Leo Tolstoy gives readers a broad picture of the life of our country from 1805 to 1820 in the novel "War and Peace." The battle of Borodino is one of the most important episodes in the work. The entire historical period described in the novel was full of dramatic events. But still the most fateful year that influenced the subsequent life of Russia is 1812, described in detail in the novel "War and Peace." The battle of Borodino happened then. Also in 1812 there was a fire in Moscow and the defeat of the Napoleonic army. You will learn more about the battle of Borodino in the novel "War and Peace" by reading this article.
How does the Battle of Tolstoy describe the pages of the novel?
The episode of his image in the novel is given quite a lot of space. With the scrupulousness of a historian, the author described the battle of Borodino. “War and Peace” is a novel in which at the same time the image of events is given by the great master of the word. Reading the pages devoted to this episode, you feel the tension and drama of what is happening, as if everything that was said was in the reader's mind: everything is so true, visible.
Tolstoy takes us now to the camp of Russian soldiers, then to the ranks of Napoleon’s troops, then to Prince Andrey’s regiment, then to the Rayevsky battery, on which Pierre was located. This is necessary for the writer in order to truthfully and fully depict the events that took place on the battlefield. For every Russian patriot who fought at that time, this was the line between death and life, shame and glory, dishonor and honor.
Perception of Pierre Bezukhov
Largely through the perception of Pierre Bezukhov, a civilian, the Borodino battle "War and Peace" shows. He is poorly versed in tactics and strategy, but the soul and heart of the patriot feels the events. Not only curiosity drives him to Borodino. This hero wants to be among the people when the fate of Russia should be decided. Bezukhov is not just a contemplator of what is happening. Pierre is trying to be of service. He does not stand still, he does not get where he wanted to, but where he was “destined for fate”: going downhill, the general, behind whom Bezukhov rode, turned sharply to the left, and the hero, losing sight of him, wedged himself into the ranks of infantry soldiers. Pierre did not know that there was a battlefield. The hero did not hear the sounds of bullets flying by, shells, he did not see the enemy who was on the other side of the river, for a long time he did not notice the wounded and killed, although many fell very close to him.
Kutuzov’s role in the battle
The battle of Borodino on the pages of the novel "War and Peace" is depicted as a large-scale battle. Lev Nikolaevich is deeply convinced that it is impossible to lead such a huge number of soldiers. In the work "War and Peace," the Battle of Borodino is presented in such a way that everyone occupies a niche allotted to him in it, honestly or not very fulfilling his duty. Kutuzov understands his role well. Therefore, the commander-in-chief practically does not interfere in the course of the battle, trusting the Russians (this is shown in the novel “War and Peace“ Tolstoy "). The battle of Borodino for the Russian soldiers was not a conceited game, but a decisive event in their life. Largely because of this, they won.
Bezukhov's participation in the battle of Borodino
By fate, Pierre found himself on Raevsky’s battery, where decisive battles took place, as historians would later write. However, it seemed to Bezukhov that this place (since he was on it) was one of the most significant. The whole scale of events is not visible to the blind eyes of the civilian. He observes only locally what is happening on the battlefield. The events seen by Pierre reflected the drama of the battle, its rhythm, incredible intensity, tension. Several times the battery during the battle passed from one hand to another. Bezukhov does not manage to remain only a contemplator. He takes an active part in protecting the battery, but does so out of a sense of self-preservation, on a hunch. Terrified of what was happening to Bezukhov, he naively thinks that now the French will be horrified by what they have done and will stop the battle. But the sun obscured by smoke stood high, and the cannonade and shooting not only did not weaken, but, on the contrary, intensified, like a man who screams with all his might, straining.
The main events of the battle
The main events took place in the middle of the field, when the "foot soldiers" crashed after the cannonade. Either horse or foot, they fought for several hours in a row, colliding, shooting, not knowing what to do. Conflicting information was reported by the adjutants, as the situation was constantly changing. Napoleon Bonaparte gave orders, but many of them were not executed. Due to chaos and confusion, often everything was done the opposite. The emperor was in despair. He felt that the “terrible wave of his hand” fell powerlessly, although the generals and troops were the same, the same disposition, and he was even much more skilled and experienced now ...
Napoleon did not take into account the Russian patriotism, which stood in dense rows behind the mound and Semenovsky, and their guns smoked and hummed. The emperor did not dare to defeat his guard for 3,000 miles from France, and therefore did not lead her into battle. On the contrary, Kutuzov did not fuss, providing the opportunity to show initiative to his people, where necessary. He understood that his orders were meaningless: everything would be as it should be. Kutuzov does not interfere with petty tutelage of people, but believes that the Russian army has a high spirit.
Regiment of Prince Andrew
Regiment of Prince Andrew, standing in reserve, suffered serious losses. Flashing nuclei knocked out people, but the soldiers stood, not trying to escape, not retreating. Prince Andrew also did not run when a grenade fell under his feet. Andrei was mortally wounded. He was bleeding. Despite numerous losses, the Russian troops did not leave occupied lines. It hit Napoleon. He had never seen anything like it.
Awareness of the events of Napoleon and Kutuzov
Napoleon is shown as a man who does not know the actual state of affairs on the battlefield (in the novel War and Peace). He watches the battle of Borodino from afar, following what is happening through a telescope. On the contrary, Kutuzov, although he does not show any external activity, is well aware of all the events and even before the battle is over he says about the victory: "The enemy is defeated ...".
The role of personality in history, according to Tolstoy
The vanity of the French emperor was not satisfied: he did not win a bright and crushing victory. It began to rain at the end of the day - as if "tears of heaven." Leo Tolstoy, a great humanist, documented accurately the events of 1812 (August 26), but gave his own interpretation of what was happening.
Tolstoy denies the widespread belief that personality plays a decisive role in history. The battle was not led by Kutuzov and Napoleon. It went the way that the events of the thousands of people who participated on both sides in it were able to "turn".
"People’s thought"
In the image of patriotism and heroism of the Russian army and people during the Patriotic War, "people's thought" appeared. Lev Nikolayevich shows extraordinary courage, stamina and fearlessness of the best part of the officers and ordinary soldiers. The role of the Borodino battle in the novel "War and Peace" consisted, in particular, in transmitting this "popular thought." Lev Nikolaevich writes that not only Napoleon and his generals, but all the soldiers who fought on the French side, during the battle experienced a "sense of terror" before the Russians, who, having lost half of their troops, stood as menacingly at the end as and at the beginning of the battle. The role of the Borodino battle in the novel "War and Peace" is also great because it shows the clash of a Russian people, morally strong, with an enemy whose invasion was criminal. That is why the spirit of the French army was weakened.
It is very interesting to study the Battle of Borodino based on the novel by L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace." Lev Nikolaevich is an excellent battle-man who managed to show that for all participants the war was a tragedy, regardless of nationality. The Russians were on the side of the truth, but they had to kill people and also die themselves. And all this happened only because of the vanity of the "little man." A thick description of the events of the battle of Borodino seems to warn mankind against further wars.