The search for the meaning of life by Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov

Life is boring without a moral purpose...

F. Dostoevsky

Tolstoy was deeply convinced that a person is capable of changing throughout his life. Least of all, the writer sought to protect his heroes from difficulties and delusions. Using the example of Andrei Bologna and Pierre Bezukhov, the author shows the evolution of the human spiritual world, the search for new, truly human relationships. Tolstoy does not draw all the stages of development of these heroes. We get to know them when they are already, to a certain extent, established individuals who feel internal discord with their social environment. The emerging dissatisfaction with oneself and the surrounding reality is the starting point for the complex social and philosophical searches of the characters.

The real essence of the quest of Bolkonsky and Bezukhov is to test the values ​​of the people of their century and humanity as a whole. Tolstoy leads his heroes through a series of hobbies that seem to them the most interesting and significant in the life of society. These hobbies often bring bitter disappointments, and what is significant turns out to be insignificant. Only as a result of clashes with the world, as a result of liberation from illusions, Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov gradually discover in life what, from their point of view, is undoubted, genuine.

A man of great intellectual demands, a subtle analytical mind, Andrei Bolkonsky feels the vulgarity and illusory nature of the life of people in his environment. The rejection of the petty existence of light gives rise to a thirst for real activity in Bolkonsky. He believes that participation in military campaigns will help him. Andrei dreams of a personal feat that would glorify him. He is attracted by that striking example of an extraordinary rise from complete obscurity to wide fame, which began the brilliant career of Napoleon. Bolkonsky dreams of his Toulon, which is why he goes to the war of 1805-1807.

During the Battle of Shengraben, Prince Andrei not only watches the course of events, he actively participates in them, showing remarkable courage. But everything that he had to do during this time was not, in his, "Toulon". And this thought relentlessly haunts Bolkonsky. A feeling of bitterness and doubt causes him and the attitude of senior commanders to the feat of Tushin. The heroic actions of Tushin's battery, which had a great influence on the entire course of the battle, were simply not noticed, and he himself was subjected to unfair attacks. Prince Andrei is sad and hard from this. Everything was so strange, so unlike what he had hoped for.

On the eve of the Battle of Austerlitz, Bolkonsky again dreams of glory: “What should I do if I love nothing but glory, human love.” Glory and triumph over people for Bolkonsky at this moment are inseparable. The features of Napoleonic individualism are clearly visible in the aspirations of Prince Andrew. But, having accomplished a feat, he is experiencing the tragedy of Austerlitz. He becomes convinced of the pettiness of his ambitious goals. The entire course of the battle destroyed Bolkonsky's previous ideas about heroes and exploits. Seriously wounded, remaining on the battlefield, he experiences a spiritual crisis. “How could I not have seen this lofty sky before? he thinks. And how happy I am that I finally got to know him. Yes! everything is empty, everything is a deceit, except for this endless sky. Andrei’s faith in the power and greatness of his idol dissipated: “... his hero himself seemed so petty to him, with this petty vanity and joy of victory ...” Refusal of ambitious aspirations, from the desire to put oneself above people is an important stage in spiritual evolution Prince Andrew.

Under the influence of everything he experienced in the war, Prince Andrei falls into a gloomy, oppressed state, is experiencing a severe spiritual crisis. In a conversation with Pierre in Bogucharov, he develops in front of a friend a theory of life that is completely unusual for him. “To live for oneself ... is all my wisdom now,” he says to Pierre. Friends argue about good and evil, about the meaning of life. Pierre does not believe Andrei. He is sure that his friend has a different purpose, that he can be useful to people.

A significant moment in the awakening of Prince Andrei was his trip to Otradnoe and the first meeting with Natasha Rostova. “No, life is not over at 31,” Prince Andrei decides. The reason for this newly emerging interest in the world around us is the consciousness of the inextricable connection between an individual and all other people, Bolkonsky's desire to ensure that his life is reflected in the lives of other people was necessary for everyone. It was then that his thirst for active work arises, which is now understood by him differently than at the time of dreams of his "Toulon". Now Bolkonsky is in need of a case that can be useful. Therefore, he is attracted by the sphere of state interests. Prince Andrei goes to St. Petersburg and enters the service of the Speransky commission. This prominent statesman at first makes a great impression on him, but then the prince felt a falsehood in him. And the illusion of Bolkonsky about the possibility of his fruitful activity among bureaucrats dissipated. He is again disappointed.

The danger hanging over the country transformed Prince Andrei and filled his life with new meaning. The further path of this main character is the path of his gradual rapprochement with the people. During the Patriotic War, Prince Andrei receives a regiment in command. “In the regiment they called him our prince, they were proud of him and loved him.” Thus, ordinary Russian soldiers played the main role in the spiritual renewal of Bolkonsky.

A severe wound received on the Borodino field interrupts the activities of Prince Andrei. He summarizes his life path. He passionately wants to live. Andrei Bolkonsky comes to the idea of ​​​​a huge, all-forgiving love for people that he would have experienced if he had remained alive. Before dying, he forgives Natasha and says that he loves her.

The spiritual appearance of Prince Andrei and all his activities give the right to assume that if he had remained alive, his searches would have led him to the camp of the Decembrists.

Great human aspirations and the search for moral ideals are deeply revealed in the life story of Pierre Bezukhov. He differs from the people of the aristocratic circle by the independence of his views. After meeting with Anna Pavlovna, Scherer Pierre asks Andrei Bolkonsky for advice on how to live and what to do, and he replies: “Choose whatever you want. You will be good everywhere, but one thing: stop going to these Kuragins, leading this life. But it is precisely with the Kuragins that circumstances connect Pierre, and he falls under their influence for a long time. And if the delusions of Andrei Bolkonsky were associated with a thirst for fame, power over people, then the source of Pierre's internal torment is his passion for pleasures, the power of sensual impulses over him.

The search for the high purpose of a person, the meaning of life, which Pierre is constantly busy with, despite his secular "concerns", brings him closer to the Freemasons, in whom he saw the owners of true wisdom. Entering the Masonic lodge, Pierre seeks spiritual and moral renewal, hoping that it is here that he "will find a rebirth to a new life." The desire for personal improvement Bezukhov does not separate from the correction of the human race. So, for example, under the influence of Masonic ideas, Pierre decides to free the peasants belonging to him from serfdom. Distinguished by gullibility, Pierre does not see the complexity of life relationships. Intending to do a good deed, he easily allows himself to be deceived. Pierre perceives the fictitious messages of the estate managers about the prosperity of the villages as evidence of a radical improvement in the life of the peasants.

However, behind the solemn statements about the equality and brotherhood of people, Pierre discerned the rather prosaic aspirations of prominent representatives of the Masonic lodge for enrichment. He felt the impossibility of Masons to have a significant impact on society. Pierre's disillusionment with Freemasonry, mystical philosophy and philanthropic activity prompts him to understand that he is in a vicious circle of life ties and social relations that cause him internal resistance.

If earlier Bezukhov felt the flaws of the world around him, then after being disappointed in Freemasonry, he clearly sees how great power the evil that is so common in life has. This makes him, like Bolkonsky, want to get away from social problems in the area of ​​personal interests, those feelings that Natasha Rostova awakened in him.

A sharp turn in the views of Pierre, like many other heroes of the novel, occurs during the Patriotic War of 1812, the events of which allow Bezukhov to get out of a spiritual crisis. The further path of Pierre, like Andrei, is the path of rapprochement with the people. Patriotic feelings lead him to the Borodino field, where the soldiers call him "our master." The real rapprochement with the common people begins in captivity, when he meets Platon Karataev. Previously, Pierre, deep in his inner world, had little interest in the reality surrounding him. Now he is looking closely at people, critically begins to analyze the life around him.

In the epilogue, Tolstoy shows Pierre as one of the leaders of a secret political society, Pierre sharply criticizes the authorities: “There is theft in the courts, she fell in the army; shagistika, settlements torment the people; education is destroyed. The purpose of life for Pierre is now clear: to fight against social evil.

The main thing that unites Tolstoy's favorite heroes is the unwillingness to put up with the injustices of life. They are thinking and searching people. Both of them were mistaken more than once and experienced many disappointments in life, but these characters are interesting for the author and readers because they strive to search for true life values.

One of the main characters of the epic "Warrior and Peace" is Pierre Bezukhov. Characteristics of the character of the work is revealed through his actions. And also through the thoughts, spiritual searches of the main characters. The image of Pierre Bezukhov allowed Tolstoy to convey to the reader an understanding of the meaning of the era of that time, the whole life of a person.

Acquaintance of the reader with Pierre

The image of Pierre Bezukhov is very difficult to briefly describe and understand. The reader must go through with the hero all of his

Acquaintance with Pierre is referred in the novel to 1805. He appears at a secular reception with Anna Pavlovna Sherer, a Moscow high-ranking lady. By that time, the young man did not represent anything interesting for the secular public. He was the illegitimate son of one of the Moscow nobles. He received a good education abroad, but when he returned to Russia, he did not find a use for himself. An idle lifestyle, revelry, idleness, dubious companies led to the fact that Pierre was expelled from the capital. With this life baggage, he appears in Moscow. In turn, the high society also does not attract a young man. He does not share the pettiness of interests, selfishness, hypocrisy of his representatives. “Life is something deeper, more significant, but unknown to him,” Pierre Bezukhov reflects. "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy helps the reader to understand this.

Moscow life

The change of residence did not affect the image of Pierre Bezukhov. By nature, he is a very gentle person, easily falls under the influence of others, doubts about the correctness of his actions constantly haunt him. Unbeknownst to himself, he finds himself in captivity of the idle with her temptations, feasts and revelry.

After the death of Count Bezukhov, Pierre becomes the heir to the title and the entire fortune of his father. The attitude of society towards young people is changing dramatically. The eminent Moscow nobleman, in pursuit of the fortune of the young count, marries his beautiful daughter Helen to him. This marriage did not portend a happy family life. Very soon, Pierre understands the deceit, deceit of his wife, her debauchery becomes obvious to him. Thoughts of desecrated honor haunt him. In a state of rage, he commits an act that could be fatal. Fortunately, the duel with Dolokhov ended with the injury of the offender, and Pierre's life was out of danger.

The path of searching for Pierre Bezukhov

After the tragic events, the young count thinks more and more about how he spends the days of his life. Everything around is confusing, disgusting and meaningless. He understands that all secular rules and norms of behavior are insignificant in comparison with something great, mysterious, unknown to him. But Pierre does not have sufficient fortitude and knowledge to discover this great, to find the true purpose of human life. Thoughts did not leave the young man, making his life unbearable. A brief description of Pierre Bezukhov gives the right to say that he was a deep, thinking person.

Fascination with Freemasonry

After parting with Helen and giving her a large share of the fortune, Pierre decides to return to the capital. On the way from Moscow to St. Petersburg, during a short stop, he meets a man who talks about the existence of a brotherhood of Masons. Only they know the true path, they are subject to the laws of life. For Pierre's tormented soul and consciousness, this meeting, as he believed, was salvation.

Arriving in the capital, he, without hesitation, takes the rite and becomes a member of the Masonic Lodge. The rules of another world, its symbolism, views on life captivate Pierre. He unconditionally believes everything he hears at the meetings, although much of his new life seems gloomy and incomprehensible to him. The path of searching for Pierre Bezukhov continues. The soul is still rushing about and does not find peace.

How to make people's lives easier

New experiences and searches for the meaning of being lead Pierre Bezukhov to the understanding that the life of an individual cannot be happy when there are many destitute, deprived of any right people around.

He decides to take action to improve the lives of the peasants on his estates. Many do not understand Pierre. Even among the peasants, for whose sake all this was started, there is a misunderstanding, a rejection of the new way of life. This discourages Bezukhov, he is depressed, disappointed.

The disappointment was final when Pierre Bezukhov (whose characterization describes him as a gentle, trusting person) realized that he had been cruelly deceived by the manager, funds and efforts were wasted.

Napoleon

The disturbing events taking place in France at that time occupied the minds of the entire high society. stirred the minds of the young and the old. For many young people, the image of the great emperor has become an ideal. Pierre Bezukhov admired his successes, victories, he idolized the personality of Napoleon. I did not understand people who dared to resist the talented commander, the great revolution. There was a moment in Pierre's life when he was ready to swear allegiance to Napoleon and defend the gains of the revolution. But this was not destined to happen. Feats, achievements for the glory of the French Revolution remained only dreams.

And the events of 1812 will destroy all ideals. The adoration of Napoleon's personality will be replaced in Pierre's soul with contempt and hatred. There will be an irresistible desire to kill the tyrant, avenging all the troubles that he brought to his native land. Pierre was simply obsessed with the idea of ​​​​reprisal against Napoleon, he believed that this was a destiny, the mission of his life.

battle of Borodino

The Patriotic War of 1812 broke the established foundation, becoming a real test for the country and its citizens. This tragic event directly affected Pierre. The aimless life of wealth and convenience was left without hesitation by the count for the sake of serving the fatherland.

It is in the war that Pierre Bezukhov, whose characterization has not yet been flattering, begins to look at life differently, to understand what was unknown. Rapprochement with soldiers, representatives of the common people, helps to re-evaluate life.

The great Battle of Borodino played a special role in this. Pierre Bezukhov, being in the same ranks with the soldiers, saw their real patriotism without falsehood and pretense, their readiness to give their lives without hesitation for the sake of their homeland.

Destruction, blood, and related experiences give rise to the spiritual rebirth of the hero. Suddenly, unexpectedly for himself, Pierre begins to find answers to questions that have tormented him for so many years. Everything becomes extremely clear and simple. He begins to live not formally, but with all his heart, experiencing a feeling unfamiliar to him, an explanation for which at this moment he cannot yet give.

Captivity

Further events unfold in such a way that the trials that befell Pierre should temper and finally form his views.

Once in captivity, he goes through an interrogation procedure, after which he remains alive, but before his eyes, several Russian soldiers are executed, who along with him fell to the French. The spectacle of the execution does not leave Pierre's imagination, bringing him to the brink of insanity.

And only a meeting and conversations with Platon Karataev again awaken a harmonious beginning in his soul. Being in a cramped barracks, experiencing physical pain and suffering, the hero begins to feel truly. The life path of Pierre Bezukhov helps to understand that being on earth is a great happiness.

However, the hero will have to reconsider his own and look for his place in it more than once.

Fate disposes so that Platon Karataev, who gave Pierre an understanding of life, was killed by the French, as he fell ill and could not move. The death of Karataev brings new suffering to the hero. Pierre himself was released from captivity by the partisans.

Native

Freed from captivity, Pierre, one after another, receives news from his relatives, about whom he knew nothing for a long time. He becomes aware of the death of his wife Helen. Best friend, Andrei Bolkonsky, is seriously wounded.

The death of Karataev, disturbing news from relatives again excite the soul of the hero. He begins to think that all the misfortunes that have occurred were his fault. He is the cause of the death of his loved ones.

And suddenly Pierre catches himself thinking that in difficult moments of spiritual experiences, the image of Natasha Rostova suddenly comes. She instills in him peace, gives strength and confidence.

Natasha Rostova

At subsequent meetings with her, he realizes that he has a feeling for this sincere, intelligent, spiritually rich woman. Natasha has a reciprocal feeling for Pierre. In 1813 they got married.

Rostova is capable of sincere love, she is ready to live in the interests of her husband, to understand, to feel him - this is the main advantage of a woman. Tolstoy showed the family as a way to save a person. The family is a small model of the world. The state of the whole society depends on the health of this cell.

Life goes on

The hero gained an understanding of life, happiness, harmony within himself. But the path to this was very difficult. The work of the inner development of the soul accompanied the hero all his life, and it gave its results.

But life does not stop, and Pierre Bezukhov, whose characterization as a seeker is given here, is again ready to move forward. In 1820, he informs his wife that he intends to become a member of a secret society.

Leo Tolstoy's grandiose epic novel "War and Peace" contains an incredible variety of characters, storylines, life ups and downs that are connected by one thread, initiated by one similar impulse - the search for the meaning of life. And one of the highways of the novel is the path of the protagonist, Pierre Bezukhov, to gaining, comprehending the essence of his earthly existence.

Pyotr Kirillovich is thrown into the thick of things and thoughts at the moment of his arrival in St. Petersburg, when he gets acquainted with the high society and learns about the huge inheritance transferred to him. The reader sees him as a young man of not brilliant appearance, but possessing an amazing simplicity of character, straightforwardness, intelligence and naturalness in behavior. However, he is also very timid and absent-minded, which is emphasized by his childishly naive and sometimes even slightly stupid, "begging forgiveness" smile. Pierre is here for us - a man who has not yet been tested by fate, he stands on this gloomy threshold of life's obstacles.

The breakdown of the hero's life ideas occurs under the most unpleasant circumstances: the high society and anonymous "well-wishers" hint to him about the connection of his wife Helen Kuragina with Fyodor Dolokhov, Pierre's reveling friend. The hero in his gut begins to feel the dislike of his wife, the possibility of her vile betrayal and betrayal, but, as a pure person, he tries to expel this feeling from himself. However, doubts prevail, and after a duel with Dolokhov, Pyotr Kirillovich destroys relations with his wife.

In search of new life principles that could return the hero's picture of the world to a stable and harmonious position, Pierre joins the secret society of Freemasons. For a certain period of time, their teaching becomes an answer for Pierre to his questions, and he even becomes the head of the Freemasons in St. Petersburg. But satisfaction with the values ​​​​of Freemasonry was short-lived - Pierre Bezukhov is disappointed in them and embarks on the river of life in search of its (life) meaning.

A sharp turn in the turbulent river of searches is the presence of Pierre on the field of the Battle of Borodino. He, one might say, descends into heaven to earth, and not just descends, but plunges into this earthen dust and dirt, mixed with the blood of war. Seeing all this horror, Peter decides to set as his highest goal, the meaning of life, a completely noble intention - to wipe out the murderer-Napoleon, whom he himself once considered "the greatest man in the world."

However, this plan failed. After the occupation of Moscow, Pierre Bezukhov is captured, where he meets Platon Karataev. A simple soldier, the voice of the people was able to plant in Pierre's soul those sprouts from which a true understanding of the meaning of life was born. Chasing for many years to achieve some more or less individualistic goals, Pierre forgot about the mighty power of the community, the people, the great Russian people, who, as if from birth, knew the true meaning of human existence. The people's attitude, backed up by patient, useful work and care for one's neighbor, the primacy of the family as the highest value - this is the meaning of life, which Pierre Bezukhov was able to know through all the obstacles.

The novel "War and Peace", being a reflection, a description of the spiritual quest of the author himself, each of its lines and images represents different life paths. But they all lead to a certain understanding of life, true or not. And Pierre Bezukhov for the reader is an excellent example of how, without giving up, it is fashionable to turn in the right direction and make your path correct and happy.

At the beginning of the novel, the reader sees Pierre Bezukhov as a slightly absent-minded, but curious and thirsty young man. He eagerly absorbs the talk about Napoleon, seeks to express his point of view. Twenty-year-old Pierre is full of life, everything is interesting to him, so the owner of the salon, Anna Pavlovna Scherer, is afraid of him, and her fear refers to "the smart and at the same time timid, observant and natural look that distinguished him from everyone in this living room." Having got into high society for the first time, Pierre is looking for interesting conversations, not thinking about the fact that naturalness and his own opinion are “not customary” to show among these people.

Pierre's immediacy, honesty and kindness endear him from the very first pages of the novel. In fact, the search for the meaning of life by Pierre Bezukhov in Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" is an illustration of the transformations taking place at that time in the minds of the progressive people of Russia, which resulted in the December events of 1825.

The search for the meaning of life by Pierre Bezukhov

Moral quest for a spiritual person is a search for guidelines for understanding how to live according to his own principles. Awareness of what is true and what is not varies in a person depending on many factors: on age, on the environment, on life circumstances. What in certain situations seems to be the only correct one, in others turns out to be absolutely unacceptable.

So, young Pierre, being next to Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, admits that carousing and hussars are really not what Pierre needs. But, as soon as he leaves the prince, the charm of the night and the enthusiastic mood take their toll over the exhortations of the older comrade. Tolstoy very accurately and vividly conveyed those inner conversations that occur with young people when they follow the principle: “When you can’t, but really want to, then you can.”

“It would be nice to go to Kuragin,” he thought. But at once he remembered his word of honor given to Prince Andrei not to visit Kuragin.

But immediately, as happens with people who are called spineless, he so passionately wanted to once again experience this dissolute life so familiar to him that he decided to go. And immediately the thought occurred to him that this word meant nothing, because even before Prince Andrei, he also gave Prince Anatole the word to be with him; finally, he thought that all these words of honor were such conditional things, having no definite meaning, especially if one realized that perhaps tomorrow either he would die, or something so unusual would happen to him that there would be no more neither honest nor dishonest. This kind of reasoning, destroying all his decisions and assumptions, often came to Pierre. He went to Kuragin.

The older Pierre becomes, the more clearly his true attitude to life, to people, comes through.

He does not even think about what is happening in his environment, it does not occur to him to take part in hot "battles" for the inheritance. Pierre Bezukhov is busy with his main question: “How to live?”.

Having received an inheritance and a title, he becomes an enviable groom. But, as Princess Mary perspicaciously wrote about Pierre in a letter to her friend Julie: “I cannot share your opinion about Pierre, whom I knew as a child. It seemed to me that he always had a wonderful heart, and this is the quality that I most appreciate in people. As for his inheritance and the role that Prince Vasily played in this, this is very sad for both. Ah, dear friend, the words of our divine savior, that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God - these words are terribly true! I feel sorry for Prince Vasily and even more for Pierre. So young to be burdened with such a huge fortune - how many temptations he will have to go through!

Pierre, now Count Bezukhov, really could not resist the temptation and chose as his wife, though beautiful, but stupid and vile Helen Kuragina, who cheated on him with Dolokhov. Having become rich, and having married a beautiful woman, Pierre does not at all become happier than he was before.

Having challenged Dolokhov to a duel and wounded him, Pierre does not experience triumph over the winner, he is ashamed of what happened, he is looking for his own fault in all his troubles and mistakes. “But what is my fault? he asked. “The fact that you got married without loving her, that you deceived both yourself and her.”

A thinking person, making mistakes, and realizing his mistakes, educates himself. Such is Pierre - he asks himself questions all the time, creating and shaping his worldview. In search of answers to his main questions, he travels to St. Petersburg.

"What's wrong? What well? What should you love, what should you hate? Why live, and what am I? What is life, what is death? What power governs everything? he asked himself. And there was no answer to any of these questions, except for one, not a logical answer, not at all to these questions. This answer was: “If you die, everything will end. You will die and you will know everything - or you will stop asking. But it was also scary to die.”

The meeting with the Freemason Bazdeev was another and very important stage in Pierre's life. He absorbs the ideas of inner purification, calls for spiritual work on himself, and, as if reborn, he finds for himself a new meaning of life, a new truth.

“There was no trace of the old doubts in his soul. He firmly believed in the possibility of a brotherhood of people united with the aim of supporting each other on the path of virtue, and this was how Freemasonry seemed to him.

Inspired, Pierre wants to set his peasants free, trying to introduce reforms on his estates: to ease the work of women with children, to abolish corporal punishment, to establish hospitals and schools. And it seems to him that he succeeded in all this. After all, women with children, whom he freed from hard work, thank him, and well-dressed peasants come to him with a deputation of thanks.

Just after this trip, joyful from doing good to people, Pierre comes to Prince Bolkonsky.

Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky

The meeting with the "frowning and aged" Prince Andrei, although it surprised Pierre, did not cool his ardor. “He was ashamed to express all his new, Masonic thoughts, especially those renewed and aroused in him by his last journey. He restrained himself, was afraid to be naive; at the same time, he irresistibly wanted to quickly show his friend that he was now completely different, better Pierre than the one who was in Petersburg.

Tolstoy's novel begins with the search for the meaning of life by Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky, and this search continues throughout the story. These two people seem to complement each other - the enthusiastic and addicted Pierre and the serious and practical Prince Andrei. Each of them goes his own way, full of ups and downs, joys and disappointments, but they are united by the fact that both of them want to benefit people, strive to find truth and justice in life.

Andrei Bolkonsky, despite the fact that outwardly he was very distrustful of Pierre's entry into the Masons, over time he himself will become a member of the Masonic lodge. And those transformations in the position of the peasants that Pierre failed to make, Prince Andrei will quite successfully introduce in his economy.

Pierre, after a conversation with Bolkonsky, will begin to doubt and gradually move away from Freemasonry. Over time, he will again experience a desperate longing, and again he will be tormented by the question: “How to live?”

But in his impracticality and eternal search for the meaning of life, Pierre turns out to be kinder and wiser than Prince Andrei.

Seeing how Natasha suffers and suffers, having made a terrible mistake by contacting Anatole Kuragin, Pierre tries to convey to Bolkonsky her love, her remorse. But Prince Andrei is adamant: “I said that a fallen woman must be forgiven, but I did not say that I could forgive. I can’t… If you want to be my friend, don’t ever talk to me about this… about all this.” He does not want to understand an important truth: if you love, you cannot think only about yourself. Love sometimes manifests itself in the fact that you need to understand and forgive your loved one.

Having met Platon Karataev in captivity, Pierre learns from him naturalness, truthfulness, the ability to easily relate to life's troubles. And this is another stage in the spiritual development of Pierre Bezukhov. Thanks to the simple truths that Karataev talked about, Pierre realized that it was important to value the life of every person and respect his inner world as well as his own.

Conclusion

The novel "War and Peace" is a description of almost a decade from the lives of many people. During this time, a huge number of different events took place both in the history of Russia and in the fate of the characters in the novel. But, despite this, the main characters of the novel remained with the basic truths that are spoken of in the work: love, honor, dignity, friendship.

I want to end the essay on the topic “The search for the meaning of life by Pierre Bezukhov” with the words he said to Natasha: “They say: misfortunes, suffering ... Yes, if now, this minute they told me: do you want to remain what you were before captivity, or first survive everything it? For God's sake, once again captured and horse meat. We think how we will be thrown out of the usual path, that everything is gone; And here only begins a new, good. As long as there is life, there is happiness."

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In order to live honestly, one must tear, get confused, fight, make mistakes, start and quit again, and start again, and quit again, and forever struggle and rush about.
And peace of mind is meanness.
L.N. Tolstoy

Many of the characters in the epic novel "War and Peace" cannot understand for a long time what the purpose of their life is, therefore they cannot find true happiness.

These characters include: Pierre Bezukhov and. They are in constant search for the meaning of life, they dream of activities that will be useful to the people and others. It is these qualities that characterize their personality, demonstrating their spiritual beauty. For them, life is an eternal pursuit of truth and goodness.

Pierre and Andrei are close not only in their inner world, but also in their alienation to the world of the Kuragins and Scherer. Tracing the life of the heroes, we can see that Tolstoy leads the heroes through a cycle of disappointments and happiness: he shows the difficulty of the path leading to the realization of the meaning of human life. But there are a great many ways to achieve happiness, which is why the author shows us two people: after all, they set themselves completely different goals, while going towards good and truth each in their own way.

Prince Andrei sees himself in the rays of glory, dreams of performing feats, extols the military gift of Napoleon, therefore his own "Toulon" is his goal. At the same time, he sees glory as

"Love for others, desire to do something for them."

To achieve the goal, he chooses to serve in the ranks of the army in the field. But on the field of Austerlitz, Andrei understands that the path he has chosen is false, that fame is nothing, life is everything. Andrei realizes the insignificance of the dream and, as a result, disappointment and mental crisis. He accomplished a feat by running forward with a banner, but this act did not save the plight: the battle was lost, and the prince himself was seriously wounded. In front of face "eternal, kind sky" he understands that one cannot live only one's dream, one must live in the name of people, relatives and strangers.

“It is necessary ... that my life goes not for me alone ...”,

he thinks.

A turning point occurs in Bolkonsky's mind, now for him Napoleon is not a brilliant commander, not a superpersonality, but a small, insignificant human being. Returning home to the Bald Mountains, Andrei goes about his daily business: raising his son, taking care of the peasants. At the same time, she withdrew into herself, he thinks that he is doomed, the appearance of Pierre brings him back to life. And Bolkonsky decides that

"We must live, we must love, we must believe."

Vitality awakens in him again: faith in himself, love is reborn. But the final awakening occurs in Otradnoe, when meeting with. He returns to society. Now he sees the meaning of life in joint happiness with his beloved Natasha Rostova.

And crash again.

The realization of the senselessness of state activity comes to him - he again loses his relationship with society. Then there is a break with Natasha - the collapse of hopes for family happiness. This leads him to a spiritual crisis. There seems to be no hope of overcoming this condition.

With the outbreak of the war of 1812, during human disasters, deaths and betrayals, Andrei finds the strength to restore himself. He understands that his personal suffering is nothing compared to human suffering. He goes to fight, but not for glory, but for the sake of life, happiness, freedom of people and the Fatherland.

And it is there in this chaos of death and blood that Andrei understands what his calling is - to serve the Motherland, to take care of his soldiers and officers. This sense of duty leads Andrey to the Borodino field, where he dies from his wound.

Before his death, he accepts and understands all the advice and covenants of Mary:

• Accepts God - forgives the enemy, asks for the Gospel;
• Knows the feeling of eternal love, harmony.

Andrei ends his quest with what he started with: he gains the glory of a real hero.
Pierre Bezukhov followed a different path in life, but he was worried about the same problems as Andrei Bolkonsky.

“Why live and what am I? What is life, what is death?

- Pierre was painfully looking for an answer to these questions.

Pierre is guided by the ideas of Napoleon, defends the problems of the French Revolution. He wishes then

"to produce a republic in Russia, then to be Napoleon yourself."

At first, he does not see the point in life: therefore, he rushes about, makes mistakes. The search leads him to the Freemasons. After which he acquires a passionate desire "to regenerate the vicious human race".The most attractive ideas to him seem to be the ideas of "equality, brotherhood and love." And again failures, but he does not renounce the Masons - after all, it is in this that he sees the meaning of life.

"And only now, when I ... try ... to live for others, only now I understand all the happiness of life."

This conclusion allows him to find his true path in the future. Soon Pierre leaves Freemasonry, disillusioned with social ideals. He does not find personal happiness either. In his life comes a period of disappointment.

And again a series of mistakes is coming: a trip to Borodino, participation in hostilities. He regains his imaginary destiny - to kill Napoleon. And he fails again: after all, Napoleon is unattainable.

In the subsequent captivity, he gains intimacy with ordinary people. He begins to appreciate life and small pleasures. The meeting with Platon Karataev helped to get out of the crisis: he becomes the personification of "all Russian, kind and round."

Karataev helps Pierre learn a new truth. Pierre feels that he has found harmony with himself. A simple truth was revealed to him: one must live to satisfy simple and natural needs, the main of which are love and family.

Initiation to the people, close rapprochement with them after being released from captivity leads Pierre to Decembristism. At the same time, he also finds happiness. The main conviction he learned from his life searches:

"As long as there is life, there is happiness."

The result of the life searches of Andrei and Pierre is one: true happiness for a person is hidden in serving the people and the Motherland. But Pierre found himself in the service of the people, while Andrei does not find himself and his personality dies.