True patriotism and heroism in the understanding of L. N.
L.N. Tolstoy, according to A.P. Chekhov, holds first place among the figures of Russian art. The brilliant author of "War and Peace" is known throughout the world. Anatole France wrote: “Tolstoy is our common teacher.” Wonderful stories, novels, dramas and three brilliant novels - "War and Peace", "Anna Karenina" and "Resurrection" - will never cease to excite human minds and hearts. Throughout the 60s, Tolstoy worked on the epic novel War and Peace, which covers Russian life in the early 19th century. With great sympathy, the author portrays Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov, who were looking for truth, justice and genuine human happiness in life.
The focus of the novel is the Patriotic War of 1812. Among the huge number of characters in "War and Peace" there are both outstanding historical figures and ordinary participants in the war. Tolstoy was able to convey with extraordinary force the patriotic uplift that the Russian people experienced in 1812. “In War and Peace, I loved popular thought,” said the writer. With the entire content of War and Peace, Tolstoy showed that it was the Russian people, who rose up to fight for national independence, expelled the French from the borders of their country and ensured victory.
War forces everyone to act and do things that are impossible not to do. People do not act according to orders, but obeying an inner feeling, a sense of the significance of the moment. Tolstoy writes that they united in their aspirations and actions when they sensed the danger looming over the people. In the battle of Shengraben, the Russians sacrificed themselves to save their comrades, showing miracles of courage, and this was done unconsciously, instinctively.
The patriotism of the Russian people was expressed very simply. The small merchant Ferapontov, before the French entered Smolensk, shouted to the soldiers to take all the goods from his shop, since “Race had decided” and he himself would burn everything. Karpi and Vlas did not sell hay to the French “for the good money they were offered, but burned it” so that the enemy would not get it. The Rostov family donated carts for the wounded in Moscow, thus completing their ruin. The Moscow poor wanted to arm themselves to defend the old capital, the peasants joined partisan detachments and destroyed the invaders. Moscow residents left the capital simply out of the consideration that it was impossible to live in it under Bonaparte, even if they were not directly threatened by any danger. The Moscow lady leaves the capital with her blackamoors and pugs: back in June, out of the consideration that “she is not Bonaparte’s servant.”
Natasha Rostova also does not remain aloof from the events of 1812. She understands that she cannot help Russia, and she cannot remain indifferent. Before the capture of Moscow by the French, people were urgently evacuated to the cities, there were many wounded in Moscow, and carts were urgently needed. And when Natasha finds out about this, she does not hesitate for a minute: she cannot understand how it is possible to take out some things when people are dying. In crisis moments of his life, Prince Andrei is helped by the Russian principle that is inherent in him, it helps him understand all the deceit and hypocrisy of his idol - Napoleon: “At that moment all the interests that occupied Napoleon seemed so insignificant to him, his hero himself seemed so petty to him, with this petty vanity, and the joy of victory, in comparison with that high, fair and kind sky that he saw and understood - that he could not answer it.”
The greatest manifestation of patriotism was the Battle of Borodino, in which the Russian army won a victory over a numerically stronger enemy. French generals reported to Napoleon that “the Russians are holding their ground and producing hellish fire, from which the French army is melting.” “Our fire is tearing them out in rows, and they are standing,” the adjutants reported to Napoleon, and he felt how “the terrible span of his arm fell magically and powerlessly.” At the same time, Raevsky reported to Kutuzov that “the troops are firmly in their places and that the French do not dare to attack anymore.”
Kutuzov is an exponent of the patriotic spirit of the Russian army, its ideological inspirer and leader. Outwardly decrepit, inert and weak, the old man turned out to be strong: and beautiful internally: he alone made bold, sober and correct decisions, did not think about himself, about honors and glory, seeing before himself only one great goal, which was his desire for desire - victory over the hated invaders. His “simple, modest and therefore truly majestic figure could not fit into that deceitful form of a European hero, ostensibly ruling people, which was invented.”
Kutuzov's strategy was to combine two forces: patience and time, on the one hand, and, on the other, the moral spirit of the army, which he always zealously cared for. He understood more deeply than others the significance of every event during the war; connection with his homeland, with the Russian land, unity with the army were the source of his strength as a commander and as a person. Kutuzov's patriotism, like the patriotism of ordinary Russian people - Tushin, Timokhin, Tikhon Shcherbaty - is completely devoid of external effects, his patriotism is based on confidence in the strength and courage of the Russian people, on his faith in victory.
Tolstoy sharply distinguishes between true and false patriotism. True patriotism is hatred of enemies, but love for people in general. And the false one is only hatred.
In the episode on the bridge, K. B. Schubert reports how many wounded and killed there were after the battle, and some kind of satisfaction is heard in his voice, and Nikolai Rostov, who is present at the same time, cannot understand such a conversation, because behind these people stand with bare numbers. The true patriotism of the Russian people manifests itself in moments of real danger for the homeland, that is, only when “the swarm is disturbed.” When the war is on foreign territory, the Russian people do not join the fight, and the soldiers only fulfill their military duty.
Tolstoy also distinguishes between hidden and ostentatious patriotism. Ostentatious patriotism is deceit and unnaturalness. This idea most likely comes to Tolstoy from the Gospel, the Sermon on the Mount: “When you pray, go into your room and, having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” ".
There is no other work in Russian literature where the power and greatness of the Russian people were depicted with such conviction and force as in War and Peace. Tolstoy's patriotic novel has worldwide significance: “This novel is perhaps the greatest that has ever been written,” said the French writer Louis Aragon.
Introduction
The theme of patriotism in the novel “War and Peace” is one of the central ones. It is no coincidence that almost two volumes of the famous epic are dedicated to her.
Patriotism of the people in the work
What is patriotism according to Tolstoy? This is a natural movement of the soul that makes a person not think about himself “with the awareness of general misfortune.” The War of 1812, which affected everyone, showed how much Russians love their Fatherland. Reading the text of the work, we find many examples of this.
So, Smolensk residents burn houses and bread so that the French do not get them. The merchant Ferapontov gives all the goods to the soldiers and sets fire to his property with his own hands. “Get everything, guys! Don't let the devils get you!" - he shouts.
Moscow residents are also deeply patriotic. An indicative episode is when Napoleon is waiting for a deputation with the keys to the city on Poklonnaya Hill. But most residents left Moscow. Craftsmen and merchants left. The nobles, for whom French was their native language before the enemy arrived on Russian soil, also left the city.
Patriotism in the novel sometimes awakens even in those from whom it would be difficult to expect. Thus, Princess Katish, who, together with Vasily, is participating in the hunt for the will of Count Bezukhov, declares to Pierre: “Whatever I am, I cannot live under Bonaparte’s rule.”
Even the cutesy gossip Julie Karagina leaves with everyone else with the words: “I am not Joan of Arc and not an Amazon.” Muscovites left their hometown “because for the Russian people there could be no question: whether it would be good or bad under the rule of the French in Moscow. It was impossible to be under the control of the French.”
Natasha and Pierre during the war
The writer’s favorite heroes cannot stay away from the general misfortune. Pierre decides to stay in the capital to shoot the French emperor “in order to either die or end the misfortune of all of Europe.” He saves an unfamiliar girl from a burning garden and attacks a French soldier who is trying to remove a necklace from a woman. Pierre finds himself on the battlefield and in captivity, he was almost shot by the French and saved by Russian partisans. It is the war that makes Pierre look at himself and others with different eyes, and feel his closeness to the common people.
The feeling of “the need for sacrifice and suffering” during a general misfortune makes Natasha Rostova shout at her mother, who does not want to give her carts to the wounded. At that moment, Natasha does not think that she might end up homeless. She only thinks that the wounded cannot be left to the French.
True patriots on the battlefields
When talking about the theme of patriotism in War and Peace, it is impossible not to mention the direct participants in the battles, generals and ordinary soldiers.
First of all, the reader is attracted by the image of Kutuzov. Like many of Tolstoy’s favorite heroes, Kutuzov has an unattractive appearance “in a long frock coat on a huge thick body”, “with a stooped back”, “with a leaky white eye on a swollen face” - this is how the writer depicts the great commander before the Battle of Borodino. Tolstoy emphasizes that this man combined physical weakness and spiritual strength. It was she, this inner strength, that allowed him to make an unpopular decision - to leave Moscow in order to save the army. It was thanks to her that he had the strength to liberate the Fatherland from the French.
Images of other heroes also appear before us. These are real historical figures: generals Raevsky, Ermolov Dokhturov, Bagration. And fictional brave men, including Prince Andrei, Timokhin, Nikolai Rostov and many others, whose names are unknown.
The writer and participants in the guerrilla war show true patriots of the fatherland. They did not participate in great battles, but destroyed the enemy in the ways available to them. Tikhon Shcherbaty, elder Vasilisa, Denis Davydov. It is their exploits that delight young Petya Rostov, who joins the partisan detachment.
False patriots in the novel
Tolstoy contrasts true patriots with false patriots, who do not care about the common misfortune and who try to extract their own benefit from it.
So, visitors to the Scherer salon live an ordinary life. She even organizes a reception on the day of the Battle of Borodino. The patriotism of the owner of a fashionable salon is manifested only in the fact that she gently scolds those who visit the French theater.
There are also “false patriots” among staff officers. Among them is Boris Drubetskoy, who, thanks to his ingenuity, “managed to stay in the main apartment.” Berg, who in a pathetic tone makes a fiery speech to Count Rostov, and then begins to bargain with him for a “dressing room” and a toilet “with an English secret.” And, of course, Count Rostopchin, who with his calls and empty activities doomed thousands of people to death, and then, having given the son of the merchant Vereshchagin to be torn to pieces by an angry crowd, flees from Moscow.
Conclusion
In conclusion of the essay on the topic of patriotism in the novel “War and Peace,” it must be said that Tolstoy was able to show the reader how a true patriot of his Motherland should behave in the hour of danger that threatens it.
Work test
Patriotism, according to L.N. Tolstoy, is not loud words, not noisy activity and fussiness, but a simple and natural feeling of “the need for sacrifice and compassion in the awareness of common misfortune.” This feeling is common to Natasha and Pierre, it possessed Petya Rostov when he rejoiced that he was in Moscow, where there would soon be a battle; the same feeling drew the crowd to the house of Count Rastopchin, who deceived them, because people from the crowd wanted to fight Napoleon. At the heart of all these actions, with all their differences, lay one feeling - patriotism.
No one forced Muscovites to leave; on the contrary, Count Rastopchin persuaded them to stay and called those who leave the city cowards. But they went “because for the Russian people there could be no question: will it be good or bad under the rule of the French in Moscow? It was impossible to be under the French: it was the worst of all...”
As it turned out, the author writes, under tragic circumstances, people still turn out to be better than one might think: “I will not submit to Napoleon,” said those from whom no one expected such behavior. And when Napoleon stood on Poklonnaya Hill on September 2, 1812, waiting for a deputation of boyars with the keys to Moscow, he could not imagine that it was empty.
No, my Moscow did not go to him with a guilty head. Not a holiday, not a receiving gift, She was preparing a fire for the impatient hero... -
This is what A.S. Pushkin wrote.
On the way to the Borodino field, where the decisive battle was being prepared, Pierre Bezukhov saw and heard a lot. The words were simple and understandable, they were spoken by a militiaman: “They want to attack all the people...”
Tolstoy believes that patriotism is a natural feeling of people living the life of their people. Therefore, he denies him to Berg, Kuragin, and Rastopchin.
Natasha cannot and does not want to understand her mother, who “at such a moment” thinks about property and forbids unloading the carts on which she wants to take out the “remaining goods” from Moscow. The daughter thinks about the wounded who cannot be left to the French. It was “wild and unnatural” to think about oneself. “The Countess understood this and was ashamed,” writes Tolstoy.
The description of the Battle of Borodino, which occupies twenty chapters of the third volume of the novel, is the center of the work, a decisive moment in the life of the entire country and many of the heroes of the book. Here all paths will cross, here every character will be revealed in a new way, and here a tremendous force will appear: the people, “men in white shirts” - the force that won the war. On the faces of the people whom Pierre saw, there was “an expression of consciousness of the solemnity of the coming moment,” there was “a hidden warmth of patriotism ... which explained why these people were calmly and seemingly frivolously preparing for death.”
What decided this victory? Tolstoy believes: not command orders, not plans, but many simple, natural actions of individual people: the fact that the men Karp and Vlas did not transport hay to Moscow for good money, but burned it, that the partisans destroyed Napoleon’s great army piece by piece, that there were hundreds of partisan detachments of “various sizes and characters...”
Tolstoy absolutely understood the meaning of the feeling under the influence of which the partisan war began: the patriotism of the people. Growing out of this feeling, “the club of the people’s war rose with all its formidable and majestic force and, without understanding anything, rose, fell and nailed the French until the entire invasion was destroyed.” Isn't this a great feeling of patriotism shown by the people in the Patriotic War of 1812?
L.N. Tolstoy revealed to readers so many springs of human behavior, in particular patriotism, which today they simply do not talk about or talk about bashfully. But this is a proud feeling that allows a person to feel his involvement in time, events, life, and determine his position in it. Material from the site
It would seem that what is common between the time about which L.N. Tolstoy wrote and ours, between the war of 1812 and 1941? In 1812 there were no bombs, no airplanes, there were no horrors and atrocities of Majdanek, Buchenwald, Mauthausen - death camps. But why, then, in the dugouts and hospitals of 1941, in the smokehouses under the siege, did people read “War and Peace” as the most “today’s” book for them, why was Lermontov’s “Borodino” the favorite poem from a first-grader to a general during the long four years of the war?
L.N. Tolstoy also wrote about us, because he knew something about man that was enough for more than a hundred years. And when the Great Patriotic War began, it turned out that Tolstoy said something very important about every person, and people rushed to him. We still have to draw and draw from the inexhaustible source of his books for spiritual strength, fortitude and that complex feeling called patriotism.
Didn't find what you were looking for? Use the search
On this page there is material on the following topics:
- hidden warmth of patriotism l tolstoy
- Tolstoy war and peace about love for the motherland
- short answer patriotism as understood by Tolstoy
- Leo Tolstoy definition of patriotism
- patriotism as understood by Tolstoy in the novel War and Peace
The novel “War and Peace” is a great work of Russian and world literature, a grandiose epic, the hero of which is the Russian people, who showed unprecedented heroism and patriotism in the struggle for the freedom and independence of their homeland in the War of 1812.
The enormous vital material of this novel is united by a single concept: “I tried to write the history of the people,” says Tolstoy. The people, according to Tolstoy, are not only peasants, but also nobles, those people who are worried about the fate of the country, who are in the whirlpool of great events. A colossal wave of anger arose among the people after the French attack. All Russian people, with the exception of a small handful of court aristocrats, could not imagine how they could live under the rule of the French. Every Russian acted as he found possible for himself. Some joined the active army, some went to partisan detachments. People like Pierre Bezukhov gave part of their money to equip the militia. Many, like the Smolensk merchant Ferapontov, burned shops and their property so that nothing would be left for the enemies. And many simply packed up and left their homes, destroying everything after them.
Tolstoy notes in the Russian people a simple, sometimes unreflective feeling of patriotism, which was expressed not in loud phrases about love for the fatherland, but in decisive actions. Residents of Moscow left the ancient capital without any call. Tolstoy emphasizes that for Muscovites there could be no question of what would be good or bad under French rule in Moscow. It was simply impossible to live like that, as it was the worst of all.
The same thing is happening in other cities and villages of the Russian land. In the territory where the enemy had already entered, he saw hatred and genuine indignation of the people. The peasants refused to sell food and hay to the French. A partisan movement arose spontaneously, without any order from above. In Tolstoy’s figurative expression, “the partisans picked up fallen leaves that fell from the common tree of the French army, and sometimes shook this tree.”
Not only the common people, but also the advanced layers of the nobility and intelligentsia became imbued with bitterness towards the enemy. It’s not for nothing that Prince Andrei says that they destroyed his house, and now they are going to ruin Moscow, insulting it every second.” And therefore, according to his concepts, they are not only enemies, but also criminals. Prince Andrei honestly fulfills his duty, joining the active army at the very beginning of the war, although before that he decided that he would never be a military man again. He did not stay at headquarters, as he was offered, but goes to the forefront of events. The heroism and genuine love of Russians for their homeland was especially clearly demonstrated in the Battle of Borodino. On the eve of the battles, Andrei Bolkonsky says: “the battle will be won by the one who firmly decided to win it... and who will fight harder... Tomorrow, no matter what, we will win the battle.”
Defending their home, their family, their homeland, the right to life, the Russian people showed amazing fortitude and self-sacrifice, and showed miracles of courage. They aroused first surprise and then fear in the hitherto invincible Napoleon. One cannot help but be proud of the Russian people. And there is no doubt that such a people have a great future.
The novel “War and Peace” is a historical epic of the valor and courage of the Russian people - the winner of the War of 1812. As in “Sevastopol Stories,” so in this novel Tolstoy realistically depicts the war in “blood, in suffering, in death.” Tolstoy tells us about the severity of war, its horrors, grief (population leaving Smolensk and Moscow, famine), of death (Andrei Bolkonsky dies after being wounded, Petya Rostov dies). War requires the utmost effort of moral and physical strength from everyone. Russia during the Patriotic War, during the period of robbery, violence and atrocities committed by the invaders, suffered enormous material sacrifices. This is the burning and devastation of cities.
The general mood of soldiers, partisans and other defenders of the Motherland is of great importance during military events. War of 1805-1807 was conducted outside Russia and was alien to the Russian people. When the French invaded the territory of Russia, the entire Russian people, young and old, rose to defend their Fatherland.
In the novel “War and Peace,” Tolstoy divides people according to moral principles, especially highlighting their attitude to patriotic duty. The writer depicts true patriotism and false patriotism, which cannot even be called patriotism. True patriotism - this is, first of all, patriotism of duty, action in the name of the Fatherland, the ability to rise above the personal at a decisive moment for the Motherland, to be imbued with a sense of responsibility for the fate of the people. According to Tolstoy, The Russian people are deeply patriotic. When the French occupied Smolensk, peasants burned hay so as not to sell it to their enemies. Each in his own way tried to hurt the enemy so that they would feel the hatred of the true owners of the earth. The merchant Ferapontov burned down his own shop so that it would not fall to the French. The residents of Moscow are shown as true patriots, who, leaving their hometown, leave their homes, because they consider it impossible to remain under the rule of impostors.
Russian soldiers are true patriots. The novel is replete with numerous episodes depicting the varied manifestations of patriotism by Russian people. We see the true patriotism and heroism of the people in the depiction of classical scenes under Shengraben, Austerlitz, Smolensk, Borodin. Of course, love for the fatherland, the willingness to sacrifice one’s life for it, is most clearly manifested on the battlefield, in direct confrontation with the enemy. It was in the Battle of Borodino that the extraordinary fortitude and courage of Russian soldiers was particularly demonstrated. Describing the night before the Battle of Borodino, Tolstoy draws attention to the seriousness and concentration of the soldiers who clean their weapons in preparation for battle. They refuse vodka because they are ready to consciously enter into battle with a powerful enemy. Their feeling of love for the Motherland does not allow reckless drunken courage. Realizing that this battle could be the last for each of them, the soldiers put on clean shirts, preparing for death, but not for retreat. While courageously fighting the enemy, Russian soldiers do not try to look like heroes. They are alien to panache and pose; there is nothing ostentatious in their simple and sincere love for the Motherland. When, during the Battle of Borodino, “one cannonball blew up the ground two steps away from Pierre,” the broad, red-faced soldier innocently confesses to him his fear. “After all, she will not have mercy. She will smack and her guts will be out. “You can’t help but be afraid,” he said laughing.” But the soldier, who was not at all trying to be brave, died soon after this short dialogue, like tens of thousands of others, but did not give up and did not retreat.
Outwardly unremarkable people become heroes and true patriots in Tolstoy. That's the captain Tushin, who found himself in the face of his superiors in a comical position without boots, embarrassed, stumbling and at the same time, at the most critical moment, doing exactly what was needed.
The strength of the people's spirit will give birth to outstanding commanders. Such as Mikhail Kutuzov . Kutuzov in the novel is an exponent of the idea of patriotism, he was appointed commander against the will of the king and the royal court. Andrei explains this to Pierre this way: “While Russia was healthy, Barclay de Tolly was good... When Russia is sick, it needs its own man.” Kutuzov lives only with the feelings, thoughts, interests of soldiers, perfectly understands their mood, takes care of them like a father. He firmly believes that the outcome of the battle is determined by “an elusive force called the spirit of the army” and strives with all his might to support this hidden warmth of patriotism in the army.
The episode in Fili is important. Kutuzov takes upon himself the gravest responsibility and orders a retreat. This order contains the true patriotism of Kutuzov. Retreating from Moscow, Kutuzov retained an army that could not yet compare in numbers with Napoleonic's. Defending Moscow would mean losing the army, and this would lead to the loss of both Moscow and Russia. After Napoleon pushed beyond Russian borders, Kutuzov refuses to fight outside Russia. He believes that the Russian people have fulfilled their mission by expelling the invader, and there is no need to shed more people's blood.
The patriotism of the Russian people is manifested not only in battle. After all, not only that part of the people who were mobilized into the army took part in the fight against the invaders.
Andrey Bolkonsky. Still from the film “War and Peace” (1965)
Lev Nikolaevich shows that patriotic feelings embrace people of different political views: the progressive intelligentsia (Pierre, Andrey), the confrontational old Prince Bolkonsky, the conservative Nikolai Rostov, the meek Princess Marya. The patriotic impulse also penetrates the hearts of people who seem far from the war - Petya, Natasha Rostov. But it only seemed so. A real person, according to Tolstoy, cannot help but be a patriot of his Fatherland. All these people are united by a feeling that exists in the soul of every Russian person. (The Rostov family, leaving the city, gives all the carts to the wounded, thereby losing their property. After the death of her father, Maria Bolkonskaya leaves the estate, not wanting to live in the territory occupied by enemies. Pierre Bezukhov thinks about killing Napoleon, knowing full well how this could end.)
The writer attaches great importance to partisan movement . This is how Tolstoy describes his spontaneous growth: “ Before the guerrilla war was officially accepted by our government, thousands of people of the enemy army - backward marauders, foragers - were exterminated by the Cossacks and peasants, who beat these people as unconsciously as dogs unconsciously kill a rabid dog.”. Tolstoy characterizes partisan “war not according to the rules” as spontaneous, comparing it with a club, “ rising with all its formidable and majestic power and, without asking anyone’s tastes and rules... nailing the French... until the entire invasion perished.”.
Tolstoy contrasts the true patriotism of the bulk of the Russian people with the false patriotism of the highest noble society, which is repulsive in its falseness, selfishness and hypocrisy. These are fake people, whose patriotic words and deeds become a means of achieving base goals. Tolstoy mercilessly tears off the mask of patriotism from German and half-German generals in Russian service, “golden youth” like Anatoly Kuragin, careerists like Boris Drubetsky. Tolstoy angrily denounces that part of the senior staff officers who did not take part in the battles, but tried to get a job at the headquarters and simply receive awards.
People like false patriots there will be a lot until people realize that everyone must defend their country, and that there will be no one else to do this except them. This is exactly what Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy wanted to convey through antithesis, contrasting true and false patriots. But Tolstoy does not fall into the false patriotic tone of the narrative, but looks at events sternly and objectively, like a realist writer. This helps him more accurately convey to us the importance of the problem of false patriotism.
A false patriotic atmosphere reigns in the salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherer, Helen Bezukhova and other St. Petersburg salons:“...calm, luxurious, concerned only with ghosts, reflections of life, St. Petersburg life went on as before; and because of the course of this life, it was necessary to make great efforts to recognize the danger and the difficult situation in which the Russian people found themselves. There were the same exits, balls, the same French theater, the same interests of the courts, the same interests of service and intrigue. Only in the highest circles were efforts made to recall the difficulty of the present situation.” Indeed, this circle of people was far from understanding all-Russian problems, from understanding the great misfortune and needs of the people during this war. The world continued to live by its own interests, and even in a moment of national calamity reign here greed, promotion, service.
The Count also displays false patriotism Rastopchin, who posts stupid ones around Moscow "posters", calls on the city residents not to leave the capital, and then, fleeing the people’s anger, deliberately sends the innocent son of the merchant Vereshchagin to death. Meanness and betrayal are combined with conceit and pout: “It not only seemed to him that he controlled the external actions of the inhabitants of Moscow, but it seemed to him that he controlled their mood through his proclamations and posters, written in that ironic language that the people despise among themselves and which they do not understand when they hear it from above ».
Indicative for understanding the author’s attitude to what is happening is the reaction of the scene participants to Berg’s behavior - both direct and not having a direct connection with the hero’s monologues. The direct reaction is contained in the Count’s actions: “The Count wrinkled his face and choked...”; “Oh, you all get out to hell, to hell, to hell and to hell!..” Natasha Rostova’s reaction is even more definite: “... this is such disgusting, such an abomination, such... I don’t know! Are we some kind of Germans?..” Natasha Rostova’s exclamation is somewhat divorced from Berg’s monologues; the plot is connected with Petya’s story about his parents’ quarrel over carts. But it is obvious that Tolstoy puts these words into Natasha’s mouth, among other things, with the aim of giving a final assessment of Berg’s hypocritical shamelessness (the mention of the Germans is no coincidence).
This is finally Drubetskoy, who, like other staff officers, thinks about awards and promotion, wants “to arrange for himself the best position, especially the position of adjutant to an important person, which seemed especially tempting to him in the army”. It is probably no coincidence that on the eve of the Battle of Borodino, Pierre notices this greedy excitement on the faces of the officers; he mentally compares it with “another expression of excitement,” “which spoke of not personal, but general issues, issues of life and death.”
Tolstoy convinces us that only those nobles who comprehend the spirit of the people, for whom there can be no happiness outside the peace and prosperity of their country, can be true patriots.
By uniting people on a moral principle, emphasizing the special importance in assessing a person of the truth of his patriotic feeling, Tolstoy brings together people who are very different in their social status. They turn out to be close in spirit, rising to the greatness of national patriotism. And it is not without reason that during a difficult period of his life, Pierre Bezukhov, finding himself on the Borodino field, comes to the conviction that true happiness is merging with the common people. (“Be a soldier, just a soldier. Enter this common life with your whole being.”)
Thus, true patriotism in Tolstoy’s understanding is the highest manifestation of the moral strength and spirit of the people. People's patriotism is an invincible force in the fight against enemies. The winner is the Russian people.