Some General Notes
The Bolkonsky family in the novel “War and Peace” is typical for its time, that is, for the beginning of the 19th century. The author depicted people in whose images he tried to convey the state of mind of a significant part of the nobility. When describing these characters, one must first of all remember that these heroes are representatives of the aristocratic class at the turn of the century, a time that was a turning point in the history of Russia. This was clearly shown in the description of the life and everyday life of this ancient family. Their thoughts, ideas, views, worldview and even household habits serve as a clear demonstration of how a significant part of the nobility lived during the time in question.
Mademoiselle Bourrien
A family member, a Frenchwoman and an orphan, accepted into the Bolkonskys' house out of pity. She lives and sleeps in the room with Lisa. Listens to stories of her suffering. During the war, Bourrienne went to the French , which angered Lisa. From that moment on they did not communicate.
The Bolkonsky estate is a large house where all the actions in the novel take place. This gloomy building reflects the values of the family, where rigor and scrupulousness reign in the choice of every object in this house. Lunch is traditional, rich in variety of dishes and many servants.
Features of the work:
- This novel is the story of three generations: the father of the family Nikolai, the children Maria and Andrey, the grandson Nikolenka. They have different beliefs and characters, but are united by devotion to the Motherland and a sense of duty.
- The fate of the Bolkonsky family in the novel “War and Peace” appears as one of the main plot directions.
It will be easier to write an essay on the topic of this family, because each character with their own significance in the novel is briefly written about.
The image of Nikolai Andreevich in the context of the era
The Bolkonsky family in the novel “War and Peace” is interesting because in it the writer showed how and with what a thinking society lived at the beginning of the 19th century. The father of the family is a hereditary military man, and his whole life is subject to a strict routine. In this image one can immediately discern the typical image of an old nobleman from the time of Catherine II. He is a man more of the past, the 18th century, than of the new. You can immediately feel how far he is from the political and social life of his time; it seems that he lives by old orders and habits, which are more appropriate for the era of the previous reign.
Everything is mixed up in the Bolkonsky house
The quote is not correct, the real one is “Everything was mixed up in the Oblonskys’ house” from “Anna Karenina.” These surnames, which belong to the pen of the great Russian writer, should not be confused, because each of them hides its own story.
This is interesting: the 2007 film adaptation of the novel “War and Peace” was considered a failure by film critics due to a large number of historical inaccuracies. The characters' clothing, jewelry, and military regalia do not correspond to the time. That is why, in relation to the film, one can find the paraphrased expression “Everything was mixed up in the Oblonskys’ house,” which is often found in essays on the topic of Leo Tolstoy’s work.
Princess Marya and society ladies
The Bolkonsky family, whose characteristics form the subject of this review, was distinguished by the fact that its members lived an intense mental and moral life. The daughter of the old prince Marya was completely different from the typical society ladies and young women who then appeared in high society. Her father took care of her education and taught her a variety of sciences that were not included in the program for raising young ladies. The latter studied home crafts, fiction, and fine arts, while the princess, under the guidance of her parent, studied mathematics.
Place in society
The Bolkonsky family, whose characterization is so important for understanding the meaning of the novel, occupied a prominent position in high society. Prince Andrei led a fairly active public life, at least until he became disillusioned with his career as a reformer. He served as Kutuzov's adjutant and took an active part in military operations against the French. He could often be seen at social events, receptions, and balls. However, from his very first appearance in the salon of a famous socialite, the reader immediately understands that he does not belong in this society. He keeps somewhat aloof and is not very talkative, although, apparently, he is an interesting conversationalist. The only person with whom he himself expresses a desire to enter into a conversation is his friend Pierre Bezukhov.
A comparison of the Bolkonsky and Rostov families further highlights the peculiarity of the former. The old prince and his young daughter led a very secluded life and almost never left their estate. Nevertheless, Marya maintained contacts with high society, exchanging letters with her friend Julie.
Characteristics of Andrey's appearance
The description of the Bolkonsky family is also very important for understanding the character of these people. Prince Andrei is described by the writer as a handsome young man of about thirty. He is very attractive, carries himself superbly, and in general is a real aristocrat. However, at the very beginning of his appearance, the author emphasizes that there was something cold, aloof and even callous in his facial features, although it is quite obvious that the prince is not an evil person. However, heavy and gloomy thoughts left their mark on the features of his face: he became gloomy, thoughtful and unfriendly with others, and even with his own wife he behaved extremely arrogantly.
Essay: The Bolkonsky family in the novel “War and Peace” (L.N. Tolstoy)
The Bolkonsky family, its history and fate occupy an important place in Tolstoy’s novel, and this allows us to examine in detail the portraits of each of its members.
First of all, this is, of course, the head of the family - old Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky. Having left his brilliant military career in the past, the old prince continues to remain one in essence. Every minute of his life is subject to a strict routine, given over to fruitful work - mental and physical. This includes work in a carpentry workshop, taking care of the estate, and drawing up plans for military campaigns. The old prince has a strong will, a tough, unyielding character. According to his rules, he forces all his household and servants to live. His difficult disposition sometimes inspires antipathy towards him from those around him, but his hard work, honesty and high patriotism inspire respect.
The son of an old prince, Andrei Bolkonsky is a mocking, intelligent and successful young man who disdains secular society (in this he is very similar to his father). He is deeply dissatisfied with his life, career, wife, which is expressed in his bitter words addressed to his best friend, Pierre Bezukhov:
“Do you want to know if I'm happy? No. Is she happy? No. Why is this? Don't know…"
Prince Andrei sees a way out in his going to war, dreams of heroism and glory. But he later comes to the knowledge of true love, self-sacrifice, and happiness in serving the Fatherland.
Andrei's sister, Princess Marya, also has the strong character inherent in her family, while she is shy, unsure of herself, meek and patient. She sees her purpose exclusively in serving God and her neighbors; this nourishes and supports her spiritual strength.
“I don’t wish for another life, and I cannot wish for it, because I don’t know another life.”
A difficult test in the life of Princess Marya is the harsh nature of her father, which she endures with dignity, while she is bound by tender ties of friendship with her brother.
Princess Lisa, the wife of Prince Andrei, is a beautiful society woman who values her position and habits. Social entertainment is a priority in her life, which is why life in the village is difficult for her. The princess dies in childbirth, which embodies her worst premonitions that visited her during her short marriage to Prince Andrei.
The son of Prince Andrei, Nikolenka is a sensitive, sweet, lively boy, brought up by his aunt, Princess Marya. The boy’s desire for knowledge and ardent nature are noticeable in the family, and in the future the author assigns for him an exalted role as a fighter and liberator of the Russian people. This suggests Nikolenka’s dream, which he had after hearing a conversation between Uncle Nikolai Rostov and Pierre Bezukhov.
Duty and responsibility are paramount for members of the Bolkonsky family, in particular for the old prince, Prince Andrei and Princess Marya. As was common in the high traditions of the Russian nobility, this family is united primarily by their heroic ancestors, duty to the fatherland, and the interests of the clan. At the same time, family members love each other passionately, although habits of severe restraint prevent them from fully expressing their feelings and sharing their experiences.
Author: Diana Gorina
About the princess and the old prince
The description of the Bolkonsky family should be continued with a short portrait of Princess Marya and her stern father. The young girl had a spiritual appearance, as she lived an intense inner and mental life. She was thin and slender, but not beautiful in the generally accepted sense of the word. A secular person, perhaps, would hardly call her a beauty. In addition, the old prince’s serious upbringing left its mark on her: she was thoughtful beyond her age, somewhat withdrawn and concentrated. In a word, she did not at all look like a society lady. The lifestyle that the Bolkonsky family led left its mark on her. Briefly it can be characterized as follows: isolation, severity, restraint in communication.
Her father was a thin man of short stature; he behaved just like a military man. His face was distinguished by severity and severity. He had the appearance of a hardy man, who, moreover, was not only in excellent physical shape, but was also constantly busy with mental work. Such an appearance indicated that Nikolai Andreevich was an extraordinary person in all respects, which was reflected in communication with him. At the same time, he could also be bilious, sarcastic and even somewhat unceremonious. This is evidenced by the scene of his first meeting with Natasha Rostova, when she visited their estate as his son’s bride. The old man was clearly dissatisfied with his son’s choice and therefore gave the young girl a very inhospitable reception, making a couple of witticisms in her presence that deeply hurt her.
Essay on the topic: Characteristics of the Bolkonsky family in the novel “War and Peace”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________ Composition. Characteristics of the Bolkonsky family in the novel by L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace"
Most of the novel “War and Peace” by L. N. Tolstoy is dedicated to the Russian nobility of the early 19th century. The reader is presented with a whole series of families that, in fact, are close to each other - in the sense of regularity of life, tranquility, and subordination to the general rules that existed in the upper strata of society at that time. All their members go to balls, visit Anna Pavlovna Scherer’s living room, dance, have fun, and engage in small talk. However, there is one family whose unique morals and traditions and homely atmosphere are immediately noticeable. This is how the Bolkonsky family is represented. She lives her own closed life, which sets her apart from others. Why did this happen? In fact, the Bolkonsky family is a hereditary military, and military affairs implies subordination, rigor, precision and toughness. Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky is such a “purebred” military man. It defines the spirit of the family. Life experience hardened not only his body, but also his soul, imbued him with strict military rules. The entire routine of his day is planned out minute by minute and is carried out with amazing precision: “... the main condition for activity is order, but order in his life is brought to the utmost degree of accuracy. His appearances at the table took place under the same unchanging conditions, and not only in one hour, but also in a minute.” And God forbid anyone to break this routine, which is the main law of Nikolai Andreevich’s existence. For example, during the arrival of Prince Andrei and his wife, the son does not immediately go to his father, but waits until his time of rest is over, because he is already accustomed to this. The old prince is constantly engaged in physical and mental labor: “He himself was constantly busy either writing his memoirs, or calculations from higher mathematics, or turning snuff boxes on a machine, or working in the garden and observing the buildings that did not stop...” The reader practically does not see Nikolai Andreevich is idle. Even when his son leaves for military service, he continues to work, although he worries that Prince Andrei may die: “When Prince Andrei entered the office, the old prince, wearing old man’s glasses and in his white robe, in which he did not receive anyone except son, sat at the table and wrote.” The elder Bolkonsky is not a tyrant, he is simply demanding not only of himself, but also of everyone around him. It can also be said that he led an ascetic lifestyle and, by his example, forced his loved ones to do the same. The prince aroused fear and respect in people who communicated with him in one way or another. Although he was retired and no longer had any significance in state affairs, every head of the province where the Bolkonsky estate was located considered it his duty to come to him and express his respect. It would probably be wrong to think that the old prince was insensitive and hard-hearted, no, he was simply not used to showing his feelings and weaknesses even to his family. Firstly, he himself was raised this way from childhood, and secondly, serving in the army taught him another lesson: he saw how weak-willed people with high morals lost to those who were firm and focused. Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky has two children in his family - Marya and Andrey. Their mother died early. All the main upbringing of the children fell on the father. Since the father has always been an ideal for children, many of his traits passed from him to the children. They grew up in an environment that was not conducive to laughter, fun, or jokes. The father interacted with them as with adults, kept a tight rein on them, and did not pigeonhole them.
Prince and his daughter
Relations in the Bolkonsky family could not be called cordial. This was especially evident in the communication between the old prince and his young daughter. He behaved with her in much the same way as with his son, that is, without any ceremony or discounts for the fact that she was still a girl and needed softer and more gentle treatment. But Nikolai Andreevich, apparently, did not make much difference between her and his son and communicated with both in approximately the same way, that is, sternly and even harshly. He was very demanding of his daughter, controlled her life and even read letters that she received from her friend. In classes with her, he was stern and picky. However, based on the above, it cannot be said that the prince did not love his daughter. He was very attached to her and appreciated all the best in her, but due to the severity of his character, he could not communicate otherwise, and the princess understood this. She was afraid of her father, but she respected him and obeyed him in everything. She accepted his demands and tried not to contradict anything.
Old Bolkonsky and Prince Andrei
The life of the Bolkonsky family was distinguished by solitude and isolation, which could not but affect the communication of the protagonist with his father. From the outside, their conversations could be called formal and even somewhat official. Their relationship did not seem cordial; rather, the conversations were similar to an exchange of opinions between two very smart people who understand each other. Andrei behaved with his father very respectfully, but somewhat coldly, aloof and stern in his own way. The father, in turn, also did not indulge his son with parental tenderness and caresses, limiting himself to remarks of an exclusively business nature. He spoke to him only to the point, deliberately avoiding anything that could affect personal relationships. All the more valuable is the final scene of Prince Andrei’s farewell to the war, when deep love and tenderness for his son breaks through the father’s icy equanimity, which he, however, immediately tried to hide.
Family traits
In the novel War and Peace, the Bolkonsky house is an example of truly aristocratic foundations. Restraint reigns in relationships, although all family members sincerely love each other. The Spartan way of existence does not allow you to express your feelings and experiences, whine, or complain about life. No one is allowed to violate the strict rules of conduct.
The Bolkonskys in the novel “War and Peace” personify the best features of the noble class that is fading into history. Once upon a time, representatives of this class were the basis of the state; they devoted their lives to serving the Fatherland, just like the representatives of this noble family.
Each of the Bolkonsky family has its own unique character traits. But there is something in common that unites these people. They are distinguished by family pride, honesty, patriotism, nobility, and a high intellectual level of development. Betrayal, meanness, cowardice have no place in the souls of these heroes. The characteristics of the Bolkonsky family develop gradually throughout the narrative.
Two families in the novel
It is all the more interesting to compare the Bolkonsky and Rostov families. The first led a secluded, secluded lifestyle, were strict, stern, and taciturn. They avoided social entertainment and limited themselves to each other's company. The latter, on the contrary, were sociable, hospitable, cheerful and cheerful. All the more significant is the fact that Nikolai Rostov eventually married Princess Marya, and not Sonya, with whom he was connected by childhood love. These very different people must have been able to better see each other’s positive qualities.
