You’ve finally made it to quadruple digits in War and Peace! Congratulations! A few participants found that one could tell “these sections are written later both in time and maturity from the earlier parts.” The invasion of Moscow certainly encompasses a number of complexities on a historical scale as well as in the personal lives of the characters. Both Napoleon and Kutuzov must decide what to do in the aftermath of Borodino. Moscow finds itself in a state of restless chaos with Pierre caught in its midst. The governor-general, Rostopchin, struggles with handling the mass exodus of the city, and as all this unfolds, Natasha reunites with Prince Andrei at what seems to be is death bed. Amongst this confusion, Tolstoy emphasizes the powerful effects of “the human connection” that seems to be the antithesis to senseless killing and presents the opportunity for forgiveness.
Napoleon Waits in Vain for His Coup de Théâtre
After Borodino, Napoleon considers himself the victor and declares Moscow under French rule. Many in the discussion found Napoleon’s waiting around for the Russian boyars made Napoleon seem like a “megalomaniac”—one that is about a century out of date regarding the city he claims he’s conquering! Napoleon associates Russia with the east, calling it “Asiatic” and “oriental”—as if Russia is his exotic eastern triumph, a replacement to his failures in Egypt earlier in his career. As he waits, he concerns himself with playing the perfect magnanimous conqueror in this important historical moment—he waits for his “coup de théâtre.” He expects that he will be the one to “civilize” Russia and make his new subjects love him. One noted, “Tolstoy makes Napoleon to be a fool, denying him his historical moment” on account of the Russian’s refusal to be live under French rule. Napoleon “is playing his expected role, like Caesar or Alexander the Great…It is as if there is an expected behavior of such men, or at least Napoleon thinks there is. Too bad the Russians don’t conform to his notions.” Part of Napoleon’s expectations rests on the fact that he has taken Vienna and Berlin before, and the residents there welcomed him. He expects the same with the Russians, though one found, “Tolstoy is showing the reader that the Russian is far more wise than the Austrians or Germans, who allow Napoleon to waltz into those cities, arms wide open… His point is that the Russians would never allow a foreigner to occupy or take over their country.” Tolstoy depicts such a refusal and their evacuation of Moscow as Russian patriotism. Once again, Tolstoy’s demonstrates that “great men are often the most common and the great are often the most flawed.”
Boyars were the highest ranking men up until medieval Russia, roughly between the 10-17th centuries. Napoleon’s expectation of being greeted by boyars upon the invasion of Moscow displays his ignorance of Russian society and culture. Not too surprising, especially coming from Tolstoy!
French Invasion of Moscow and the Russian Decision to Leave
A participant noted, “The chaos of the Rostov's packing dovetails with the chaos of the French occupation of the city...” In the chaos of evacuating Moscow, Tolstoy seems to distinguish “true” patriotism from “false” patriotism. Even so, as one pointed out, “there are many paradoxes at work.” The Rostovs decide to leave some valuable belongings behind and instead take the wounded soldiers with them, but figures like Count Rostopchin seem to only pretend to be doing what they think is best but only end up making very poor decisions. There are also interesting cases like with Pierre, how he saves the life of and ends up making friends with Ramballe, a French officer. After they become acquainted, Pierre drops his plans to assassinate Napoleon. The choice of Russians to leave as well as Kutuzov’s decision to retreat also lies in this patriotism paradox: the obvious patriotic move may have been to stand and fight, but to do so “was not considered possible, even though the French army had lost two-thirds of its soldiers by then.” For Kutuzov, to stay and fight meant to lose both Moscow and the army, whereas retreat would mean that the Russians may lose the city but would at least keep the army. Tolstoy considered leaving Moscow--on part of Kutuzov as well as the Russian people-- a patriotic act.
The Calculus of History
When explaining the abandonment of Moscow, Tolstoy again brings up his theory of the calculus of history. He sees history “the instantaneous summation of the many that comprise that instant, not some portrayal of great men but of countless living and breathing individuals who act according to their feelings and when this actions are summated history occurs.” Reducing explanations of leaving Moscow as the decision of a few men cannot possibly be sufficient to explain the event, or history itself. It is the multitudes of infinitely small but important beings, each with their own emotions, actions, freewill, and reaction to events, that make history. One noted, “Tolstoy's calculus of history the idea that all historical events are the culmination of multiple factors -- people intersecting with actions and reactions.”
Vereshchagin, the Mob, and Count Rostopchin
Tolstoy paints a very negative picture of Count Rostopchin, the governor general of Moscow, during the evacuation. “This man had no idea what was happening. He just wanted to be doing something, to take people by surprise, to do a heroic deed that was gloriously patriotic, and he behaved like a little boy amusing himself while events of enormous magnitude—the abandonment and burning of Moscow—were inexorably taking shape, and he kept raising his tiny little fist first to urge on, then to turn back the mighty tide of popular will that swept him along as it went.” Perhaps the most telling of his “false” acts of patriotism is his order to the angry mob to kill Vereshchagin. Trying to find a way to calm the angry mob, Rostopchin rationalizes, “What they need is a victim.” Thus, he orders them to kill him: “Give him a thrashing…Let this traitor die and no longer disgrace the name of a Russian citizen!” A participant noted, “This portrait of Rostopchin is so destructive and so timely. His portrayal as a nineteenth century Pontius Pilote speaks to the inadequacy of many who view their political position as confirmation of their own greatness.” Another noted, “what was so disturbing for me was the fact that there was absolutely no reason for the mob to go after him… The idea that a group of people could be incited to such violence against another human.” Rostopchin, in making the decision to order the killing of Vereshchagin, “was being rational but not moral,” as one put it. Rostopchin cuts off Vereshchagin’s last words as he began to say, “Count, God above is our only…” Rostopchin drowns out Vereshchagin's last plea with shout, ordering the crowd to attach him. Without the human connection, the mob does as Rostopchin orders. “The thread of human sympathy that had been holding the mob in check had been stretched to breaking point, and now it snapped.” After the event, however, everyone feels remorse. “Full of pain and pity, they looked down at the dead body with its blue face filthy with matted dust and blood.” Even Rostopchin, as he rides away in his carriage, realizes the he did wrong in commanding the mob to attack Vereshchagin.
Prince Andrei and Natasha Reunite
Completely opposite to the Vereshchagin affair, many found Prince Andrei and Natasha’s meeting to be one of great love and forgiveness. The scene was praised as being “beautifully written” and “a great piece of work!” One noted, “It is the scene unfolding through the Andrei's delirium that is so astounding to me,” and another, “Tolstoy had a deep understanding of human psyche, and was able to describe it so accurately, so believably.” Tolstoy has us see things through Prince Andrei’s blurry perspective-- blurry because of his illness. “He wraps us around real and delusional so well that we are in a surreal place ourselves.” Sara pointed out the detail of the fly buzzing around, “Again, the real and the delusional colliding—which seems to mimic the scene at Austerlitz, when Napoleon appeared to him to be nothing more than the buzzing of a fly.” Among these semi-delusional semi-real thoughts, Prince Andrei loses his habit of intellectualizing, which in turn allows him to contemplate more “spiritual” matters. He thinks about the “new happiness” revealed to him when he saw Anatole at the field hospital. Coming to finally understand “the happiness of the soul” and “the happiness of loving”—especially the love he felt for Anatole, his enemy—Prince Andrei is able to tell Natasha that he loves her. He even becomes so overwhelmed by his love that even forgets the wrong she did to him and appears confused at her request that he forgive her. Their moment is one of intense human connection. Prince Andrei doesn’t even need to verbalize his forgiveness—he simply holds out his hand, and “Natasha also receives absolution, which finally heals her from the ‘sin’ she feels for her past behavior. It's clear when he smiles and reaches out to her that all is forgiven...it's a very powerful moment.” A participant added, “the idea of forgiveness is the act of freeing oneself from pain, misery.”
Pierre Stays in Moscow
One participant observed, “Pierre, on the other hand, seems to me a construct of LT to show us what is going on in different places… He is always the outsider, going from place to place and character to character.” He comes from Borodino completely taken by the spirit of the soldiers he meets on the battlefield. The experience there transforms him: one noted that he develops “an appreciation of the actions of the simple soldiers and the lessons that all the suffering and horror impart… The simplicity of their actions seems to transcend the usual fear of death. He admires not only their actions but the mental state that allows them to carry on without the fear that would affect others.” Pierre becomes inspired to follow in their footsteps—what he sees as “heroic” acts against the French. However, his mind changes rather quickly. A participant noted, “Pierre is so consumed with his dark ideas of seeking revenge and murdering Napoleon, but as soon as he comes into contact with Ramballe, his ideas fade away. He struck me as someone who is torn between his Russian-ness and the French side of himself.” Pierre reprimands himself for his “weakness” in changing his plans, but his human connection with the French officer convinces him to drop his plans.
Have a happy break everyone…but don’t forget to continue reading War and Peace!
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