In the final parts of the novel right before the Epilogues, we see more deaths before the end of the novel—that of Kutuzov, Petya, and Platon Karatayov. However, these deaths somehow allow new beginnings to take place. The death of Kutuzov is a sort of conclusion to the Napoleonic invasion in Russia. “The movement of men from west to east” took place and finished. Kutuzov’s death allows the pendulum to swing back to its starting point such that a new campaign can start—now, there can be “a movement of men from east to west, a new war with a new proponent, with aims and qualities that differed from Kutuzov’s.” Likewise, the death of Petya allows Natasha to reawaken after the death of Prince Andrei. She comes back to life by comforting her mother and, once again, getting caught up in the necessities of everyday life. The death of Platon reflects Pierre’s new worldview—much like Prince Andrei’s at the moment of death—that those who die return to the whole, to God. Death at the end of the novel functions as an opportunity for rejuvenation for those that die (they return to the whole from which they came) as well as those that survive (they are able to begin new life).
Patriotism and Heroes
By the of the Napoleonic presence in Russia in the novel, a number of participants were curious to tie up exactly how Tolstoy defines patriotism and heroes. Tolstoy renews this theme by reintroducing Petya as a young and energetic, albeit naïve, soldier looking for an opportunity to be a “hero.” His behavior reflects what we’ve already seen in the early days of the war—Nikolai and Prince Andrei, too, sought chances to display their heroism at Schongrabern and Auzterlitz. This time around, Petya admires Dolokhov and Denisov. Regarding the returning theme of naïve heroism in Petya, one noted, “I also thought it was a reminder that in spite of all that had happened, the younger generation still reacted to war as an excitement, a place for heroes. Tragically, it wasn't. We don't learn from generation to generation.”
Regarding Tolstoy’s sense of nationalism, one participant noted, “LT is one of the more nationalistic writers certainly of that century. He constantly contrasts the Russian behavior to Napoleon with the other Europeans. His heroes are the Russian character and the old verities not tainted by western ideas.” Another participant related this idea to how Tolstoy depicts Kutuzov as a “true” hero, “true” in the way that Tolstoy depicts Tushin as a hero and the simple common soldiers as heroes. One participant observed, “Kutuzov seems to represent the more peasant Russians, not the upper crust of Russian society.” More observations on Kutuzov: “Kutuzov success comes in great part from his understanding of the true Russian character and beliefs. He acts intuitively in fulfillment of that understanding.” The description of the Russians’ use of guerrilla warfare, basically breaking all the rules, relates to Tolstoy’s positive depiction of the instincts of common Russian soldiers. On a larger scale, he even praises how the Russians "put down the dueller's rapier and picked up a cudgel"—a bold move in directly going against the traditional standards of warfare and still succeeding. As one noted, “Intuition rather than careful planning seems to be key.” Kutuzov embodies this kind of instinct: “Kutuzov doesn't make grand plans, he takes things as they come and goes about the job of expelling the invader.” Many found that he has a gritty side to him—“ And the scene when Kutuzov speaks to his soldiers and tells them to be kind to the French, to spare them. But then lets loose with a nice, juicy Russian swear word! He does seem to be on their level, to be able to speak like them and interact effectively with them.”
The Interplay of Cruelty and Compassion in War
Many found this interplay strongest in contrasting the way Dolokhov and Denisov treat prisoners during the final parts of the campaign in Russia. When Prince Andrei is speaking to Pierre before the Battle of Borodino, and he says that we shouldn't take any prisoners, they should all be shot, we shouldn't play at war. Dolokhov enacts Andrei's very words in insisting to kill all the French prisoners. However, Kutuzov later tells his soldiers to spare the French prisoners. And then when we have the scene with Ramballe and his orderly coming out of the woods, the Russians feed them, care for them. The soldiers - plain soldiers - can get along just fine face to face. They sing and laugh together. This begs the question—what’s the point of slaughtering each other?
Dolokhov seems to have no problem doing so. A participant observed, “LT describes his that is Dolokhov's gaze as chilling. His characterization seems to suggest an antipathy toward Dolokhov's actions.” Another said, “Dolokhov seems perfect for guerilla warfare. He is cunning, cruel, daring and fearless, and amoral.” His behavior seems to be in line with the way Tolstoy has presented his character previously—Dolokhov is the guy who will cheat a “friend” at cards to the point of ruin, and he is the guy who helps Anatole nearly lure Natasha into eloping with him.
Denisov, on the other hand, “seems compassionate and hopes to protect Petya.” As one stated, “Therein lies the great tension between Denisov the proper soldier and Dolokhov.” Dolokhov portrays the sheer brutality possible in warfare, whereas Denisov portrays the compassion that is equally possible. Dolokhov is the one who takes Petya on a dangerous setting of spying on the French (and he doesn’t exactly look out for him when things get tricky), and Denisov is the one who “howls like a dog” when Petya dies. Dolokhov seems to exude a certain cruelty. “There are characters in this book who if not entirely evil have a large percentage in their makeup. Dolokhov (and Helene) are way up on that list.” Petya seems to lay at the boundary between this compassion and cruelty—not only in his interactions with Denisov and Dolokhov, but also in his own compassion towards the French prisoners and his cruel death.
Petya and the Infinite Sky
Petya, like Prince Andrei and Pierre before him, has his own moment taking notice of the infinite sky. His experience of doing so has a musical quality to it: as he watches how “the heavens were clearing to open up a pure black sky,” he hears “music swelling louder and louder.” It’s interesting to consider how, unlike Prince Andrei and Pierre, Petya’s “infinite sky” experience doesn’t conjure images of great loves or regrets. This somehow magnifies his innocence—Prince Andrei at Austerlitz is reminded of Lise, Pierre of Natasha, and Nikolai even thinks of Sonya when he is first confronted with the prospects of death—but Petya is stuck in his own head “feeling sorry there was no one to share the music and experience with.” Many found Petya’s death as “an exclamation point for the descriptions of wasteful battles and needless deaths for the sake of unnecessary glory.” “Petya and his brother Nicholai were two young, impetuous young men reacting to war the way we see young boys today--the excitement, adventure, etc. With no knowledge of what it really is.” Though Petya, unlike Nikolai, doesn’t get the chance to discover the emptiness in blind heroism—he dies a child. “The giving away of the raisins and etc. - so childish still. He's still such a child in these scenes, worried about how the "grown-ups" will view him.” Many agreed at the notion that “Petya’s death is to show the futility of war.”
Sara pointed out an interesting instance foreshadowing to Petya’s death a few hundred pages back. “One thing I like to point out is the scene at Uncle's cabin - when they all leave after eating, drinking, and Natasha's dance, they get into their carriages to go home. Petya is asleep, so he has to be carried out. Briggs translates this as something like ‘he slept the sleep of the dead’ but in the Russian original, the wording is that he was carried out ‘like a dead body.’ Again, the question of fate seems to be in play.”
Pierre’s Reaction to Platon’s Death
Right at the end of the section where Petya dies, the narrator notes that Pierre is one of the prisoners rescued by Dolokhov and Denisov. A participant observed, “Pierre's reaction to Platon's death is interesting. He is initally in denial that Platon has died, and avoids Platon.” Another noted, “I took Pierre's avoidance of Platon as a rejection of death, not his teachings,” and, “Appears that Pierre can't face the tragedy of him dying. Pierre was deeply affected by Platon.” Pierre’s initial reaction not not even wanting to look back at Platon’s body after being shot seems to act as a survival tactic, much like the simple common soldiers trying to avoid thoughts about death before the start of battle. However, Pierre’s refusal to react like Platon’s dog—to howl and cry at the sadness and shock of the situation—also signifies how Pierre has changed. He comes to a number of revelations when Platon dies. During his time in captivity, Pierre understands, "The hardest and most blessed thing is to love this life even in suffering, innocent suffering." A participant observed, “The recurring theme of suffering is part of life appears again—that seems to be Pierre's mindset at the end of this section.” Before his captivity, “Pierre has taken life for granted, and only when his freedoms and sources of material happiness are taken away, does he then realize the preciousness of life itself.”
Pierre’s Dream of the Globe
Pierre’s dream echoes his new views on suffering, happiness, and his reaction to Platon’s death. Sara pointed out the parallels between Platon’s characteristic roundness and the focus of the globe (a sphere) in Pierre’s dream: “Platon was characterized by roundness - every point on the circumference is equidistant from the center. A globe is like that too, with the center being God, the drops on the surface human lives.” On the liquid globe, it’s surface is made out of drops (human lives). As humans live their lives, the drops expand and absorb God’s love; only at death does the drop return to the center, to the origin of love, to God. One participant observed, “It's an awakening, as Prince Andrei also realizes.” Pierre sees Platon’s death as a return back to God, the same way Prince Andrei realizes that death is when the soul returns to God. A participant noted, “In Pierre’s dream, we are all drops of individual water but together make up the common threat of universal love, suffering, and joy.” So Pierre’s reaction to Platon’s death is more than just a coping mechanism for the pointless brutality possible in war—it also reflects Pierre’s new worldview that there is a redemptive quality in suffering and that divine love is universal with God at its source.
Death as a Point of Rejuvenation
Considering Pierre’s reaction to Platon’s death and his vision of the fluid globe, we can come to see death as a possibility for rejuvenation in this part of the novel. Platon’s death allows Pierre to come to understand universal divine love and God as a source of that love. So there is rejuvenation possible even in death. Death also seems to permit rejuvenation for the survivors—Petya’s death comes right before Pierre’s rescue, and his death also brings Natasha back to life. One noted, “Natasha comes out of her funk immediately when her mother needs her. She is showing some maturity and growth.” Similarly, “For Natasha, it seems that Petya's death sprouts a new beginning for her.”
Natasha and Pierre
A renewed love blossoms between Natasha and Pierre: “Since they have both matured, it is a mature love.” Some found their relationship “as complete surprise,” but others thought, “Actually it wasn't really a surprise. They are both survivors.” It seems like their matured love was only possible after both struggled through the death of Prince Andrei, after Natasha understood suffering dealing with his death, after Pierre understood suffering from captivity and dealt with the death of Platon: “They both have endured suffering and life-changing experiences, which gives them another level of compatibility or understanding.” Even before that, “Pierre and Natasha have known one another, as friends, and as people who have loved the same individual (Andrei). So there are connections with each other that go beyond passion and infatuation.” One noted, “There must be some level of mutual attraction, but beyond that there must be something much deeper that keeps the relationship alive.” They are able to speak to each other about the most traumatic events in their lives. A participant observed, “When they meet for first time after the war, Natasha speaks about Andrei to Pierre, and the first time Pierre speaks of his captivity to Natasha.”
In the discussion, many wondered—was it fate for Pierre and Natasha to end up together? Would have Prince Andrei and Natasha been happy together if he survived? One answered, “There was always a troubling undercurrent in their relationship that doesn't appear in the one between Natalie and Pierre.” Another replied, “No, Natasha at that time was in love with love. The relationship did not survive their separation. Andrei was in no hurry to return to her.” Natasha and Pierre experience a similar “separation” but to a different effect: “Pierre leaves for Petersburg, as Andrei had left Natasha alone, but this time it's completely different. There doesn't seem to be any question that he'll return and things will work out for them.” This time around, “Natasha seems more mature and able to withstand this separation.” Many found that only after being wounded and close to death could Prince Andrei’s declare his love for Natasha and forgive her. There is something definitely enduring between them in the reunion scene—“Remember, there is that quiet moment just before he dies, between Prince Andrei and Natasha, when he says to her ‘I love you.’ There is no doubt he meant what he said.” Though, “Andrei and Natalie were not meant to be.” Some speculated that, “There was something enduring between Natasha and Andrei, as the death scene shows. But it seems on a higher level, maybe? Perhaps on the level of forgiveness and repentance, not necessarily about romantic love.”
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