Figurative description of war and peace by julie karagin. Female images of the novel War and Peace - an essay. · Attitude towards reform. Active participation in public life, activities of a world mediator. Disappointment


In Tolstoy's novel War and Peace, a huge number of images pass before the reader. All of them are excellently depicted by the author, alive and interesting. Tolstoy himself divided his heroes into positive and negative, and not only secondary and main ones. Thus, the positivity was emphasized by the dynamism of the character's character, and the static and hypocrisy indicated that the hero was far from perfect.
In the novel, several images of women appear before us. And they are also divided by Tolstoy into two groups.

The first includes female images that lead a false, artificial life. All their aspirations are aimed at achieving one single goal - a high position in society. These include Anna Scherer, Helen Kuragina, Julie Karagina and other representatives of the high society.

The second group includes those who lead a true, real, natural way of life. Tolstoy emphasizes the evolution of these heroes. These include Natasha Rostova, Marya Bolkonskaya, Sonya, Vera.

Helen Kuragina can be called the absolute genius of social life. She was as beautiful as a statue. And just as soulless. But in trendy salons, nobody cares about your soul. The most important thing is how you turn your head, how you smile gracefully when you greet, and what an impeccable French prononce you have. But Helen is not just soulless, she is vicious. Princess Kuragina marries not Pierre Bezukhov, but his inheritance.
Helene was a master at luring men by manipulating their base instincts. So, Pierre feels something bad, dirty in his feelings for Helene. She offers herself to anyone who is able to provide her with a rich life full of worldly pleasures: "Yes, I am a woman who can belong to everyone and you too."
Helene cheated on Pierre, she had a well-known affair with Dolokhov. And Count Bezukhov was forced, defending his honor, to shoot himself in a duel. The passion that covered his eyes quickly passed, and Pierre realized what a monster he was living with. Of course, the divorce turned out to be a boon for him.

It is important to note that in the characterization of Tolstoy's favorite heroes, their eyes occupy a special place. The eyes are the windows to the soul. Helen doesn't have it. As a result, we learn that the life of this heroine ends sadly. She is dying of illness. Thus, Tolstoy pronounces a verdict on Helen Kuragina.

Favorite heroines of Tolstoy in the novel are Natasha Rostova and Marya Bolkonskaya.

Marya Bolkonskaya is not distinguished by her beauty. She looks like a frightened animal due to the fact that she is very afraid of her father, the old prince Bolkonsky. She is characterized by "a sad, frightened expression that rarely left her and made her ugly, sickly face even more ugly ...". Only one feature shows us her inner beauty: "the princess's eyes, large, deep and radiant (as if rays of warm light sometimes came out of them in sheaves), were so good that very often ... these eyes became more attractive than beauty."
Marya dedicated her life to her father, being his irreplaceable support and support. She has a very deep connection with the whole family, with her father and brother. This connection manifests itself in moments of emotional turmoil.
A distinctive feature of Marya, like her entire family, is her high spirituality and great inner strength. After the death of her father, surrounded by French troops, the princess, heartbroken, nevertheless proudly rejects the French general's offer of patronage and leaves Bogucharov. In the absence of men in an extreme situation, she alone manages the estate and does it wonderfully. At the end of the novel, this heroine gets married and becomes a happy wife and mother.

The most charming image of the novel is that of Natasha Rostova. The work shows her spiritual path from a thirteen-year-old girl to a married woman, mother of many children.
From the very beginning, Natasha was characterized by cheerfulness, energy, sensitivity, a subtle perception of goodness and beauty. She grew up in the morally clean atmosphere of the Rostov family. Her best friend was the uncomplaining Sonya, an orphan. The image of Sonya is not written out so carefully, but in some scenes (the explanation of the heroine and Nikolai Rostov), ​​the reader is struck by this girl's pure and noble soul. Only Natasha notices that “something is missing” in Sonya ... She really does not have the liveliness and fire characteristic of Rostova, but the tenderness and meekness, so beloved by the author, everyone excuses.

The author emphasizes the deep connection between Natasha and Sonya with the Russian people. This is a great compliment to the heroines from their creator. For example, Sonya fits perfectly into the atmosphere of Christmas divination and caroling. Natasha "knew how to understand everything that was in Anisya, and in Anisya's father, and in her aunt, and in her mother, and in every Russian person." Emphasizing the folk basis of his heroines, Tolstoy very often shows them against the background of Russian nature.

At first glance, Natasha's appearance is ugly, but she is ennobled by her inner beauty. Natasha always remains herself, never pretends, unlike her secular acquaintances. The expression in Natasha's eyes is very diverse, as well as the manifestations of her soul. They are also "shining", "curious", "provocative and somewhat mocking", "desperately animated", "stopped", "begging", "frightened" and so on.

The essence of Natasha's life is love. She, in spite of all adversity, carries it in her heart and, finally, becomes the embodied ideal of Tolstoy. Natasha turns into a mother who is completely dedicated to her children and her husband. In her life, there are no interests other than family interests. So she became truly happy.

All the heroine of the novel to one degree or another represent the worldview of the author himself. Natasha, for example, is a favorite heroine, because she fully meets Tolstoy's needs for a woman. And Helen is "killed" by the author for not being able to appreciate the warmth of the hearth.

Essay on literature. Female images in Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace"

Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace shows the life of Russian society at the beginning of the 19th century during the war of 1812. This is the time of active social activity of various people. Tolstoy tries to comprehend the role of women in the life of society, in the family. To this end, he displays a large number of female images in his novel, which can be conditionally divided into two large groups: the first includes women who are carriers of folk ideals, such as Natasha Rostova, Marya Bolkonskaya and others, and the second group includes women of the upper world, such as Helen Kuragina, Anna Pavlovna Sherer, Julie Kuragina and others.

One of the most striking female characters in the novel is the image of Natasha Rostova. As a master of depicting human souls and characters, Tolstoy embodied the best features of the human personality in the image of Natasha. He did not want to portray her as intelligent, calculating, adapted to life and at the same time completely soulless, as he made another heroine of the novel - Helen Kuragina. Simplicity and spirituality make Natasha more attractive than Helene with her intelligence and good secular manners. Many episodes of the novel tell about how Natasha inspires people, makes them better, kinder, helps them find love for life, find the right decisions. For example, when Nikolai Rostov, having lost a large sum of money in cards to Dolokhov, returns home irritated and does not feel the joy of life, he hears Natasha's singing and suddenly realizes that “all this: misfortune, money, and Dolokhov, and anger, and honor - all nonsense, but she is real ... ”.

But Natasha not only helps people in difficult life situations, she also simply brings them joy and happiness, gives them the opportunity to admire themselves, and she does this unconsciously and unselfishly, as in the episode of the dance after the hunt, when she “became, smiled solemnly, proudly and cunningly - it was fun, the first fear that gripped Nicholas and all those present, the fear that she would not do the right thing, passed, and they were already admiring her. "

Natasha is also close to the people, and to the understanding of the amazing beauty of nature. When describing a night in Otradnoye, the author compares the feelings of two sisters, closest friends, Sonya and Natasha. Natasha, whose soul is full of bright poetic feelings, asks Sonya to come to the window, peer into the extraordinary beauty of the starry sky, inhale the smells that the quiet night is full of. She exclaims: "After all, such a lovely night has never happened!" But Sonya cannot understand Natasha's enthusiastic excitement. It does not have the kind of inner fire that Tolstoy glorified in Natasha. Sonya is kind, sweet, honest, affable, she does not commit a single bad deed and carries her love for Nikolai through the years. She is too good and correct, she never makes mistakes from which she could draw life experience and get an incentive for further development.

Natasha makes mistakes and draws from them the necessary life experience. She meets Prince Andrew, their feelings can be called a sudden unity of thoughts, they understood each other suddenly, felt something uniting them.

But nevertheless, Natasha suddenly falls in love with Anatol Kuragin, even wants to run away with him. This can be explained by the fact that Natasha is the most ordinary person, with her own weaknesses. Her heart is inherent in simplicity, openness, gullibility, she simply follows her feelings, not knowing how to subordinate them to reason. But true love woke up in Natasha much later. She realized that the one whom she admired, who was dear to her, lived in her heart all this time. It was a joyful and new feeling that engulfed Natasha entirely, bringing her back to life. Pierre Bezukhov played an important role in this. His “childlike soul” was close to Natasha, and he was the only one who brought joy and light to the Rostovs' house when she felt bad, when she was tormented by remorse, suffered, and hated herself for everything that had happened. She did not see reproach or indignation in Pierre's eyes. He idolized her, and she was grateful to him for being in the world. Despite the mistakes of youth, despite the death of a loved one, Natasha's life was amazing. She was able to experience love and hate, create a magnificent family, finding in her the much-desired peace of mind.

In some ways she is similar to Natasha, but in some ways Princess Marya Bolkonskaya is opposed to her. The main principle to which her whole life is subordinated is self-sacrifice. This self-sacrifice, resignation to fate is combined in her with a thirst for simple human happiness. Submission to all the whims of her domineering father, a ban on discussing his actions and their motives - this is how Princess Marya understands her duty to her daughter. But she can show strength of character if necessary, which is revealed when her sense of patriotism is offended. She not only leaves the family estate, despite the offer of Mademoiselle Buryen, but also forbids her companion to come to her when she learns of her connections with the enemy command. But for the sake of saving another person, she can sacrifice her pride; this is seen when she asks for forgiveness from Mademoiselle Bourienne, forgiveness for herself and for the servant, upon whom her father's anger fell. And yet, elevating her sacrifice into a principle, turning away from “living life,” Princess Mary suppresses something important in herself. And yet, it was sacrificial love that led her to family happiness: when she met Nicholas in Voronezh, "for the first time, all this pure, spiritual, inner work that she had lived through until now, came out." Princess Marya fully showed herself as a person, when circumstances prompted her to live independence, which happened after the death of her father, and most importantly - when she became a wife and mother. Her diaries dedicated to children and her ennobling influence on her husband also speak of the harmony and wealth of Marya Rostova's inner world.

These two, in many ways similar, women are opposed by ladies of high society, such as Helen Kuragina, Anna Pavlovna Sherer, Julie Kuragina. These women are very similar to each other. At the beginning of the novel, the author says that Helene, “when the story made an impression, looked back at Anna Pavlovna and immediately assumed the same expression that was on the face of the lady-in-waiting”. Anna Pavlovna's most characteristic feature is the static nature of her words, gestures, even thoughts: “The restrained smile that played constantly on Anna Pavlovna's face, although it did not go to her obsolete features, expressed, like spoiled children, the constant consciousness of her sweet lack, from which she did not wants, cannot, does not find it necessary to get rid of ”. Behind this characteristic lies the author's irony and hostility to the character.

Julie is the same socialite, “the richest bride in Russia,” who received her fortune after the death of her brothers. Like Helene, who wears a mask of decency, Julie wears a mask of melancholy: “Julie seemed disappointed in everything, told everyone that she did not believe in friendship, or in love, or in any joys of life and expects reassurance only“ there ”. Even Boris, preoccupied with the search for a rich bride, feels the artificiality, unnaturalness of her behavior.

So, women who are close to natural life, national ideals, such as Natasha Rostova and Princess Marya Bolkonskaya, find family happiness, having passed a certain path of spiritual and moral quest. And women who are far from moral ideals cannot experience real happiness because of their selfishness and adherence to the empty ideals of a secular society.

Leo Tolstoy's epic novel War and Peace is a grandiose work not only in terms of the monumental nature of the historical events described in it, deeply studied by the author and artistically reworked into a single logical whole, but also in terms of the variety of created images, both historical and fictional. In portraying historical characters, Tolstoy was more of a historian than a writer, he said: "Where historical figures speak and act, he did not invent and used materials." Fictional images are described artistically and at the same time are the conductors of the author's thoughts. Women's characters convey Tolstoy's ideas about the complexity of human nature, about the peculiarities of relationships between people, about family, marriage, motherhood, happiness.

From the point of view of the system of images, the heroes of the novel can be conditionally divided into “living” and “dead”, that is, developing, changing over time, deeply feeling and experiencing and, in contrast to them, frozen, not evolving, but static. In both "camps" there are women, and there are so many female characters that it seems almost impossible to stipulate all of them in the composition; perhaps it would be wiser to dwell in more detail on the main characters and characteristic minor characters who play a significant role in the development of the plot.

The “living” heroines in the work are, first of all, Natasha Rostova and Marya Bolkonskaya. Despite the difference in upbringing, family traditions, atmosphere at home, character, they eventually become close friends. Natasha, who grew up in a warm, loving, open, sincere family atmosphere, absorbed the carelessness, daring, enthusiasm of the “Rostov breed”, from her youth wins hearts with her all-embracing love for people and thirst for reciprocal love. Beauty in the generally accepted sense of the word is replaced by mobility of features, liveliness of eyes, grace, flexibility; the wonderful voice and the ability to dance fascinate many. Princess Marya, on the contrary, is clumsy, the ugliness of her face is only occasionally illuminated by “radiant eyes”. Life in the village without getting out makes her wild and silent, communication with her - difficult. Only a sensitive and perceptive person can notice the purity, religiosity, even self-sacrifice hidden behind external isolation (after all, Princess Marya blames only herself for quarrels with her father, not recognizing his hot temper and rudeness). However, at the same time, the two heroines have much in common: a living, developing inner world, craving for high feelings, spiritual purity, and a clear conscience. Fate confronts both of them with Anatoly Kuragin, and only chance saves Natasha and Princess Marya from contact with him. Due to their naivety, the girls do not see Kuragin's low and selfish goals and believe in his sincerity. Due to the external difference, the relationship between the heroines is not easy at first, there is a misunderstanding, even contempt, but then, getting to know each other better, they become irreplaceable friends, making up an indivisible moral union, united by the best spiritual qualities of Tolstoy's beloved heroines.

In constructing a system of images, Tolstoy is far from schematic: the line between “living” and “dead” is permeable. Tolstoy wrote: "For an artist, there cannot and should not be heroes, but there must be people." Therefore, female images appear in the fabric of the work, which can hardly be definitely attributed to “living” or “dead”. This can be considered the mother of Natasha Rostova, Countess Natalia Rostova. From the conversations of the characters, it becomes clear that in her youth she revolved in the world and was a member and a welcome guest of salons. But, having married Rostov, she changes and devotes herself to the family. Rostov as a mother is an example of cordiality, love and tact. She is a close friend and advisor to children: in touching conversations in the evenings, Natasha devotes her mother to all her secrets, secrets, experiences, seeks her advice and help. At the same time, at the moment of the main action of the novel, her inner world is static, but this can be explained by a significant evolution in her youth. She becomes a mother not only for her children, but also for Sonya. Sonya gravitates towards the camp of the "dead": she does not have that seething cheerfulness that Natasha has, she is not dynamic, not impulsive. This is especially emphasized by the fact that at the beginning of the novel, Sonya and Natasha are always together. Tolstoy endowed this generally good girl with an unenviable fate: falling in love with Nikolai Rostov does not bring her happiness, since, for reasons of family welfare, Nikolai's mother cannot allow this marriage. Sonya feels grateful to the Rostovs and focuses so much on her that she becomes obsessed with the role of the victim. She does not accept Dolokhov's proposals, refusing to advertise her feelings for Nikolai. She lives with hope, basically showing off and showing her unrecognized love.

MARRIAGES CONSTRUCTED BY CALCULATION. (BASED ON THE NOVEL L.N. TOLSTOY "WAR AND PEACE")

Konstantinova Anna Alexandrovna

2nd year student of group C-21 GOU SPO

"Belorechensk Medical College", Belorechensk

Elena Maltseva

scientific advisor, teacher of the Russian language and literature of the highest category, Belorechensk

Every girl dreams of marriage. Someone dreams of a happy family life with a once and for all chosen companion, while others find happiness in their benefits. Such a marriage, concluded by mutual consent, where each side pursues material wealth instead of love, is usually called a marriage of convenience.

There is an opinion that such marriages are extremely popular right now, because people have become more mercantile, but in fact this concept appeared a long time ago. For example, in ancient times, kings passed off their daughters for the sons of another king, in order to get a stronger army from this alliance to destroy a common enemy or to conclude peace between the kingdoms. At that time, children did not really decide anything, more often their marriage was planned even before their birth. It would seem that with the advent of democracy, equality in the rights of men and women , marriage of convenience should have disappeared. Unfortunately no. If earlier the parents were the initiators, now children calculate their fate. Their calculations for marriage are very different. Some want to raise their status, increase their well-being; others - to get the opportunity to register, improve living conditions. Girls are afraid to remain lonely, to be branded as "old maidens", and "the child needs a father."

There are other reasons to enter into a marriage of convenience: the desire to gain fame, a higher social status, to marry a foreigner. In the latter case, the calculation is not material, but rather psychological. The financial condition of the future spouse is important, but not paramount; in a "calculating" union, women hope to find psychological comfort and stability. According to statistics, marriages of convenience are more durable, but if other people's money is taken into account, then there is no need to talk about happiness. This is a bargain for both. Unfortunately, Russian statistics assert that more than half of marriages break up.

Marriages of convenience are not just alliances for money. These are weddings played after analysis and reflection, when not the heart, but the mind pushes down the aisle. People who are tired of looking for the perfect soul mate and are ready to take what at least suit them, or those who did not have a relationship with their mother in childhood, who saw the tragedy of the parental family, tend to such enterprises. Choosing a person on whom they are emotionally little dependent, they seem to be insured against possible pain.

If for one spouse marriage is just a calculation, and for the other - feelings, then about them you will hear the well-known saying: "One loves, the other allows himself to be loved." The danger of such a union is that it rests on the will and mind of one of the partners. If both people deliberately enter into a marriage of convenience, then the danger lies mainly in love! If she "accidentally appears" and one of the spouses calculates that marriage is not beneficial to him, then it will be almost impossible to prevent leaving for his beloved. As life shows, alliances made with the mind, into which love and affection then came, are the most viable.

In our article, we would like to compare the difference between calculation in building a modern family and the heroes of Tolstoy's novel War and Peace. Having collected and systematized material about marriages of convenience, about families in the novel, we set out to show young people the negative sides of a marriage of convenience, because marriage is a serious act that determines the fate of future life.

How was this life experience reflected in Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace?

The author understood that the truth of life is in maximum naturalness, and the main life value is the family. There are many families in the novel, but we will focus on those that are opposed to Tolstoy's beloved families: the "vile breed of Kuragins", cold Bergs and calculating Drubetskoy. An officer of not very noble origin, Berg serves at the headquarters. He always turns out to be at the right time and in the right place, makes the necessary, beneficial acquaintances to him, therefore he has advanced far in the service. For so long and with such significance he told everyone about how he was wounded in the Battle of Austerlitz that he still received two awards for one wound. "According to Tolstoy's classification, he belonged to the little 'Napoleons', like the overwhelming majority of staff workers." Tolstoy denies him any honor. Berg does not have any "warmth of patriotism", therefore, during the Patriotic War of 1812, he was not with the people, but rather against them. Berg is trying to squeeze the maximum out of the war. When everyone left Moscow before the fire, and even noble, wealthy people abandoned their property in order to free the carts and transport the wounded on them, Berg bought furniture at bargain prices. His wife is a match for him - Vera, the eldest daughter in the Rostov family.

The Rostovs decided to educate her according to the then existing canons: from French teachers. As a result, Vera completely drops out of a friendly, warm family, where love prevailed. Even just her appearance in the room made everyone feel uncomfortable. Not surprising. She was a beautiful girl who regularly attended social balls, but received her first offer from Berg at 24. There was a risk that new proposals to marry would not be received, and the Rostovs agreed to marry an ordinary person. And here it is necessary to note Berg's commercialism and calculation: he demanded 20 thousand rubles in cash as a dowry and another bill for 80 thousand. Berg's bourgeoisie knew no boundaries. This marriage is devoid of sincerity, they even treated children unnaturally. "Just one thing, so that we don't have children so soon." ... Children were considered by Berg a burden, they contradicted his selfish views. Vera fully supported him, adding: "Yes, I do not want that at all." The Berg family is an example of some kind of immorality. Tolstoy really does not like that in this family everything is appointed, everything is done “like people’s”: the same furniture is bought, the same carpets are laid, the same parties are going to. Berg buys expensive outfits for Zhenet, but when he wanted to kiss her, he first decided to straighten the wrapped corner of the carpet. So, Berg and Vera had neither warmth, nor naturalness, nor kindness, nor any other virtues that are so important for the humanist Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy.

According to Bergam Boris Drubetskoy. The son of Princess Anna Mikhailovna was brought up from childhood and lived for a long time in the Rostov family. "A tall, fair-haired young man with regular, delicate features, a calm and handsome face," Boris has dreamed of a career since his youth, is very proud, but accepts his mother's troubles and is condescending to her humiliations if it is in his favor. A.M. Drubetskaya, through Prince Vasily, gets her son a place in the guard. Once in military service, Drubetskoy dreams of making a brilliant career in this area. In the light, Boris strives to make useful contacts and uses his last money to give the impression of a rich and successful person. Drubetskoy is looking for a rich bride, choosing at the same time between Princess Marya and Julie Karagina. The extremely wealthy and wealthy Julie attracts him more, however, she is already somewhat older. But for Drubetskoy it is an ideal option, a pass to the world of "light".

How much irony and sarcasm sounds from the pages of the novel when we read the declaration of love between Boris Drubetsky and Julie Karagina. Julie knows that this brilliant but beggar handsome man does not love her, but demands a declaration of love for his wealth according to all the rules. And Boris, pronouncing the right words, thinks that you can always arrange so that you rarely see your wife. For people like the Kuragin and Drubetskoy, all means are good, just to achieve success and fame and strengthen their position in society.

The Kuragin family, in which there is no home warmth and sincerity, is also far from ideal. Kuragins do not value each other. Prince Vasily notes that he does not have a "bump of parental love." "My children are a burden to my existence." Moral underdevelopment, primitiveness of vital interests - these are the features of this family. The main motive that accompanies the description of the Kuragin is "imaginary beauty", external brilliance. These heroes shamelessly interfere in the life of the Bolkonskys, Rostovs, Pierre Bezukhov, cripple their fates, personifying lies, debauchery, evil.

The head of the family, Prince Kuragin, is a typical representative of the secular Petersburg. He is smart, gallant, dressed in the latest fashion, but behind all this brightness and beauty is a person who is completely false, unnatural, greedy, rude. The most important thing in his life is money and position in society. For the sake of money, he is even ready for a crime. Let us recall the tricks that he goes to, just to bring the rich but inexperienced Pierre closer to him. His daughter Helen, he successfully "attaches" to a marriage. But there is no soul behind her beauty and brilliance of diamonds. It is empty, callous and heartless. For Helen, family happiness does not lie in the love of her husband or children, but in the spending of her husband's money. As soon as Pierre starts a conversation about offspring, she laughs rudely in his face. Pierre is really happy only with Natasha, because they "made concessions to one another, merged into one harmonious whole."

The author does not hide his disgust for the "vile breed" of the Kuragin. There is no place for good intentions and aspirations in it. “The Kuragin's world is a world of“ secular rabble ”, filth and debauchery. Selfishness, self-interest and base instincts reigning there do not allow calling these people a full-fledged family. ... Their main vices are carelessness, selfishness and an irrepressible thirst for money.

Tolstoy, assessing the life of his heroes from a moral point of view, emphasized the defining importance of the family for the formation of a person's character, his attitude to life, to himself. If there is no moral core in the parents, then there will be none in the children.

Many of our contemporaries choose a marriage of convenience. The most correct calculation is the one that takes into account the interests of everyone, including children. If it is based on mutual respect and even benefit, then such a marriage can be lasting. This is also evidenced by statistical data. According to Western psychologists, marriages of convenience break up only in 5-7% of cases. At the end of the 20th century, 4.9% of Russians got married for mercantile reasons, and now almost 60% of young women marry for convenience. But men are not averse to entering into an "unequal marriage." It is not uncommon for a handsome young man to marry a successful, wealthy lady who is suitable for his mother. And - imagine! - according to statistics, such marriages are not classified as “short-term”.

At the end of the 20th century, an interesting survey was conducted among married couples with long experience. 49% of the Muscovites surveyed and 46% of St. Petersburg residents stated that love was the reason for marriage. However, the opinion about what exactly holds the marriage together has changed over the years. Recently, only 16% of men and 25% of women consider love to be a family bond. The rest put other priorities in first place: good work (33.9% of men), material wealth (31.3% of men), family well-being (30.6% of women).

The disadvantages of a marriage of convenience, many include the following: lack of love; total control over who finances the marriage; life in a "golden cage" is not excluded; in case of violation of the marriage contract, the “faulty party” runs the risk of being left “at the bottom”.

We conducted a sociological survey among students of the Belorechensk Medical College, in which 85 people took part, students of the 1st and 2nd courses aged 16 to 19 years. Young people preferred marriage for financial reasons, and this once again proves that our contemporaries strive to financial stability, even if at the expense of something else. This is precisely what Tolstoy was afraid of when he spoke of the loss of moral foundations. The exception was 1% of those who believe that the calculation can be noble (to help a loved one, while sacrificing their future destiny).

And yet our contemporaries would like to marry (marry) for love. Some of them want to get out of parental care as soon as possible, others - succumbing to a light feeling. Increasingly, modern people prefer to live in a civil marriage, without burdening themselves with the burden of responsibility for the fate of another person, build families of convenience, not “including feelings”, with a sober head ... At the same time, they do not suffer from love and inattention, they conclude marriage contracts, excluding the possible risk.

Our respondents believe in love as a bright all-consuming feeling and do not want to build their families on the basis of commercialism. They consider love, mutual respect and trust to be the main components of a happy family. A family cannot be considered happy if there are no children in it.

So which is more important: feeling or reason? Why are there more people who agree to a marriage of convenience? The era leaves its mark on human relations. People value predictability, convenience more, and a marriage of convenience guarantees the future. Everyone will decide for themselves what kind of marriage to enter and with whom. The strength of both those and other marriages will become approximately the same in a few years. It all depends on how to build a relationship with your loved one. And the truth says: "Find the golden mean between heart and mind - and be happy!"

Bibliography:

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  2. Roman L.N. Tolstoy's "War and Peace" in Russian Criticism / Comp., Entry. Art. and comments. I.N. Dry... - L .: Publishing house Leningrad. state University, 1989 .-- 407 p.
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The female theme occupies an important place in the epic novel by L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace" (1863-1869). The work is a polemical response from the writer to the supporters of female emancipation. At one of the poles of artistic research, there are numerous types of high society beauties, hostesses of magnificent salons in St. Petersburg and Moscow - Helen Kuragina, Julie Karagina, Anna Pavlovna Sherer. Cold and apathetic Vera Berg dreams of her own salon ...

Secular society is immersed in eternal vanity. In the portrait of the beauty Helen, Tolstoy draws attention to the “whiteness of the shoulders,” “the gloss of hair and diamonds,” “a very open chest and back,” “an unchanging smile.” These details allow the artist to highlight

The inner emptiness, the insignificance of the “high society lioness”. Real human feelings are replaced by cash in luxurious living rooms. The marriage of Helene, who chose Pierre, who had become rich, is a clear confirmation of this. Tolstoy shows that the behavior of the daughter of Prince Vasily is not a deviation from the norm, but the norm of life of the society to which she belongs. Indeed, does Julie Karagina behave differently, having, thanks to her wealth, a sufficient choice of suitors; or Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskaya, attaching her son to the guard? Even at

The bed of the dying Count Bezukhov, Pierre's father, Anna Mikhailovna does not

A feeling of compassion, but the fear that Boris will be left without an inheritance.

Tolstoy also shows high society beauties in “family life”. Family, children do not play a significant role in their life. Helene seems ridiculous when Pierre said that spouses can and should be bound by feelings of heartfelt affection and love. Countess Bezukhova with

He thinks of the possibility of having children with disgust. With amazing ease she throws

Husband. Helen is a concentrated manifestation of deadening spirituality, emptiness,

Vanity. The insignificance of the life of the "socialite" is fully consistent with the ordinariness of her death.

Excessive emancipation, according to Tolstoy, leads a woman to misunderstand her own role. In the salons of Helene and Anna Pavlovna Scherer, political disputes, judgments about Napoleon, about the position of the Russian army are heard ... Thus, high-society beauties have lost the main features that are inherent in a real woman. On the contrary, in the images of Sonya, Princess Marya, Natasha Rostova, those features are grouped that make up the type of “woman in the full sense”.

At the same time, Tolstoy does not try to create ideals, but takes life “as it is”. Indeed, we will not find in the work of “consciously heroic” female natures, similar to Turgenev's Marianne from the novel “Nov” or Elena Stakhova “from“ On the Eve. ”The very way of creating female images of Tolstoy and Turgenev is different. Turgenev the realist was at the same time Lavretsky visits a distant monastery where Liza has disappeared. Moving from kliros to kliros, she walks past him with the gait of a nun, “... only the eyelashes of her eyes turned to him a little trembled. .. What did they think, what did both of them feel? Who will know? Who will say? There are such moments in life, such feelings ... You can only point to them and pass by. ”Needless to say, Tolstoy's favorite heroines are devoid of romantic elation? spirituality is not in intellectual life, not in Anna Pavlovna Sherer's hobby, Helen Kuragina, Julie Karagina, political and other "male issues", but solely in the ability to love, etc. family hearth. Daughter, sister, wife, mother - these are the main situations in which the character of Tolstoy's favorite heroines is revealed. This conclusion may raise doubts on a cursory reading of the novel. Indeed, we see the patriotism of Princess Marya and Natasha Rostova during the French invasion, we see the reluctance of Marya Volkonskaya to use

The patronage of a French general and the impossibility for Natasha to stay in Moscow

Under the French. However, the connection between female images and the image of war in the novel is more complex; it is not limited to the patriotism of the best Russian women. Tolstoy shows that it took a historical movement of millions of people so that the heroes of the novel - Marya Volkonskaya and Nikolai Rostov, Natasha Rostova and Pierre Bezukhov - could find their way to each other.

Favorite heroines of Tolstoy live with their hearts, not with their minds. All the best, cherished memories of Sonya are associated with Nikolai Rostov: common children's games and pranks, Christmastide with fortune-telling and mummers, Nikolai's love impulse, the first kiss ... Sonya remains loyal to her beloved, rejecting Dolokhov's offer. She loves

Resignedly, but she cannot give up her love. And after the marriage of Nikolai

Sonia, of course, continues to love him. Marya Volkonskaya with her gospel

She is especially close to Tolstoy with her humility. And yet it is her image that personifies the triumph

Natural human needs over asceticism. The princess secretly dreams of

Marriage, about your own family, about children. Her love for Nikolai Rostov is high,

Spiritual feeling. In the epilogue of the novel, Tolstoy draws pictures of the Rostovs' family happiness, emphasizing that it was in the family that Princess Marya found the true meaning of life.

Love is the essence of Natasha Rostova's life. Young Natasha loves everyone: the uncomplaining Sonya, and the mother-countess, and her father, and Nikolai Petya, and Boris Drubetsky. The rapprochement, and then separation from Prince Andrey, who proposed to her, makes Natasha suffer internally. An overabundance of life and inexperience are the source of mistakes, rash actions of the heroine, proof of this is the story with Anatol Kuragin.

Love for Prince Andrey awakens with renewed vigor in Natasha after leaving Moscow with a wagon train, in which the wounded Bolkonsky finds himself. The death of Prince Andrei deprives Natasha's life of meaning, but the news of Petya's death makes the heroine overcome her own grief in order to keep her old mother from insane despair. Natasha “thought her life was over. But suddenly love for her mother showed her that the essence of her life - love - was still alive in her. Love woke up and life woke up. "

After marriage, Natasha refuses social life, from "all her charms" and

Completely devoted to family life. Mutual understanding of spouses is based on the ability "with extraordinary clarity and speed to understand and communicate the thoughts of each other, in a way contrary to all the rules of logic." This is the ideal of family happiness. This is Tolstoy's ideal of "peace."

It seems to me that Tolstoy's thoughts about the true purpose of women are not outdated even today. Of course, people who have dedicated themselves play a significant role in today's life.

Political, social or professional activities. But still, many of our contemporaries have chosen for themselves the favorite heroines of Tolstoy. And is it really so little - to love and be loved ?!
The famous novel by Leo Tolstoy depicts many human destinies, different

Characters, good and bad. It is precisely the opposition of good and evil, morality and recklessness that lies at the heart of Tolstoy's novel. In the center of the narration are the fates of the writer's favorite heroes - Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky, Natasha Rostova and Marya Volkonskaya. All of them are united by a sense of goodness and beauty, they are looking for their way in the world, striving for happiness and love.

But, of course, women have their own special purpose, given by nature itself, she is, first of all, a mother, a wife. For Tolstoy, this is indisputable. The world of the family is the foundation of human society, and the mistress in it is a woman. The images of women in the novel are revealed and evaluated by the author with the help of his favorite technique - contrasting the internal and external image of a person.

We see the ugliness of Princess Marya, but "beautiful, radiant eyes" illuminate this face with an amazing light. Falling in love with Nikolai Rostov, the princess at the moment of meeting with him

It is transformed in such a way that Mademoiselle Bourienne hardly recognizes her: "chest, feminine notes" appear in her voice, grace and dignity appear in her movements. "For the first time, all that pure spiritual work that she had lived through until now, came out" and made the heroine's face beautiful.

We do not notice any particular attractiveness in the appearance of Natasha Rostova. Eternally changeable, in motion, responding violently to everything that happens around Natasha can "dissolve her big mouth, becoming completely bad", "howl like a child", "only because Sonya is a jackal", she can grow old and change beyond recognition from grief after Andrey's death. It is this kind of vital variability in Natasha that Tolstoy likes because her appearance is a reflection

The richest world of her feelings.

Unlike Tolstoy's favorite heroines - Natasha Rostova and Princess Marya, Helen is

The embodiment of external beauty and at the same time a strange immobility, fossil.

Tolstoy constantly mentions her "monotonous", "unchanging" smile and "antique beauty of the body." She resembles a beautiful but soulless statue. It is not for nothing that the author does not mention her eyes at all, which, on the contrary, always attract our attention with positive heroines. Helen looks good, but she is the personification of immorality and depravity. For the beautiful Helene, marriage is a path to enrichment. She is constantly cheating on her husband, the animal nature prevails in her nature. Pierre, her husband, is struck by her inner rudeness. Helene is childless. "I am not such a fool to have children" -

She utters blasphemous words. Without being divorced, she solves the problem for

Whom she should marry, unable to choose one of her two fans. Mysterious

Helen's death is due to the fact that she got entangled in her own intrigues. Such is this heroine, her attitude to the sacrament of marriage, to the duties of a woman. But for Tolstoy,

This is the most important thing in evaluating the heroines of the novel.

Princess Marya and Natasha become wonderful wives. Not everything is available to Natasha in

Pierre's intellectual life, but with her soul she understands his actions, helps her husband in

Everyone. Princess Marya captivates Nicholas with spiritual wealth, which is not given to his uncomplicated nature. Under the influence of his wife, his unbridled temper softens, for the first time he realizes his rudeness towards men. Marya does not understand Nikolai's economic concerns, she is even jealous of her husband. But the harmony of family life lies in the fact that husband and wife, as it were, complement and enrich each other, constitute one whole. Temporary misunderstanding, light conflicts are resolved here by reconciliation.

Marya and Natasha are wonderful mothers, but Natasha is more concerned about the health of children (Tolstoy shows how she deals with her youngest son), while Marya surprisingly penetrates into the character of the child, takes care of spiritual and moral education. We see that the heroines are similar in the main, the most valuable qualities for the author - they are given the ability to subtly feel the mood of loved ones, to share someone else's grief, they selflessly love their family. A very important quality of Natasha and Marya is naturalness, non-artificiality. They are not able to play a role, do not depend on

Prying eyes can violate etiquette. At her first ball Natasha

It stands out precisely for its spontaneity, sincerity in the manifestation of feelings. Princess

Marya at the decisive moment of her relationship with Nikolai Rostov forgets what she wanted

Be aloof and polite. She sits, deep in thought, then cries, and Nikolai, sympathizing with her, goes beyond the scope of small talk. As always with Tolstoy,

Finally, everything is decided by a look that expresses feelings more freely than the words: "and the distant,

The impossible suddenly became close, possible and inevitable. "

In his novel War and Peace, the writer conveys to us his love for life, which appears in all its charm and fullness. And, examining the female images of the novel, we are once again convinced of this.

Julie Karagina is one of the minor characters in Leo Tolstoy's book War and Peace.

The girl comes from a noble and wealthy family. She has been friends with Marya Bolkonskaya since early childhood, but over the years they practically stopped communicating.

Julie is about twenty years old. She is still unmarried, that at the time described in the literary work, it was very late, so the girl passionately wanted to go down the aisle as soon as possible, in order to meet someone, Karagina constantly attends various exhibitions, theaters and other social events. Karagina really does not want to become an "old maid" and is making every effort to turn into a married lady. She has a huge inheritance left after the death of her parents and brothers: two luxurious mansions and land plots, as well as money savings.

Julie is in love with Nikolai Rostov and would willingly marry him, because she believes that this sympathy is absolutely mutual. But the young man behaves nobly towards her and does not want to tie the knot just for the sake of the money of his potential bride, because he does not perceive her as a lover and future wife. The girl continues to be jealous of Nikolai, but she could not achieve his location. Boris Drubetskoy, on the contrary, diligently looks after Julie in order to take possession of her condition. He does not like her at all, but Boris makes her a marriage proposal, pursuing exclusively selfish goals, and Karagina agrees.

The girl is stupid and narcissistic. She pretends to be a different person, tries to seem better than she really is. Karagina even demonstrates her feigned patriotism to those around her in order to gain public approval and praise. Julie knows how to play the harp and often entertains guests of her estate with various musical compositions. Karagina is constantly among the representatives of the Moscow elite and knows the rules of behavior in a secular society, but she is not an interesting interlocutor, so many are friends with her solely out of politeness.

The girl is considered herself a real beauty, but those around her have a different opinion. She has a round face, large eyes, and short stature. She spares no expense for outfits and is always dressed in the latest fashion.

Julie does not have her own point of view on various topics and imitates the reasoning and opinions of others. This pushes people away from her, because, for example, Julie's husband secretly hates his wife, considers her a burden and is only annoyed with her, even her old friend Marya Balkonskaya stopped seeing and communicating with her, because Karagina became uninteresting to her.

Several interesting compositions

  • Characteristics of the Nightingale the Robber from the epic (grade 7)

    The story-epic "Ilya Muromets and Nightingale the Robber" describes the wishes of the people about the need for a protector of the weak from the attacks of the enemy. This was Ilya-Muromets, who defeated the evil and formidable

  • Oblomov's dreams - an essay based on the novel by Goncharov Oblomov

    Ilya Oblomov, one of the characters created by Goncharov. Despite the fact that he was one of the brightest representatives of Russian literature, he absorbed many negative character traits.

  • The composition of Anna Pogudko in the novel Quiet Don, image and characteristics

    In the famous novel by Sholokhov, The Quiet Don, Cossack women are those people who in no way pay attention to political passions. The novel contains the image of the revolutionary woman Anna Pogudko.

  • I decided to write a letter to myself, or rather to you Nastya. It will be fun for you to read this letter from me, a ten year old girl.

    A person is a part of the whole society. At an early age, we are taught how to live in society. Society has its own rules by which we have to live. The man himself is formed from society

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