Dialectics of the soul is a tool in literature that allows you to see in a detailed form the development of a character. The author, who knows how to describe the outside world through the experiences and thoughts of heroes, has reached true professionalism.
Such an author was Leo Tolstoy. His novels became the canon of psychologism in literature.
The dialectic of the soul is all about the character
Dialectics is a philosophical concept that means changes through the interaction of 2 principles that are opposite to each other. If we talk about literary heroes, then their development as individuals is a key point in any work. Either in the story, or in the poem. Since it is the inner world of the hero that touches the reader, makes the latter sympathize with the invented character or condemn him.
As we recall from the course of literature, there is a hero and a narrator in the work. And the latter is an individual with his personal views.
The protagonist of the work and the plot are closely interconnected. In order to push events in the invented world in the right direction, you need to change the mindset and the state of mind of the character. Then the development of external events will be natural. Therefore, a novice writer must learn the methods by which a literary character goes through the stages of development, or, conversely, the stages of personality degradation.
The meaning of dialectics in the novel
The concept of the dialectic of the soul was introduced by the literary theorist Nikolai Chernyshevsky. That is how he outlined the inherent ability of Leo Tolstoy to explain character through the dynamics of the plot. Through the internal state of his hero, which changes from one scene to another, you can see how versatile the personality of the described. Both positive and negative characters in various genres of literature should develop. The reader is not interested in static characters who are not able to change.
A negative hero can cause sympathy with a sudden change in thinking, realizing his actions in the past, or a strong hero breaks internally. The writer must uncover all this dynamics of contradictions.
Dialectics in the epic "War and Peace"
Tolstoy brilliantly conveyed the war of 1812 through the thoughts and experiences of his heroes. It is through the experiences of Andrei, Natasha Rostova, Nikolai and Pierre that the deep contradiction between the joys of life and the losses of war is revealed.
For Lev Nikolayevich it was extremely important to reveal the depth of man in the work. He distinguished in man his true moral essence, all that is superficial that brings secular society to the character of the individual. The dialectic of the soul in the novel "War and Peace" occupies almost a central place. A description of nature, the sky over Austerlitz and military negotiations - everything is revealed to the reader through the prism of the states of mind of actors.
Examples of development through contradictions
What is the dialectic of the soul? Examples can be found on the pages of the volumes of War and Peace. The character Andrei Bolkonsky went through the most profound development. Tolstoy led his hero through losses and disappointments, so that the reader saw how gradually a proud young man became a wise military and everyday experience mature person.
The writer wanted the reader to see how controversial thoughts and feelings can be in one person, and how he copes with it. Spiritual throwing of heroes, the dialectic of the soul in the novel "War and Peace" leads to significant transformations of the inner psychology of heroes.
At first, Bolkonsky appears to us as a conceited person. But after going through a wound, experiencing a mental crisis, the hero becomes more humane, soft and peaceful inside.
Countess Mary and Nikolai Rostov pass through internal fractures. Each of the heroes finds his new destiny. But Prince Andrew seeks happiness in inner peace, his last test became fatal. He accepts after the next wound of God, confesses and dies.
Tolstoy deliberately puts his heroes in difficult situations that fundamentally change their thoughts and spiritual aspirations. For example, Pierre Bezukhov. When he is captured, his personality changes beyond recognition. In captivity, he communicates with ordinary people, reconsiders his personal discretions and gets home already a more spiritually strong, morally cleaner person.
Tolstoy Trilogy
In the trilogy "Childhood", "Adolescence" and "Youth", the writer tries to show the hard way that you need to go to become a real person. Hero Irteniev slowly, step by step, goes through all stages of growing up and socialization. Analysis of his personality, comparisons and spiritual searches - all this spins a chaotic stream in the soul of the hero, making him suffer and learn about life.
In the story Youth, Tolstoy described his experiences in many ways. Dialectics as a method here is as accurate as possible. And the writer emphasizes that without a constant internal struggle, a person will not become either moral or great.
Novel "Anna Karenina"
In the most dramatic novel, Tolstoy also uses the method of dialectic of the soul. This is also a very powerful work, revealing the human moral world. In “Anna Karenina,” the character of the heroine is shown very deeply. The whole tense situation that confronts her with a choice - her husband, position or love - responds in her with a gigantic moral crisis. The aristocratic milieu expels her, conscience and the desire for happiness outside of marriage split her. This internal crisis breaks the heroine. This is not a dialectical development, but a dialectical fall, a breakdown and despair in life.
Vronsky also undergoes a peculiar moral restructuring. Tolstoy paid less attention to disclosing the character of Count Vronsky. This hero, before meeting with Anna, is completely satisfied with his high position and success in society. But love changes his still youthful outlook on life. It is destroyed from the inside out of love, it becomes devastated, although true love should inspire and not lower the soul to the bottom.
Tolstoy's methods of dialectics
Thanks to several well-thought-out methods, Tolstoy manages to make the inner world of his heroes so colorful, deep, multifaceted that they seem to be real people. The writer reveals these worlds through internal monologues, dreams, and thoughts.
The pages from the diaries in War and Peace are very important for the plot. For example, Countess Mary’s diary tells us a lot. Pierre also keeps a diary when he is fond of Masonic ideas. Moreover, all thoughts are not divorced from the reality surrounding the character. Tolstoy creates harmony between the inner and outer world of the hero.
Conclusion
Dialectics of the soul is the main method of revealing the inner world of heroes in all the works of Leo Tolstoy. It is in such fatal internal crises that the true essence of the character is revealed, and the writer hints that it is in the disclosure of this essence that he sees the meaning of existence.
And in huge volumes of novels, and in the story "Youth", Tolstoy flawlessly draws the images of our heroes to us through descriptions of their own experiences, through the inner and innermost. Leo Tolstoy was a good psychologist, able to show in dynamics all the "layers" of the soul through his heroes.