The Spirit of War

I have been inspired by Leo Tolstoy’s idea behind war in War and Peace, the Spirit of War.  My favorite minor character is General Kutuzov, this is because Tolstoy uses him to explain this idea.  General Kutuzov commands his army in a very passive and patient way because he believes in the Spirit of War; this being the driving factor behind the soldiers’ actions on the battle field.

The Spirit of War is the reason why people can bring themselves to kill other human beings on the battle field.  They become a slave to this spirit and perceive their actions to be morally acceptable.  The focus is brought from the whole, where is there is mass murder and bloodshed, to the self, where survival is the only concern.  The solider no longer becomes worried that he is killing other innocent people, because all he can think about it surviving.

The Spirit of War has another very important role in the course of the battle.  The reason why General Kutuzov was such a profound generals is because he knew he had little effect on the outcome of the battle.  War is a very chaotic element and military officials like to feel as though they are the ones controlling and creating it, when in fact this is far from the truth.  In his novel, Toltosy continually played on the fact that commands fall to pieces as they travel to the front line.  This is because the Sprit of War is at play; all of the combined effects of each soldier fighting for their own respective lives makes each battle unpredictable and uncontrollable.

The Spirit of War is another force that is there to remind us that life ultimately is uncontrollable and the best way to survive is to just follow where it takes you.

The Insignificance of Individual's Lives

            Tolstoy has much to say about war and history throughout War and Peace; it seems as though he views them as characters instead of events. Tolstoy’s frequent returns to war or history suggests that individual’s daily life problems are incredibly insignificant.  War and Peace is an interesting novel because it seemingly contradicts the major theme of the insignificance of individual social problems by spending hundreds of pages discussing the often-unimportant decisions of the aristocratic families. Still, in the end, it is clear that Tolstoy had greater perspective on the important events in life.

            Tolstoy suggests that the grand themes of both war and peace are greater than any individual conflict. This is most specifically through Anatole’s redemption in the mind of Prince Andrew. Even thought Anatole tried to steal and ruin Prince Andrew’s fiancée, he is forgiven because of the war. Prince Andrew recognizes that a fight over a woman is ultimately insignificant in the face of war and is able to feel sorry for Anatole when he is in pain. Tolstoy reinforces his point that the individual lives are relatively inconsequential through his inclusion of the second epilogue. The first epilogue mostly discusses what becomes of the remaining main characters Princess Mary, Natasha, Nicholas, Pierre, and Prince Andrew’s son. The second epilogue, and the end to the novel, however, goes to great length to detail Tolstoy’s views on war and history. Tolstoy chooses not to end his great novel with his characters, but rather with the larger themes that are important. In increasing desperation throughout the novel, Tolstoy emphasizes that War and Peace is not just about the social lives of the Russian aristocracy. His second epilogue is a final plea to the reader to understand what is and is not significant. Individual social lives are certainly interesting to follow and getting wrapped up in the daily choices of others is often appealing. Still, the world is full of greater forces that are simply more important. 

Adversity

As I was reading chapter 3 in Book 13 of War and Peace, I was struck by Tolstoy's description of Pierre. Pierre is now solid and strong and has a calmness in his eyes. With all of the turmoil Pierre has had in his life, it is interesting that he now shows these changes.

It made me think about quality of life and what kind of life is best for one in order to be the most satisfied. Pierre seems to have been brought into the best version of himself in conditions that are far less luxurious than those he is used to. Tolstoy was critical of the elite class, yet it is hard to argue against the peace of mind that having money--now and in his time--brings. Yet Pierre is a great example of how sometimes less is more. The growth that can be had from having less is invaluable and reconfirms my belief that adversity makes you grow stronger.

The Real Kutuzov

In preparation for our upcoming paper, I thought I would look briefly into the life of the real Kutuzov. Mikhail Kutuzov (1745-1813), fought and lead under three Tsars: Catherine II, Paul I, and Alexander I. He achieved much under all three, but is by far most well known for what he did in The Patriotic Wars (1812), which is what we are reading about now. I found it interesting, however, the Alexander was displeased at having to appoint him because he didn't like how he looked and unfairly blamed him for the disastrous Austerlitz. As in War and Peace, though, the Russian army was delighted to have him appointed. Kutuzov is considered the second best general in Russian history, second only to Suvorov, his teacher. He died from illness in 1813.

War and Peace Movie

I thought it would be interesting to watch the movie trailer for one of the first theatrical versions of War and Peace.