradually transformed, and Tolstoy created a grandiose epic. At the center of the novel is L.N. Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” contains an image of the Patriotic War of 1812, which stirred up the entire Russian people, showed the whole world its power and strength, and brought forward ordinary Russian heroes and the great commander - Kutuzov. At the same time, great historical upheavals revealed the true essence of each individual person and showed his attitude towards the Fatherland. Tolstoy depicts war like a realist writer: in hard work, blood, suffering, death. Also, L. N. Tolstoy sought in his work to reveal the national significance of the war, which united the entire society, all Russian people in a common impulse, to show that the fate of the campaign was decided not in headquarters and headquarters, but in the hearts ordinary people: Platon Karataev and Tikhon Shcherbaty, Petya Rostov and Denisov... Can you list them all? In other words, the battle painter paints a large-scale image of the Russian people who raised the “club” of the liberation war against the invaders. Later, speaking about the novel, Tolstoy wrote that main idea novel - \"folk thought\". It lies not only in the depiction of the people themselves, their way of life, their life, but in the fact that every positive hero of the novel ultimately connects his fate with the fate of the people. Here it makes sense to recall the historical concept of the writer. On the pages of the novel and especially in the second part of the epilogue, Tolstoy says that until now all history has been written as the history of individuals, as a rule, tyrants, monarchs, and no one has yet thought about what is the driving force of history. According to Tolstoy, this is the so-called “swarm principle”, the spirit and will of not one person, but the people as a whole. And how strong is the spirit and will of the people, so probable are certain historical events. So Tolstoy explains the victory in the Patriotic War by the fact that two wills collided: the will of the French soldiers and the will of the entire Russian people. This war was fair for the Russians, they fought for their Motherland, so their spirit and will to win turned out to be stronger than the French spirit and will. Therefore, Russia’s victory over France was predetermined. The War of 1812 became a milestone, a test for all the good characters in the novel: for Prince Andrei, who feels an extraordinary uplift before the Battle of Borodino, faith in victory for Pierre Bezukhov, all of whose thoughts are aimed at helping the exile invaders, he even develops a plan to kill Napoleon, for Natasha, who gave the carts to the wounded, because it was impossible not to give them back, it was shameful and disgusting not to give them, for Petya Rostov, who takes part in the hostilities of a partisan detachment and dies in a battle with the enemy, for Denisova and Dolokhova. All these people, throwing away everything personal, become one and participate in the formation of the will to win. This will to win is especially clearly manifested in crowd scenes: in the scene of the surrender of Smolensk, let us remember the merchant Ferapontov, who, succumbing to some unknown, inner strength, orders all his goods to be distributed to the soldiers, and what cannot be taken out - to be set on fire, in the scene of preparation for the Battle of Borodino, the soldiers put on white shirts, as if preparing for the last battle, in the scene of the battle of the partisans with the French. In general, the theme of guerrilla warfare occupies a special place in the novel. Tolstoy
emphasizes that the war of 1812 was a people's war, because the people themselves rose up to fight the invaders.
The detachments of elders Vasilisa Kozhina and Denis Davydov were already operating, and the heroes of the novel, Vasily Denisov and Dolokhov, were also creating their own detachments. The theme of people's war finds its vivid expression in the image of Tikhon Shcherbaty. The image of this hero is ambiguous; in Denisov’s detachment he performs the most “dirty” and dangerous work. He is merciless towards his enemies, but it was largely thanks to such people that Russia won the war with Napoleon. The image of Platon Karataev, who, under conditions of captivity, again turned to his roots, is also ambiguous. Watching him, Pierre Bezukhov understands that living life the world is above all speculation and that happiness is in itself. However, unlike Tikhon Shcherbaty, Karataev is hardly capable of decisive action; his good looks lead to passivity.
Showing the heroism of the Russian people, Tolstoy in many chapters of the novel talks about the plight of peasants oppressed by serfdom. The leading people of their time, Prince Bolkonsky and Count Bezukhov, are trying to ease the lot of the peasants. In conclusion, we can say that L.N. Tolstoy in his work tries
to prove to the reader the idea that the people have played and will play a decisive role in the life of the state. And that it was the Russian people who were able to defeat Napoleon’s army, which was considered invincible

If suddenly the ants attack together,

They will overpower a lion, no matter how fierce he is.

The epic novel “War and Peace” is the largest work of Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy, covering the life of all strata of society before and after the War of 1812. It shows the ups and downs of the characters, but the main character is the people. Of the many themes in the novel, the author pays special attention to “folk thought.”

L.N. Tolstoy asked the question: “What moves history: the people or the individual?” And throughout the entire novel, history is created and influenced by the people. It is the unity of the Russian people, based on love and affection for native land, helped them defeat the French army. Anger for the disturbed calm and peaceful life, killed relatives and the devastation of the country motivated them during the battles. People tried in every possible way to help, to prove themselves, forgetting about everything that was holding them back, and were ready to stand up to the death for the Fatherland. War is made up of small deeds that make a big difference.

By performing them, they show the most important quality of the people - patriotism, which, according to L.N. Tolstoy, can be true and false. The owners of true patriotism are the Rostov family, Tikhon Shcherbaty, Kutuzov, Tushin, Pierre Bezukhov, Marya Bolkonskaya. The author also contrasts them with other heroes of the novel, whose society is filled with hypocrisy and falsehood.

For example, during the move of the Rostov family from besieged Moscow, all things were collected on carts. At this moment, the wounded soldiers ask for help. And Natasha, begging her parents, asked to leave carts for the needy wounded. Of course, they could have taken the chance and saved their property, but a sense of duty, compassion and responsibility took over.

But there are people who are not at all interested in the lives of the suffering population. A careerist, Berg was only interested in fashion and craved money. Even during a fire in Smolensk, he does not think about putting it out, but is looking for benefits in buying new furniture.

Pierre Bezukhov, who became the heir of the wealthy Count Bezukhov, equips the regiment entirely with inherited money. He could have spent it for personal purposes: at festivities and balls, but he acted nobly, helping the people. And the salon A.P. Scherer, on the contrary, does nothing. As usual, their conversations are full of gossip and empty talk about the war. Penalty for use in speech French words could not help the people in any way. Therefore their patriotism is false.

During the revolt of the Bogucharov men, Marya Bolkonskaya did not succumb to the temptation to remain under the wing of the French: she did not want to feel like a traitor. Helen Kuragina commits a completely different act. In difficult times for the country, she changes her faith and wants to marry Napoleon, the enemy of the people.

Not only the upper strata of society contributed to the victory. For example, the peasant Tikhon Shcherbaty of his own free will joins Denisov’s partisan detachment, which indicates his concern. Becomes the most active, catching the most “tongues” and doing the hardest work. Boris Drubetskoy shows cowardice by remaining in the headquarters of Kutuzov’s opponent, Bennigsen. Despite all their hatred of their enemies, the Russians show humanism towards the captured French. “They are people too,” says Tikhon Shcherbaty.

The state of the army and the course of the war depend on the supreme commander-in-chief - Kutuzov. Unlike the narcissistic and indifferent Napoleon, Kutuzov is a very simple person and close to the people. He only monitors the spirit of the army, inspiring them only with news of victorious battles. He treats the army like his own children and acts as a “father” who shows care. He sincerely feels sorry for the people. It is with a good commander that the army becomes interested in winning with all its might.

War, bursting into peaceful life, shows the true face of every person and tears off masks. Possessing false patriotism and general insensitivity, someone will run and hide, making themselves a hero only in words. And someone with a real desire to help rushes into battle, no matter what. Each of them contributes something of their own to achieve the people's goal. Those who have true patriotism do this not for show, but for the sake of the land that their fathers and grandfathers once defended. And giving it up without a fight is shameful. All these people become a single whole, a people’s “club” that wages only a war of liberation. Because someone else's land is of no use - you need to defend your Fatherland. And this can only be done by uniting, having real feelings and concern for the future of the people and the country.

Thus, L.N. Tolstoy believes that the driving force is the people, and the most important guarantee of victory is the general spirit of the people.

Introduction

“The subject of history is the life of peoples and humanity,” this is how L.N. Tolstoy begins the second part of the epilogue of the epic novel “War and Peace.” He further asks the question: “What force moves nations?” Reflecting on these “theories,” Tolstoy comes to the conclusion that: “The life of peoples does not fit into the lives of a few people, because the connection between these several people and nations has not been found...” In other words, Tolstoy says that the role of the people in history is undeniable, and the eternal truth that history is made by the people was proven by him in his novel. “People's thought” in Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace” is indeed one of the main themes of the epic novel.

The people in the novel "War and Peace"

Many readers understand the word “people” not quite the way Tolstoy understands it. Lev Nikolaevich means by “people” not only soldiers, peasants, men, not only that “huge mass” driven by some force. For Tolstoy, the “people” included officers, generals, and the nobility. This is Kutuzov, and Bolkonsky, and the Rostovs, and Bezukhov - this is all of humanity, embraced by one thought, one deed, one purpose. All the main characters of Tolstoy's novel are directly connected with their people and are inseparable from them.

Heroes of the novel and “folk thought”

The fates of the beloved heroes of Tolstoy’s novel are connected with the life of the people. “People's thought” in “War and Peace” runs like a red thread through the life of Pierre Bezukhov. While in captivity, Pierre learned his truth of life. Platon Karataev, a peasant peasant, opened it to Bezukhov: “In captivity, in a booth, Pierre learned not with his mind, but with his whole being, with his life, that man was created for happiness, that happiness is in himself, in satisfying natural human needs, that all misfortune occurs not from lack, but from excess.” The French offered Pierre to transfer from a soldier's booth to an officer's, but he refused, remaining faithful to those with whom he suffered his fate. And for a long time afterwards he recalled with ecstasy this month of captivity, as “a complete peace of mind, about the perfect inner freedom that he experienced only at this time.”

Andrei Bolkonsky also felt his people at the Battle of Austerlitz. Grabbing the flagpole and rushing forward, he did not think that the soldiers would follow him. And they, seeing Bolkonsky with a banner and hearing: “Guys, go ahead!” rushed at the enemy behind their leader. Unity of officers and ordinary soldiers confirms that the people are not divided into ranks and titles, the people are united, and Andrei Bolkonsky understood this.

Natasha Rostova, leaving Moscow, dumps her family property on the ground and gives away her carts for the wounded. This decision comes to her immediately, without thinking, which suggests that the heroine does not separate herself from the people. Another episode that speaks of the true Russian spirit of Rostova, in which L. Tolstoy himself admires his beloved heroine: “Where, how, when did she suck into herself from the Russian air that she breathed - this countess, raised by a French governess - this spirit, where she got these techniques from... But these spirits and techniques were the same, inimitable, unstudied, Russian.”

And Captain Tushin, who sacrificed own life for the sake of victory, for the sake of Russia. Captain Timokhin, who rushed at the Frenchman with “one skewer.” Denisov, Nikolai Rostov, Petya Rostov and many other Russian people who stood with the people and knew true patriotism.

Tolstoy created a collective image of the people - a united, invincible people, when not only soldiers, troops, but also militias fight. Civilians help not with weapons, but with their own methods: men burn hay so as not to take it to Moscow, people leave the city only because they do not want to obey Napoleon. This is what “folk thought” is and how it is revealed in the novel. Tolstoy makes it clear that the Russian people are strong in a single thought - not to surrender to the enemy. A sense of patriotism is important for all Russian people.

Platon Karataev and Tikhon Shcherbaty

The novel also shows the partisan movement. A bright representative here Tikhon Shcherbaty appeared, who with all his disobedience, dexterity, and cunning fought the French. His active work brings success to the Russians. Denisov is proud of his partisan detachment thanks to Tikhon.

Opposite to the image of Tikhon Hollow-toothed image Platon Karataev. Kind, wise, with his worldly philosophy, he calms Pierre and helps him survive captivity. Plato's speech is filled with Russian proverbs, which emphasizes his nationality.

Kutuzov and the people

The only commander-in-chief of the army who never separated himself and the people was Kutuzov. “He knew not with his mind or science, but with his whole Russian being, he knew and felt what every Russian soldier felt...” The disunity of the Russian army in the alliance with Austria, the deception of the Austrian army, when the allies abandoned the Russians in battles, were unbearable pain for Kutuzov. To Napoleon’s letter about peace, Kutuzov replied: “I would be damned if they looked at me as the first instigator of any deal: such is the will of our people” (italics by L.N. Tolstoy). Kutuzov did not write on his own behalf, he expressed the opinion of the entire people, all Russian people.

The image of Kutuzov is contrasted with the image of Napoleon, who was very far from his people. He was only interested in personal interest in the struggle for power. An empire of worldwide submission to Bonaparte - and an abyss in the interests of the people. As a result, the war of 1812 was lost, the French fled, and Napoleon was the first to leave Moscow. He abandoned his army, abandoned his people.

Conclusions

In his novel War and Peace, Tolstoy shows that people's power is invincible. And in every Russian person there is “simplicity, goodness and truth.” True patriotism does not measure everyone by rank, does not build a career, does not seek fame. At the beginning of the third volume, Tolstoy writes: “There are two sides of life in every person: personal life, which is the more free the more abstract its interests are, and spontaneous, swarm life, where a person inevitably fulfills the laws prescribed to him.” Laws of honor, conscience, general culture, general history.

This essay on the topic “People's Thought” in the novel “War and Peace” reveals only a small part of what the author wanted to tell us. The people live in the novel in every chapter, in every line.

Work test

A short essay-reasoning on literature for grade 10 on the topic: “War and Peace: Popular Thought”

The tragic war of 1812 brought many troubles, suffering and torment, L.N. Tolstoy did not remain indifferent to turning point of his people and reflected it in the epic novel “War and Peace”, and its “grain”, according to L. Tolstoy, is Lermontov’s poem “Borodino”. The epic is also based on the idea of ​​reflecting the national spirit. The writer admitted that in “War and Peace” he loved “popular thought.” Thus, Tolstoy reproduced “ swarm life", proving that history is made not by one person, but by the whole people together.

According to Tolstoy, it is useless to resist natural course events, it is useless to try to play the role of the arbiter of the destinies of humanity. Otherwise, the participant in the war will fail, as was the case with Andrei Bolkonsky, who tried to take control of the course of events and conquer Toulon. Or fate will doom him to loneliness, as happened to Napoleon, who fell in love with power too much.

During the Battle of Borodino, on the outcome of which much depended for the Russians, Kutuzov “did not make any orders, but only agreed or did not agree to what was offered to him.” This seemingly passivity reveals the deep intelligence and wisdom of the commander. Kutuzov’s connection with the people was a victorious feature of his character; this connection made him the bearer of “people's thought.”

Tikhon Shcherbaty is also folk image in the novel he is also a hero of the Patriotic War, although he is a simple man not at all connected with military affairs. He himself voluntarily asked to join Vasily Denisov’s detachment, which confirms his dedication and willingness to make sacrifices for the sake of the Fatherland. Tikhon fights off four Frenchmen with only one ax - according to Tolstoy, this is the image of the “club of the people’s war.”

But the writer does not stop at the idea of ​​heroism, regardless of rank, he goes further and wider, revealing the unity of all mankind in the War of 1812. In the face of death, all class, social, and national boundaries between people are erased. Everyone is afraid to kill; Everyone as one does not want to die. Petya Rostov is worried about the fate of the French boy who was captured: “It’s great for us, but what about him? Where did they take him? Did you feed him? Did you offend me?" And it seems like this is the enemy of the Russian soldier, but at the same time, even in war, you need to treat your enemies humanely. French or Russian - we are all people in need of mercy and kindness. In the War of 1812, such a thought mattered as never before. It was adhered to by many heroes of “War and Peace” and, first of all, L.N. himself. Tolstoy.

Thus, the Patriotic War of 1812 entered the history of Russia, its culture and literature as a significant and tragic event for the entire people. It revealed true patriotism, love for the Motherland and a national spirit that never broke, but only grew stronger, giving impetus to a great victory, for which we still feel pride in our hearts.

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