How the family theme is presented in the epilogue of the novel. The artistic role of the epilogue in War and Peace

Thinkable is the fruit of all the mental work of my life...

L. Tolstoy

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy is an artist of great and powerful talent, a philosopher who talks about the meaning of life, the purpose of man, the enduring values ​​of earthly existence. All this is fully reflected in his largest and most beautiful creation, “War and Peace.”

Throughout the novel, the author thinks a lot about topics that interest him. In our fast-moving times, it is almost impossible to force yourself to slowly read his colossal work, but how necessary it is for us, the young, to be imbued with the “Russian spirit”, patriotism, true nationality, and not the superficial vanity that has been so actively propagated lately by various sources.

Tolstoy's philosophy is difficult to understand, but necessary. And the epilogue of the novel “War and Peace” opens the door to the author’s secret storage room. We, the readers of the 21st century, can agree or disagree with the writer who worked in the middle of the 19th century. But a true artist, he foresaw the changes coming in time, and spoke about it with genius. “Just as the sun and each atom of the ether is a ball, complete in itself and at the same time only an atom of a whole inaccessible to man due to the enormity of the whole, so each personality carries within itself its own goals and, at the same time, carries them in order to serve common goals inaccessible to man...

Man can only observe the correspondence between the life of a bee and other phenomena of life. The same applies to the goals of historical persons and peoples.” Unfolding a huge canvas of historical events of 1805-1820, Tolstoy at first slowly tells the story, including vast spaces and countless heroes in the narrative. This leisurely narrative ends with the main historical event, 1812, and in the epilogue the author specifically tells the further fate of his favorite heroes: the Bezukhovs and the Rostovs. Life does not stop, no matter what happens, and the heroes obey the flow of time, and not vice versa. Life is much wiser than all the philosophers' discussions about it.

In the epilogue we see the ideal of a woman created by the writer. Princess Maria and Natasha Rostova, once romantic girls, become good friends of their husbands, faithful mentors of children, true guardian angels of the family hearth. The touch of romance has disappeared as if unnecessary, but warmth, sincerity, and kindness remain. They are limited to family problems, but gradually influence their husbands as well. Thus, Nikolai Rostov involuntarily softens under the influence of his wife and becomes more tolerant of human weaknesses and imperfections. And when he does “break down,” it is Marie who helps her husband find peace of mind.

But Tolstoy does not only talk about family values; the writer talks about the technical and political changes that occurred in Russian society after 1812. Tolstoy intended to write a continuation of the novel, where he would show the Decembrist uprising. It can be assumed that Pierre would not have remained aloof from such great events. And Natasha? She would follow her husband. But we are left with only guesses and conjectures. And in the epilogue there is a specific description of the family life of people in the first quarter of the 19th century, their thoughts, experiences, dreams and intentions. Much has changed since then, but patriotism, reverent attitude towards the Motherland, and the enduring value of family and raising children have remained unchanged.

Having discussed important social problems and events in the epic, Tolstoy only in the epilogue begins to approach the ideal that he saw as the purpose of a woman - the mother and guardian of the home. Without this, the image of the “descended” Natasha, her reluctance to live in the world, would not be understandable. L.N. Tolstoy, without at all belittling women, expresses his views on raising children, love, and the social role of man in the life of the country.

In the epilogue, the narrative speeds up its flow, the events are concentrated and given by the author in a general form. You understand that there will be a continuation, life does not end with the end of the novel. But the writer was unable to continue the epic and implement his plans. The epilogue to the novel “War and Peace” was not so much an afterword to the work as a worthy conclusion to it, connecting it with life. For the heroes created by the artist’s imagination continue to live in our memory.

Bibliography

To prepare this work, materials from the site ilib.ru/ were used

Introduction

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy is an artist of great and powerful talent, a philosopher who talks about the meaning of life, the purpose of man, the enduring values ​​of earthly existence. All this was fully reflected in his largest and most beautiful creation - “War and Peace”. Throughout the novel, the author thinks a lot about topics that interest him. In our fast-moving times, it is almost impossible to force yourself to slowly read his colossal work, but how necessary it is for us, the young, to be imbued with the “Russian spirit”, patriotism, true nationality, and not the vanity that has been so actively propagated lately by various sources. Tolstoy's philosophy is difficult to understand, but necessary. And the epilogue of the novel “War and Peace” opens the door to the author’s secret storage room. We, the readers of the 21st century, can agree or disagree with the writer who worked in the middle of the 19th century. But the true artist foresaw the changes coming in time, and spoke about it brilliantly. “Just as the sun and each atom of the ether is a ball, complete in itself and at the same time only an atom of a whole inaccessible to man in the enormity of the whole, so each personality carries within itself its own goals and, at the same time, carries them in order to serve those inaccessible to man.” common goals,” said L.N. Tolstoy.

Epilogue is the final part of the work, in which the denouement of the plot, the fate of the heroes are finally clarified, and the main idea of ​​the work is formulated. The epilogue is the conclusion of the novel. In the novel by L. N. Tolstoy, the role of the epilogue is extremely large. Firstly, it logically completes the plot of the work, and secondly, the epilogue contains the author’s philosophical and life position, assessment of plot events and characters. Let's consider how the authors of the novels “War and Peace” achieve these goals. In Tolstoy's novel, two independent parts of the epilogue correspond to the two above-mentioned goals. Tolstoy's philosophical position is so distant from the plot of the work that it could exist independently, as a philosophical treatise. The plot denouement (the first part of the epilogue) occupies a significantly smaller part of the epilogue.

The first part of the epilogue is rich in expression of the author's position, like Tolstoy's entire novel. It contains only a description of facts that emphasize Tolstoy’s position, and the author skillfully inserts numerous of his own leading thoughts into the description of these facts. The writer shows us his heroes after the events of the War of 1812 (the epilogue takes place in 1821). Pierre became a wonderful husband, family man and, according to Tolstoy, a real person. The first life cycle that Tolstoy outlined for his hero was completed with honor. What awaits the hero next? Quiet cozy family life? Estate activities? No. The author gives a completely different answer to these questions: New trials await Pierre. Trials related to the hero's participation in a political circle. Tolstoy proves to us “that people, like rivers,” change all the time, look for something, strive for something, and this desire for harmony, for truth makes them “quite good.”

In the epilogue we see the ideal of a woman created by the writer. Princess Maria and Natasha Rostova, once romantic girls, become good friends of their husbands, faithful mentors of children, true guardian angels of the family hearth. They are limited to family problems, but gradually influence their husbands. Thus, Nikolai Rostov involuntarily softens under the influence of his wife and becomes more tolerant of human weaknesses and imperfections. And when he does “break down,” it is Maria who helps her husband find peace of mind.

I was surprised by Natasha's image. She became strong and wise. By this time she already had three daughters and a son. The heroine has gained weight, and now it is difficult to recognize the former Natasha Rostova in her: “Her facial features now had an expression of calm softness and clarity. Now only her face and body were often visible, but her soul was not visible at all.” She is not at all like the graceful, cheerful girl that Tolstoy presents to us at the beginning of the novel. The meaning of Natasha's life is motherhood. And this is exactly how the writer himself represents the fate and purpose of a woman.

But Tolstoy speaks not only about family values. The writer talks about the political changes that occurred in Russian society after 1812. Tolstoy intended to write a continuation of the novel, where he would show the Decembrist uprising. It can be assumed that Pierre would not have remained aloof from such great events. And Natasha? She would follow her husband. But we are left with only guesses and conjectures. And in the epilogue there is a specific description of the family life of people in the first quarter of the 19th century, their thoughts, experiences, dreams and intentions. Much has changed since then, but patriotism, reverent attitude towards the Motherland, and the eternal value of family and raising children have remained unchanged.

Thus, telling about the fate of the heroes in the first part of the epilogue. Tolstoy achieves the point that any attentive reader comes to mind the very conclusions that the author wants to receive from him, despite the fact that the author himself does not formulate these conclusions.

In the second part of the epilogue, Tolstoy asks a more global problem: “What moves the world, its history?” And he gives the answer to it: “The laws of necessity.”

Tolstoy assigns a completely different role to man: in his opinion, man is just a pawn in a complex game, the outcome of which is predetermined, and the goal of the pawn is to understand the rules of the game and follow them and ultimately be among the winners, otherwise the pawn will punished by fate, resistance to which is futile. A gigantic illustration of this position is the picture of war, where everyone, including kings and great generals, are powerless before fate, where the one who better understands the laws of necessity and does not resist them wins.

Conclusion

In the epilogue, the narrative speeds up its flow, the events are concentrated and given by the author in a general form. You understand that there will be a continuation; life does not end with the end of the novel. But the writer was unable to continue the epic and implement his plans. The epilogue to the novel "War and Peace" was not so much an afterword to the work as a worthy conclusion to it, connecting it with life. For the heroes created by the artist’s imagination continue to live in our memory.

In the epilogue of his novel, Leo Tolstoy depicted not only the end of a huge story woven from the intricate interweaving of human destinies, but also presented his own historical and philosophical reflections on the law of endless mutual influences and interconnections of human life. It is this irrational law, elusive to reason, that, in the author’s opinion, determines the fate of nations and individuals.

The most important element of the composition of the novel “War and Peace” in ideological terms is the epilogue. It carries a large semantic load in the overall concept of the work.L. N. Tolstoy sums up his enormous history, touching on such pressing topics as family and the role of the individual in the historical process.
The idea of ​​the spiritual foundations of nepotism as an external form of unity between people received special expression in the epilogue. In a family, the opposition between spouses seems to be erased; in communication between them, the limitations of loving souls complement each other. Such is the family of Marya Bolkonskaya and Nikolai Rostov, where such opposite principles of the Rostovs and Bolkonskys are united in a higher synthesis. The feeling of “proud love” of Nikolai for Countess Marya is wonderful, based on surprise “at her sincerity, at that almost inaccessible to him, sublime, moral world in which his wife always lived.” When Princess Marya comes to Moscow in the epilogue and learns about the position of the Rostovs and, as they said in the city, “that the son sacrifices himself for his mother,” she begins to experience even greater love for Nikolai. And Marya’s “submissive, tender feeling for this man, who will never understand everything that she understands, is touching, and as if this made her love him even more, with a touch of passionate tenderness.” Now Nikolai works a lot, his fortune is rapidly increasing, despite large debts; men from other estates come to ask him to buy their farms.
In the epilogue of the novel, a new family gathers under the roof of the Lysogorsk house, connecting in the past the heterogeneous Rostov, Bolkon, and, through Pierre Bezukhov, also Karataev principles: “As in a real family, in the Lysogorsk house several completely different worlds lived together, each of which retained its own peculiarity and making concessions to one another, merged into one harmonious whole.”
This new family did not arise by chance. It was the result of a national unity of people born of the Patriotic War. This is how the epilogue reaffirms the connection between the general course of history and individual, intimate relationships between people. The year 1812, which gave Russia a new, higher level of human communication, which removed many class barriers and restrictions, led to the emergence of more complex and broader family worlds. Karataev's acceptance of life in all its diversity and complexity, the ability to live in peace and harmony with everyone is present in the ending of the novel. In a conversation with Natasha, Pierre notes that Karataev, if he were alive now, would approve of their family life.
As in any family, conflicts and disputes sometimes arise in the large Lysogorsk family. But they are peaceful in nature and only strengthen the strength of relations. The guardians of the family foundations are women - Natasha and Marya. There is a strong, spiritual union between them. “Marie, this is so lovely! - says Natasha. - How she knows how to understand children. It’s as if she only sees their soul.” “Yes, I know,” Countess Marya interrupts Nikolai’s story about Pierre’s Decembrist hobbies. “Natasha told me.”
Natasha appears in a different guise in the epilogue. By this time she already had three daughters and one son. She has gained weight, and now it is difficult to recognize the old Natasha Rostova in her: “Her facial features now had an expression of calm softness and clarity. Now only her face and body were often visible, but her soul was not visible at all.” According to Tolstoy, she is a “fertile female.” Everyone who knew Natasha before her marriage is surprised at the change that has occurred in her.
And finally, at the end of the epilogue, filled with philosophical reasoning, Tolstoy once again talks about the historical process, that it is not the individual who makes history, but only the masses, guided by common interests, make it. A person is important in history only to the extent that he understands and accepts these interests.

The idea of ​​the spiritual foundations of nepotism as an external form of unity between people received special expression in the epilogue of the novel “War and Peace.” In a family, the opposition between spouses is, as it were, removed; in communication between them, the limitations of loving souls are complemented. Such is the family of Marya Bolkonskaya and Nikolai Rostov, where such opposite principles of the Rostovs and Bolkonskys are united in a higher synthesis. The feeling of “proud love” of Nikolai for Countess Marya is wonderful, based on surprise “at her sincerity, at that almost inaccessible to him, sublime, moral world in which his wife always lived.” And Marya’s submissive, tender love “for this man who will never understand everything that she understands is touching, and as if this made her love him even more strongly, with a touch of passionate tenderness.”
In the epilogue of War and Peace, a new family gathers under the roof of the Lysogorsk house, uniting in the past the heterogeneous Rostov, Bolkon, and, through Pierre Bezukhov, also Karataev origins. “Like in a real family, in the Lysogorsk house several completely different worlds lived together, which, each maintaining its own peculiarity and making concessions to one another, merged into one harmonious whole. Every event that happened in the house was equally important - joyful or sad - for all these worlds; but each world had its own reasons, independent of others, to rejoice or be sad about some event.”
This new family did not arise by chance. It was the result of a national unity of people born of the Patriotic War. This is how the epilogue reaffirms the connection between the general course of history and individual, intimate relationships between people. The year 1812, which gave Russia a new, higher level of human communication, which removed many class barriers and restrictions, led to the emergence of more complex and broader family worlds. The guardians of the family foundations are women - Natasha and Marya. There is a strong, spiritual union between them.
Rostov. The writer's particular sympathies are with the patriarchal Rostov family, whose behavior reveals high nobility of feelings, kindness (even rare generosity), naturalness, closeness to the people, moral purity and integrity. The Rostov courtyards - Tikhon, Prokofy, Praskovya Savvishna - are devoted to their masters, feel like one family with them, show understanding and show attention to the lordly interests.
Bolkonsky. The old prince represents the color of the nobility of the era of Catherine II. He is characterized by true patriotism, broad political horizons, understanding of Russia's true interests, and indomitable energy. Andrey and Marya are progressive, educated people looking for new paths in modern life.
The Kuragin family brings nothing but troubles and misfortunes to the peaceful “nests” of the Rostovs and Bolkonskys.
Under Borodin, at the Raevsky battery, where Pierre ends up, one feels “a common revival for everyone, like a family revival.” “The soldiers... mentally accepted Pierre into their family, appropriated them and gave him a nickname. “Our master” they nicknamed him and laughed affectionately about him among themselves.”
Thus, the feeling of family, which is sacredly cherished in peaceful life by those close to the people of Rostov, will turn out to be historically significant during the Patriotic War of 1812.