1,215 PAGES!

Leo Tolstoy’s 1869 War and Peace is an epic at 587,287 words, 361 chapters, four volumes, and split into three

parts.

     Over the past year, with many breaks, I finished reading the book.

     So, what exactly is this classic novel about?

     War and Peace follows over 500 characters in Russia during Napoleon Bonaparte’s

invasion of 1812. The plot centers around their interpersonal lives, involvement in the war,

and how they change in reaction to the war.

THREE MAIN CHARACTERS

Pierre Bezukhov, Andrew Bolonski, and Natasha Rostova are the central figures in the novel.

The secondary plot centers around the love triangle of Marya Bolonskia, Nikolai

Rostov, and Sonya Alexandranovna.

PIERRE

     The first character we meet is Pierre, the illegitimate son of a Russian aristocrat whose

estate he has recently inherited. We follow him as he is thrust into the opulent world of

high-class Russia. As an illegitimate son, he faces an enormous challenge when it comes to

fitting in. He does not know how to behave, is extremely clumsy, and his burly figure makes him

stand out all the more. High society has an adverse reaction to him for his awkwardness, habit of drunken

revelry, and being generally uncouth. Despite his intelligence, Pierre’s decisions are led by passion and

recklessness. His character’s journey is defined by the quest for his true self and the meaning of life.

ANDREW

     Andrew is Pierre’s best friend and, in many ways, his opposite. He is intelligent and

analytical in how he runs his estate, unlike Pierre, who is inept at running his own. Andrew’s

rationality, however, is often a detriment. He cannot form genuine human connections simply

because he is so uptight. Unlike the more reflective Pierre, he does not know how to find

meaning in his life and is unfulfilled in all aspects of it, including his marriage. At the same time,

he is incredibly patriotic and dedicated to Russia. He joins the war because of this and as a way

to outrun his dissatisfaction with high society.

NATASHA

     Natasha is the youngest of the main cast, and, as a result, she is often characterized as

simple and naive. Those around her agree she is effortlessly charming and energetic. Tolstoy

describes her as, “not in love with anyone in particular, but with everyone.” Her extroversion is in direct

contrast to Pierre’s first wife, Helene, who is frigid and closed-off. This contrast is woven into the book and

comes to a conclusion when Pierre ultimately marries Natasha at the end. Natasha is a breath of fresh air who

understands instinctively from the beginning what the other characters had to learn: that life is meant to be

lived.

NIKOLAI

     Nikolai is headstrong and in many ways a dreamer, like his sister Natasha. When the story begins, he is

desperate to get out and see the world. He eagerly joins the war effort against the French to experience the

real world and come back a “real man.” Blunt, proud, and well-read, Nikolai has an altruistic

way of viewing the world and hard-set morals. His view of the world is ultimately shaken by the war when he

sees wounded soldiers and takes a prisoner of war. He is forced to realize that war is not always a noble fight.

MARYA

     Marya is Andrew’s lonely and plain sister. Her life is marked by immense suffering and

abuse by her father, whom she cares for. Despite her struggles and his bullying, she approaches

her life with Christian faith and forgiveness. Her happy ending comes when she marries Nikolai.

Sonya is Nikolai’s first love. Her relationship with Nikolai is forbidden since his mother would

never allow him to marry a poor woman. In a sense, she sacrifices her relationship with Nikolai

so that he could marry the richer Marya and pay off his family’s debts. It’s important to note that while these

women are caught in a love triangle, their characters are not reduced to accessories of Nikolai, and they

undergo their own development in the book.

WHAT IS THE STORY ABOUT?

     The first theme that Tolstoy develops in War and Peace is the irrationality of human

motives, the story’s central thesis, through Andrew and Nikolai. On the battlefield, Andrew has

never felt more alive. The chapters told from his perspective of the war have gorgeous imagery,

and those are the few moments when Andrew smiles. In sharp contrast, Nikolai detests his time

in the Russian army. After his first battle, he exclaims out loud how desperately he wants to

return home. Andrew joins the army out of a sense of duty to his country, and Nikolai for the

pressure he feels to prove himself a man. However, neither of them leaves the war truly happy.

Tolstoy concludes that no matter what you want, human choices are inevitably motivated instead by societal

expectations. It is our job, then, to break that habit and do things that make us happy.

Again, through Andrew, Tolstoy dissects the limits of leadership. Andrew returns from

war, undeniably traumatized. When he describes the battles to the Austrian court, they respond, “What do

we…care about your victories?” Those in charge are not affected in the same way as the soldiers by battle.

What matters to them is if they won or lost, not the soldiers fighting on their behalf. This moment is what

leaves Andrew unhappy, even though the war had been such a good outlet for him. He does not get the

validation he was looking for from the higher-ups and comes to think of his sacrifices as meaningless. This

disappointment, coupled with the general disorganization and corruption he later discovers within the Russian

army, teaches Andrew readers not to idolize those in authority. In this sense, Tolstoy challenges us to

think more critically about the people, ideas, or things we hold in such high esteem.

FINDING HAPPINESS

     The last central theme is the search for the meaning of life and personal happiness. Each

character is looking for it in a way that is unique. Pierre, whose character centers around

this quest, finds it by rejecting the expectations of high society. As the inheritor of such a large

fortune, Pierre is expected to adapt to aristocratic Russia. From the beginning, however, we see

that he tries to march to the beat of his own drummer. When we first meet him, he is attending

Natasha’s name day, despite the fact that his father was ill. Eventually, he caves to the pressure of those

around him, namely Anna Mikhailovna, and goes to be with his father. We continue to see Pierre slowly lose

sight of himself, trying to fit the mold through his relationship with Helene: “He [Pierre] decided that marriage

to Helene would be a misfortune and that he must avoid her and go away.” Even though he does not love her,

they marry because society expects him to. Eventually, Pierre marries Natasha, the woman he truly loves,

showing his growth and how he can make decisions based on his desires. In many ways, Natasha and her free-

spiritedness reflect the fulfilled life Pierre wants to live and the one he eventually makes for himself.

SHOULD YOU READ IT?

     War and Peace is a fantastic book. It has some of the most beautiful prose

I have ever read and provides insight into a part of history we don’t usually see. Every character

is detailed and fleshed out, so their decisions drive the story forward. In a sense, the war serves

only as a backdrop to their story— the characters are the book’s main focus.

This book teaches valuable lessons, even today. For starters, it is a master class in

writing, whether that be through character or description. Emerging writers could easily use this book as a

guide and learning experience. By developing his three key themes, Tolstoy also offers excellent advice about

how to live our lives. Not everything you do will make sense, so make sure your choices stay true to who you

are, as it is the only way to find your purpose and happiness. Your idols or those in authority won’t have all the

answers, and you cannot expect them to be infallible.

     Lastly, we live in unprecedented times and through historical moments,

much like the characters in the book. Though it can feel daunting, from these characters, we can learn that it is

enough to focus on how we treat others and the small things we can do to change the world around us.