Looking out near Braunau, Tolstoy begins his depiction of the war of 1805. The review scene clearly reveals the main problems of the war of 1805, which will later be depicted in more detail by Tolstoy.
Even before the review, turmoil reigns in the Russian camp: no one knows in what form the commander-in-chief wants to see the soldiers. According to the principle: “It is better to bow than to fail,” the soldier is ordered to put on a dress uniform. Then an order comes that Kutuzov wants to see marching uniforms on the soldiers. As a result, the soldiers, instead of resting, spend the entire night working on their uniforms. Finally Kutuzov arrives. Everyone is excited: both soldiers and commanders: “The regimental commander, blushing, ran up to the horse, with trembling hands took hold of the stirrup, threw the body over, straightened himself out, took out his sword and with a happy, determined face...prepared to shout.” The regimental commander “performed his duties as a subordinate with even greater pleasure than the duties of a superior.” Thanks to his efforts, everything was fine in the regiment, except for the shoes that were supplied by the Austrian government. It is precisely this deplorable state of the shoes of Russian soldiers that Kutuzov wants to show to the Austrian general, who also accepts the review on a par with Kutuzov.
The main person of this episode is Kutuzov. Already in this short scene, the author shows Kutuzov’s attitude towards soldiers and military officers: “Kutuzov walked through the ranks, occasionally stopping and speaking a few kind words to the officers whom he knew from the Turkish war, and sometimes to the soldiers. Looking at the shoes, he sadly shook his head several times and pointed them out to the Austrian general.” Walking past the formation, the commander-in-chief notices Captain Timokhin, whom he remembers from the Turkish campaign, and praises him for his bravery: “...At the moment the commander-in-chief addressed him, the captain stood up straight so that it seemed that even if the commander-in-chief had looked at him for a little more time, the captain would not would have stood it; and therefore Kutuzov, apparently understanding his position and wishing, on the contrary, all the best for the captain, hastily turned away.” The soldiers, feeling Kutuzov’s attitude towards them, also pay him with love and respect. They are happy to fight with a commander in chief who understands all their needs and aspirations.
But not everyone shares this feeling. Tolstoy contrasts the attitude towards Kutuzov of ordinary soldiers and officers of the retinue: retinue officers talk to each other during the review, one of the hussar officers, Zherkov, imitates the regimental commander, who did not deserve this at all. The demoted Dolokhov approaches Kutuzov to remind himself, saying that he will make amends and prove his loyalty to the emperor and Russia. Kutuzov turned away and winced, as if he wanted to express that everything that Dolokhov told him, and everything that he could tell him, he had known for a long, long time, that all this bored him and that it was not at all the same. what is needed.” Kutuzov can perfectly distinguish between the silent devotion of Timokhin, whom the author will later make one of the heroes of the Battle of Shengraben, and the desire of Dolokhov at any cost to regain the officer rank that he lost for his drunken antics and outrages. The true value of the relationship between the retinue officers can be seen in the conversation between Zherkov and Dolokhov. Zherkov once belonged to the violent society led by Dolokhov, but, having met him abroad, he pretended not to notice, and after Dolokhov talked with Kutuzov, “entered into favor,” Zherkov himself drives up to and starts a conversation with him. They cannot have any sincere feelings, sincerity is only a desire to rise at any cost in both one and the other.
For the first time in the scene of the review near Braunau, Tolstoy shows us the soldier’s world, the unity of all the soldiers who received a charge of vigor from Kutuzov, faith in victory. The songwriter wonderfully portrays a spoon holder who, “despite the weight of his ammunition, quickly jumped forward and walked backwards in front of the company, moving his shoulders and threatening someone with spoons.” This joy of the soldiers is conveyed to the passing Kutuzov; they are connected by a single feeling. But Tolstoy does not forget to remind us that these wonderful people are going to fight, to give their lives, that now, at the moment, they are cheerful and happy, but soon they may be maimed and killed.
Tolstoy's main idea in describing the war of 1805 is the unnecessaryness of violence and death, the author shows the unity of people who should have a different goal than the destruction of their own kind, and the scene of the review near Braunau confirms this idea.
Looking out near Braunau, Tolstoy begins his depiction of the war of 1805. Russia did not need this war, the young Emperor Alexander the First and the Austrian Emperor Franz simply demonstrated their ambitions, because of which the blood of Russian soldiers was shed. The review scene clearly reveals the main problems of the war of 1805, which will later be depicted in more detail by Tolstoy.
Even before the review, turmoil reigns in the Russian camp: no one knows in what form the commander-in-chief wants to see the soldiers. According to the principle: “It is better to bow than to fail,” the soldiers are ordered to put on their dress uniform. Then an order comes that Kutuzov wants to see marching uniforms on the soldiers. As a result, the soldiers, instead of resting, spend the entire night working on their uniforms. Finally Kutuzov arrives. Everyone is excited: both soldiers and commanders: “The regimental commander, blushing, ran up to the horse, with trembling hands took hold of the stirrup, threw the body over, straightened himself out, took out his sword and with a happy, determined face...prepared to shout.” The regimental commander “performed his duties as a subordinate with even greater pleasure than the duties of a superior.” Thanks to his efforts, everything was fine in the regiment, except for shoes, which were supplied by the Austrian government. It is precisely this deplorable state of the shoes of Russian soldiers that Kutuzov wants to show to the Austrian general, who also accepts the review on an equal basis with Kutuzov.
Kutuzov is the main character of this episode. Already in this short scene, the author shows Kutuzov’s attitude towards soldiers and military officers: “Kutuzov walked through the ranks, occasionally stopping and speaking a few kind words to the officers whom he knew from the Turkish war, and sometimes to the soldiers. Looking at the shoes, he sadly shook his head several times and pointed them out to the Austrian general.” Walking past the formation, the commander-in-chief notices Captain Timokhin, whom he remembers from the Turkish campaign, and praises him for his courage: “... At the moment the commander-in-chief addressed him, the captain stretched out so that it seemed that if the commander-in-chief had looked at him for a little more time, the captain would not have been able to stand it ; and therefore Kutuzov, apparently understanding his position and wishing, on the contrary, all the best for the captain, hastily turned away.” The soldiers, feeling Kutuzov’s attitude towards them, also pay him with love and respect. They are happy to fight with a commander in chief who understands all their needs and aspirations.
But not everyone shares this feeling. Tolstoy contrasts the attitude of ordinary soldiers and retinue officers towards Kutuzov: retinue officers talk to each other during the review, one of the hussar officers, Zherkov, imitates the regimental commander, who did not deserve this at all. The demoted Dolokhov approaches Kutuzov to remind himself, saying that he will make amends and prove his loyalty to the emperor and Russia. Kutuzov “turned away and winced, as if he wanted to express by this that everything that Dolokhov told him, and everything that he could tell him, he had known for a long, long time, that all this bored him and that all this was not at all what he needed " Kutuzov can perfectly distinguish between the silent devotion of Timokhin, whom the author would later make one of the heroes of the Battle of Shengraben, and Dolokhov’s desire at any cost to regain the officer rank that he lost for his drunken antics and outrages. The true value of the relationship between the retinue officers can be seen in the conversation between Zherkov and Dolokhov. Zherkov once belonged to a rowdy society led by Dolokhov, but, having met him abroad when he was demoted, he pretended not to notice, and after Dolokhov talked with Kutuzov, “entered into favor,” Zherkov himself drives up to him and starts a conversation. They cannot have any sincere feelings; only one and the other have a sincere desire to rise at any cost.
For the first time in the scene of the review near Braunau, Tolstoy shows us the soldier’s world, the unity of all the soldiers who received a charge of vigor from Kutuzov, faith in victory. The songwriter wonderfully portrays a spoon holder who, “despite the weight of his ammunition, quickly jumped forward and walked backwards in front of the company, moving his shoulders and threatening someone with spoons.” This joy of the soldiers is conveyed to the passing Kutuzov, they are connected by a single feeling: “The commander-in-chief gave a sign for the people to continue to walk freely, and pleasure was expressed on his face and on all the faces of his retinue at the sounds of the song, at the sight of the dancing soldier and the cheerfully and briskly walking soldiers of the company " But Tolstoy does not forget to remind us that these wonderful people are going to fight, to give their lives, that now, at the moment, they are cheerful and happy, but they may soon be maimed and killed.
Tolstoy's main idea in describing the war of 1805 is the unnecessaryness of violence and death; the author shows the unity of people who should have a different goal than the destruction of their own kind, and the scene of the review near Braunau confirms this idea.
The first picture of war that Tolstoy paints is not a battle, not an offensive, not the capture of a fortress, not even a defense; The first war picture is a review that could take place in peacetime. And from the very first lines telling about the war, even from the first phrase, Tolstoy makes it clear that this war is not needed by the people, neither Russian nor Austrian:
“In October 1805, Russian troops occupied villages and cities of the Archduchy of Austria, and more new regiments came from Russia, burdening the residents with billeting, and were located near the Braunau fortress.”
Who could have imagined then that almost a hundred years later, in this very Braunau, a boy would be born whose name would curse humanity in the twentieth century - Adolf Schicklgruber.
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As an adult, he will take the name Hitler and, forgetting the lessons of Napoleon, will lead his troops to Russia...
In the meantime, Braunau is a small Austrian town, where Kutuzov’s main apartment is located and where Russian troops are gathering, among them an infantry regiment in which Dolokhov, demoted to the ranks of soldiers, serves.
The general, the regiment commander, has one concern: “it is better to bow than to fail.” For this reason, tired soldiers, after a thirty-mile march, “didn’t sleep a wink, spent the whole night repairing and cleaning themselves”; in connection with this, the general’s rage is caused by the wrong color of Dolokhov’s overcoat; In this regard, the “sounds of zealous voices, misinterpreting”, repeat the order:
ʼʼCommander of the third company to the general! commander to the general, third company to the commander!..ʼ And finally: “General to the third company!”
For this reason, the general shouts at the commander of the third company, Timokhin, an elderly distinguished officer; calls Dolokhov’s ill-fated overcoat either a sundress or a Cossack; not without humor, he remarks: “What, he’s been demoted to field marshal, or something, or to soldier?..” - and, becoming inflamed, asserting himself in his anger, which he himself already liked, he stops only before Dolokhov’s insolent gaze and his proud, sonorous voice: ʼʼDo not have to endure insultsʼʼ.
Tolstoy’s novel is usually called “War and Peace” - already in this title there is a contrast, a sharp contrast between the everyday life of war and the everyday life of peace; it would seem that in war everything is different, everything is different than in peaceful life, and people will express themselves here differently than in secular drawing rooms; a different, better essence of them will emerge...
It turns out there is nothing of the kind. Desperate and arrogant Dolokhov remains himself; in the soldier’s ranks he is the same as in the riotous company of Anatoly Kuragin. The regimental commander, “dense and broad, more from the chest to the back than from one shoulder to the other,” was not familiar to us before, but “in his place we can easily imagine the familiar Prince Vasily - he would have behaved in exactly the same way, and the motto “it is better to bow than to fail” would have suited him quite well. We have not yet seen Prince Andrei in the war, but we cannot imagine that he would be afraid of the general, like Timokhin, or be preoccupied with dressing up soldiers, like the general. But it is very easy to imagine Boris Drubetsky as an adjutant to the regiment commander, fulfilling all his senseless demands...
It turns out that in war people manifest themselves in the same way as in peaceful life - it should be that their characters only appear more clearly; there is no contrast between war and peace; There is another contrast: both in peaceful life and in war, some people are honest, others are dishonest and think not about business, but about their own benefit.
The regiment traveled a thousand miles from Russia. The soldier's boots are broken; The new shoes were supposed to be delivered by the Austrian department and were not delivered: the regimental commander cared little about this. The regiment is not ready for combat, because it is impossible to fight barefoot, but the regimental commander wants to show the commander-in-chief exactly the opposite: everything is in order, the regiment is ready for war.
But here’s the problem: that’s not what the commander-in-chief wants. Kutuzov “intended to show the Austrian general the sad situation in which troops arrived from Russia.” He knows the importance of shoes; after the inspection, the soldiers will say about him: “No... brother, he looked at you with his eyes, and looked at your boots and tucks all....”
Everything that Kutuzov does and says is the opposite of what the dashing regimental commander, despite his obesity, does and says.
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Kutuzov is old; Tolstoy emphasizes that he, “stepping heavily... lowered his foot from the step,” that his voice was weak, that he walked “slowly and sluggishly.” The regimental commander is also not young, but tries to look young; he is unnatural - Kutuzov is simple in every movement, “as if these two thousand people were not there, who looked at him and the regimental commander without breathing.”
The same captain Timokhin, who aroused the wrath of the regimental commander because of Dolokhov’s blue overcoat, attracts Kutuzov’s attention:
ʼʼ- Ah, Timokhin! - said the commander-in-chief...
At that moment the commander-in-chief addressed him, the captain stood up straight so that it seemed that if the commander-in-chief had looked at him for a little longer, the captain would not have been able to stand it; and that's why Kutuzov, apparently understanding his position and wishing, on the contrary, all the best for the captain, hastily turned away. A barely noticeable smile ran across Kutuzov’s plump, wound-disfigured face.
Another Izmail comrade,” he said. - Brave officer! Are you happy with it? - Kutuzov asked the regimental commander.
And the regimental commander... shuddered came forward and answered:
I am very pleased, Your Excellency. (Italics are mine. - N.D.)
The regimental commander is concerned with only one thing - always one thing: not to miss the opportunity to advance, to please the authorities, to “bow over”. It was not without reason that it was clear that he performed his duties as a subordinate with even greater pleasure than the duties of a superior. No matter what happens, he first of all thinks about how he will look in the eyes of his superiors. Where can he notice other people, where can he understand that Captain Timokhin is a brave officer...
Kutuzov, after all, was not always the commander-in-chief either - but even before, when he was younger, he knew how to see other people, understand his subordinates, in connection with this, he remembered Timokhin from the Turkish war. There, in the battle of Izmail, Kutuzov lost an eye. And Timokhin remembers this battle: after the review, he will answer the regimental commander, “smiling and revealing with a smile the lack of two front teeth, knocked out by a butt near Ishmael.(Italics are mine. - N.D.)
What did the regimental commander tell him and what did Timokhin answer?
ʼʼ- Don’t lay claim to me, Prokhor Ignatyich!.. Tsar’s service... you can’t... you’ll cut it off another time at the front... I’ll apologize first, you know me...
For mercy's sake, general, do I dare! - answered the captain...ʼʼ
Now, after Kutuzov’s gracious treatment of the captain, the general addresses him by name and patronymic, almost fawns over him. And Timokhin? ʼʼDo I dare!..ʼʼHe is a small man, as small as Captain Tushin, whom we will soon meet; like Maxim Maksimych from Lermontov. But the Russian army rests on these little people - in the battle of Shengraben, Tushin and Timokhin will determine the success of the battle; both of them are not afraid of the enemy, but they are afraid of their superiors; Kutuzov understands this, and therefore he turned away so as not to force Timokhin to stretch himself beyond measure. Kutuzov not only knows very, very much about people - he understands them and pities them as much as possible; he does not live according to the laws of the world, and in our perception he immediately turns out to be one of our own, like Pierre, like Natasha, like Prince Andrei, because the main division of people in the novel, as Tolstoy tells us, the main division is this: close and Sincere and natural people are dear, those who are false are hated and alien. This division will run through the entire novel, both in war and in peace, it will be the main thing in our attitude towards the people with whom Tolstoy introduces us.
- The artistic task of the work.
- The meaning of the first military episode.
- “View of Braunau” as an introduction to the main character of the book - the people.
Tolstoy came to the creation of “War and Peace” from the idea of the story “The Decembrists,” begun in 1860. At an early stage of work, the Decembrist theme determined the composition of the planned monumental work about the history of Russian society. In the early 60s, very important and significant changes occurred in Tolstoy’s worldview. He recognizes the decisive role of the people in the historical process. It is the people who are the main characters of the epic novel “War and Peace”.
To reveal the character of an entire people, a character manifested with equal force in peaceful, everyday life and in large, landmark historical events, during military failures and defeats and in moments of greatest glory - this is the most important artistic task of “War and Peace.”
The epic beginning of the novel connects the pictures of war and peace into a single whole. War means not only the military actions of warring armies, but also the belligerent hostility of people. Peace is the life of a people who are not in a state of war; peace is the brotherhood of people, regardless of national and class differences. Peace and war go side by side, intertwine, interpenetrate and condition each other.
The first volume is a story about both “peace” and the initial stage of Russia’s war with Bonapartist France. The first picture of war that Tolstoy paints is not a battle, not an offensive, not a defense. The first war picture is a review that could have taken place in peacetime. And from the very first lines telling about the war, Tolstoy makes it clear that this war is not needed by the people, neither Russian nor Austrian: “In October 1805, Russian troops occupied villages and cities of the Archduchy of Austria, and new regiments came from Russia, burdening residents were stationed near the Braunau fortress.”
Braunau is a small Austrian town where Kutuzov's main apartment is located and where Russian troops are gathering, among them an infantry regiment. The soldiers walked a thousand miles from Russia. Their boots were broken, the Austrian department was supposed to deliver new shoes, but they didn’t: the regimental commander doesn’t care much about this. The regiment is not ready for combat, because it is impossible to fight barefoot, but the regimental commander wants to show the commander-in-chief exactly the opposite: everything is in order, the regiment is ready for war.
Only Kutuzov just “intended to show the Austrian general the sad situation in which the troops arrived from Russia.” He knows the importance of shoes.
Everything that Kutuzov does and says is the opposite of what the regimental commander does and says. Kutuzov is old, Tolstoy emphasizes that he, “stepping heavily, lowered his foot from the footstool,” that his voice was weak, that he walked “slowly and sluggishly.” The regimental commander is also not young, but he tries to look young, he is unnatural - Kutuzov is simple in every movement, simple in his dealings with soldiers.
While passing through the ranks of troops, Kutuzov suddenly stopped. He recognized “Captain with a red nose - Timokhin - his Izmailovsky comrade. Kutuzov knew how to see other people and understand his subordinates, so he remembered Timokhin from the Turkish war. There, in the battle of Izmail, Kutuzov lost an eye, and Timokhin remembers this battle. Kutuzov was glad to see this meeting, but when he saw that Timokhin “stretched out so that it seemed that if the commander-in-chief had looked at him for a little more time, the captain would not have been able to stand it,” he turned away, wanting to alleviate the situation of his old comrade.
Kutuzov not only knows a lot about people, he understands them and pities them as much as possible. Kutuzov's behavior in life is, first of all, the behavior of a simple Russian person. Tolstoy argued that not a single historical figure can turn the course of historical or military events at will. Therefore, he considers the true heroes of history only those people who, in their activities, are closely connected with the movements of the masses. In accordance with this, the image of commander Kutuzov combines historical greatness and folk simplicity.