War and peace of the Bolkonsky family description. Portrait characteristics of the Bolkonsky family

The Bolkonskys are an old princely family, Rurikovich, aristocrats who are proud of their ancient family and services to the Fatherland. The Bolkonskys are extremely active people. Each of the family members is constantly busy with something; their active work has always been directed to people, to the Motherland. Prince Nikolai Andreevich is, of course, an outstanding person. The old prince, who believes that in the world "there are only two virtues - activity and mind" - tirelessly tries to follow his conviction. General Bolkonsky occupied a prominent position precisely because of his talents, and not the desire to make a career.

He is one of those who served the Fatherland and was never served, as evidenced by his resignation and even exile under Emperor Paul. He himself, honest and educated person, wants to "develop virtues in her daughter", giving her lessons in algebra and geometry and distributing her life in uninterrupted studies. Prince Nikolai was never idle: either he wrote his memoirs, or he worked on a table or in the garden, or he studied with his daughter. He believed in the progress and future greatness of Russia, which he served with all his might. All his humane qualities passed to his son, Prince Andrei. Prince Andrei, who received a very strict upbringing, already stood out among his noble youth.

By his tired look and bored look, described by the author, one can judge him as a person who is disappointed in life. He is proud, dry and cold with everyone who is unpleasant to him, but unusually kind, sincere, simple with people who are pleasant to him, devoid of lies and falsehood. Andrei Bolkonsky is a purposeful person, not devoid of ambition. The main thing for him is to find a field of activity, to be useful to society.

If a old prince lives in Russia, then his son feels like a citizen, even better, a part of the universe. His ideas are the idea of ​​serving the world, the unity of all people, the ideas universal love and uniting humanity with nature. But its basic principles too often come into conflict with generally accepted norms of behavior and service to the national duty.

That is why he perceives his decision to go with the army as a deliverance from the worthlessness of his own life. "I'm going to war," he said, "because the life I'm leading here is not for me." It seems to Prince Andrei that on the battlefield, fighting for the Motherland, he will finally be able to be useful. Here we see all the patriotism of Prince Andrei, which he inherited from his father. Prince Andrei has love for the Motherland and own life merged together, he does not share these two feelings and wants to accomplish a feat in the name of Russia.

The old prince, having learned about Napoleon’s campaign against Moscow, wants to help his homeland at least somehow, he becomes commander in chief, although he is too old, but “did not consider himself entitled to refuse at such a time.” Prince Andrei leaves to fight, realizing that he should be where his homeland needs him, while he could remain with the person of the sovereign.

All the actions of Bolkonsky are guided by a sense of duty, which is very strong in him. In the army of Prince Andrei, disappointment overtakes.

He realized that the true meaning of life is a little higher and more beautiful than he had previously imagined. For Prince Andrei comes spiritual crisis: everything old is rejected, and the new is not opened. The impetus for renewal was for him a meeting with Natasha Rostova, under the influence of the love of life of which everyone who came across her fell.

However, the old man Bolkonsky, having instilled in his son moral purity and a serious attitude towards the family, does not at all take into account the feelings of Andrei and Natasha, trying in every possible way to prevent his son's new marriage. Yes, and the feelings of Prince Andrei about the lack of understanding on the part of Lisa, the father shrewdly notices, and immediately consoles his son with the fact that "they are all like that." In a word, from the point of view of the old prince, there is no love, there is only strict execution at home. And, indeed, Andrei Bolkonsky also finds disappointment in love.

The war of 1812 saves him from the heavy torment, the experiences of her - Natasha Rostova - betrayal. As a true patriot and son of his homeland, Prince Andrei could not stand aside. We see that the Bolkonskys are undoubtedly driven by a sense of duty. A high concept of honor, pride, independence, nobility and sharpness of mind are inherited. Both Bolkonskys despise upstarts, careerists like Kuragin, although Bolkonsky made the only exception for the old Count Bezukhov. Friendship with Pierre, the son of old Bezukhov, also went to Prince Andrei by inheritance, from the friendship of his father with Pierre's father.

Another member of the Bolkonsky family is Princess Marya. Quiet and modest, she completely obeyed her father in everything. She both admired him and feared his old temper at the same time. The father, on the other hand, treated the children very harshly, but, despite their devotion, he felt spiritual independence in the children. Bolkonsky the father does not want to marry his daughter at all, because he will miss her, and he is unable to part with her. Princess Marya knew that her father's peasants were prosperous, that the needs of the peasants were primarily taken into account by her father, which prompted her to take care of the peasants when leaving the estate due to the invasion of the enemy. It was strange for her to think...

That the rich could not help the poor. The third generation of the Bolkonskys is Nikolenka, the son of Andrei. We see him as a little boy in the epilogue of the novel, but even then he listens attentively to Pierre. Some special, independent, complex and strong work feelings and thoughts. He loves his father and Pierre very much, and, making sure that his father would approve of Pierre's revolutionary views, he said to himself: "Father" Yes, I will do something that even he would be pleased with ... "The Bolkonskys are versatile educated, gifted people who are close to the ideas of humanism and enlightenment.

All members of the family are connected with each other, they represent a single whole. The Bolkonsky family is opposed to the whole world, as it pursues completely different ideas. In the images of members of the Bolkonsky family, Tolstoy showed thoughts, searches the best people that time.

There are three families in the center of the novel: Kuragins, Rostovs, Bolkonskys. The Bolkonsky family is described with undeniable sympathy. It shows three generations: the elder prince Nikolai Andreevich, his children Andrei and Marya, his grandson Nikolenka. From generation to generation, all the best are passed on in this family. spiritual qualities and character traits: patriotism, closeness to the people, a sense of duty, nobility of soul. The Bolkonskys are extremely active people.

Each of the family members is constantly busy with something, they do not have a drop of laziness and idleness, which are typical for families high society. The old prince, who believes that in the world "there are only two virtues - activity and intelligence", tirelessly tries to follow his conviction. He himself, an honest and educated man, wants to “develop both virtues in his daughter”, giving her lessons in algebra and geometry and distributing her life in continuous studies. He was never idle: either he wrote his memoirs, or he worked on a machine tool or in the garden, or he worked with his daughter. In Prince Andrei, we also see this trait, which he inherited from his father: he is a searching and active nature. He is engaged in social work with Speransky, facilitates the life of the peasants on his estate and is constantly looking for his place in life. Active activity family has always been directed to people, to the motherland.

Bolkonsky - true patriots. Prince Andrei's love for the Motherland and his own life are merged into one, he does not share these two feelings and wants to accomplish a feat in the name of Russia. The senior prince, having learned about Napoleon's campaign against Moscow, wants to help the Motherland in some way, he becomes the commander-in-chief of the militia and gives himself to this position with all his heart.

The thought of the patronage of General Rameau "horrified Princess Mary, made her shudder, blush and feel an unexperienced feeling of anger and pride." She told herself: “Hurry up to leave!

Drive faster! "In all actions, the Bolkonskys are guided by a sense of duty, which is very strong in them all. Prince Nikolai Andreevich could not accept the post of commander-in-chief, he was old, but "did not consider himself entitled to refuse at such a time," and this "newly opened activity aroused and strengthened him." Prince Andrei leaves to fight, realizing that he should be where the Motherland needs him, while he could remain with the "person of the sovereign." In all his favorite heroes, Tolstoy emphasizes closeness to the people. All members of the Bolkonsky family have this character trait. The old prince managed his household very well and did not oppress the peasants.

He would never have refused "muzhiks in need." The princess is also always ready to help the peasants, "it was strange for her to think ... that the rich could not help the poor." And Prince Andrei in the war takes care of the soldiers and officers of his regiment.

He was affectionate with them, and in response to this, "in the regiment they called him our prince, they were proud of him and loved him." The third generation of the Bolkonskys is Nikolenka, son of Andrei; We see him as a little boy in the epilogue of the novel, but even then he listens attentively to Pierre, some special, independent, complex and strong work of feeling and thought takes place in him. He loved his father and Pierre very much and, making sure that his father would approve of Pierre's revolutionary views, he said to himself: “Father!

Yes, I will do what even he would be pleased with ... ”In the images of the members of the Bolkonsky family, especially in the image of Prince Andrei, Tolstoy showed the thoughts and searches of the best people of that time. The nobility, from views opposed to the government, similar to the views of the old prince, are moving to more progressive views on the reorganization of society, to which Prince Andrei came.

However, there is one family, whose originality of customs and traditions, homely atmosphere immediately catches the eye. This is how the Bolkonsky family is represented. She lives her own closed life, which makes her different from others. Why did it happen? In fact, the Bolkonsky clan is a hereditary military, and military affairs implies submission, rigor, accuracy and rigidity. Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky is such a “purebred” military man. He defines the spirit of the family. Life experience hardened not only his body, but also his soul, put in him strict military rules. The whole schedule of his day is scheduled by the minute and carried out with amazing accuracy: “... the main condition for activity is order, but the order in his life has been brought to the last degree of accuracy. His exits to the table were made under the same constant conditions, and not only in one hour, but also in a minute. And God forbid anyone to break this routine, which is the main law of life of Nikolai Andreevich. For example, during the arrival of Prince Andrei and his wife, the son does not immediately go to his father, but waits until his rest time is over, because he is already used to it.
The old prince is constantly engaged in physical and mental labor: “He himself was constantly busy either writing his memoirs, or calculations from higher mathematics, or turning snuff boxes on a machine tool, or working in the garden and observing buildings that did not stop ...” The reader practically does not see Nikolai Andreevich idle. Even when his son leaves for military service, continues to work, although he is worried that Prince Andrei may die: “When Prince Andrei entered the office, the old prince, in old man’s glasses and in his white coat, in which he did not receive anyone except his son, sat at the table and wrote” .
The elder Bolkonsky is not a tyrant, he is simply demanding not only of himself, but also of everyone around him. It can also be said that he led an ascetic lifestyle and by his example forced his loved ones to do the same. In people who in one way or another communicated with him, the prince aroused fear and reverence. Although he was retired and no longer had any significance in public affairs, each head of the province where the Bolkonsky estate was located, considered it his duty to come to him and express his respect.
Probably, it would be wrong to consider that the old prince is insensitive and hard-hearted, no, he is simply not used to showing his feelings, weaknesses even to his relatives. Firstly, he himself was brought up this way from childhood, and secondly, service in the army taught him another lesson: he saw how weak-willed people with high morals lost to those who were firm and purposeful.
In the family of Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky, there are two children - Marya and Andrey. Their mother died early. All the main upbringing of children fell on the father. Since the father has always been the ideal for children, many of his traits passed from him to the children. They grew up in an environment that was not conducive to laughter, fun, or jokes. The father talked to them as if they were adults, kept them in a tight rein, didn’t care much and didn’t cherish them.
Princess Mary adopted more masculine character traits than she should, because Nikolai Andreevich did not stand on ceremony with her and raised her on a par with her son. In her, the same rigidity, although expressed in a weaker form, along with deep moral principles, Marya Nikolaevna is not like other secular women. It contains real human values, which do not depend on time and environment, fashion and popular theories. Marya Nikolaevna did not appear at the balls and in the drawing room of A.P. Scherer, because her father considered all this nonsense and stupidity, a useless waste of time.

The role of the Bolkonsky family in the work

An important role is played in the novel "War and Peace" by the Bolkonsky family. The main problems of the work of the great writer are inextricably linked with them. The text traces the history of several families. The main attention is paid to Bolkonsky, Rostov and Kuragin. The author's sympathies are on the side of the Rostovs and Bolkonskys. There is a big difference between them. The relationship between the Rostovs is sensual and emotional. Bolkonsky is guided by reason and expediency. But it is in these families that the beloved heroes of Leo Tolstoy are brought up. Members of the Bolkonsky family are prominent representatives people of "peace and light". Their fates are closely intertwined with life paths other characters in the work. They take an active part in the development storyline storytelling. Psychological problems, issues of morality, morality, family values ​​are reflected in the depiction of these characters.

Relationship characteristics

The Bolkonskys belong to an ancient princely family and live in the Bald Mountains estate, located not far from the capital. Each of the family members is an extraordinary personality, endowed with strong character and extraordinary abilities.

Head of family

Old Prince Nikolai Andreevich, his son Andrei Nikolaevich and Princess Marya Nikolaevna are members of the Bolkonsky family in the novel War and Peace.

The head of the family is the old prince Bolkonsky. This is a man with a strong character and a well-established worldview. Successful career military, honors and respect remained for him in the distant past. On the pages of the book we see an old man who retired from military service and state affairs, retired to his estate. Despite the blows of fate, he is full of strength and energy. The day of the old man is scheduled by the minute. In his routine there is a place for both mental and physical labor. Nikolai Andreevich draws up plans for military campaigns, works in a carpentry workshop, and is engaged in arranging the estate. He is of sound mind and in good physical shape, does not recognize idleness for himself and makes all household members live according to his rules. It is especially difficult for the daughter, who is forced to study the natural sciences and endure the heavy temper of her father.

The proud and uncompromising nature of the old prince brings a lot of trouble to those around him, and incorruptibility, honesty and intelligence command respect.

Prince Andrey

We meet Andrei Bolkonsky in the first chapter of the work. He appears among the guests of the secular salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherer and immediately attracts everyone's attention. The young man stands out against the general background not only in appearance, but also in his behavior. We understand that the people around us cause irritation and even anger in him. He dislikes false masks, lies, hypocrisy and empty talk. secular society. A sincere kind smile appears on the face of the hero only at the sight of Pierre Bezukhov. Andrei Bolkonsky is young, handsome, educated, but dissatisfied with his existence on this earth. He doesn't love his beautiful wife, dissatisfied with career. Throughout the development of the storyline, the image of the hero is revealed to the reader in all its depth.

At the beginning of the novel, Andrei is a man who dreams of becoming like Napoleon. Therefore, he decides to leave his pregnant wife, his bored lifestyle and goes to military service. He dreams of heroic deeds, fame and popular love. The high sky of Austerlitz changes his worldview and corrects his plans for life. He is constantly looking for himself. Feats and severe wounds, love and betrayal, disappointments and victories fill the life of one of Tolstoy's favorite heroes. As a result, the young prince finds true meaning life in the service of the Fatherland, the defense of their Motherland. The fate of the hero is tragic. He dies from a severe wound, never making his dream come true.

Princess Mary

Andrei Bolkonsky's sister, Princess Marya is one of the brightest and most touching images storytelling. Living close to her father, she is patient and submissive. Thoughts about her husband, her family and children seem to her pipe dreams. Marya is unattractive: "an ugly weak body and a thin face", insecure and lonely. Only “large, deep, radiant” eyes were remarkable in her appearance: “She sees her destiny in serving the Lord. Deep faith gives strength, is an outlet in its difficult life situation. “I don’t want another life, and I can’t wish, because I don’t know another life,” the heroine says about herself.

The timid and gentle Princess Marya is equally kind to everyone, sincere and spiritually rich. For the sake of loved ones, the girl is ready for sacrifices and decisive actions. At the end of the novel, we see the heroine as the happy wife of Nikolai Rostov and a caring mother. Fate rewards her for devotion, love and patience.

family traits

In the novel War and Peace, the Bolkonsky house is an example of truly aristocratic foundations. Restraint reigns in the relationship, although all family members sincerely love each other. The Spartan way of existence does not allow you to show your feelings and experiences, whine, complain about life. No one is allowed to break the strict rules of conduct.

The Bolkonskys in the novel "War and Peace" personify best features fading into history of the nobility. Once the representatives of this class were the basis of the state, they devoted their lives to serving the Fatherland, like the representatives of this noble family.

Each of the Bolkonsky family has its own unique character traits. But they have something in common that unites these people. They are distinguished by family pride, honesty, patriotism, nobility, and a high intellectual level of development. Betrayal, meanness, cowardice have no place in the souls of these heroes. The characterization of the Bolkonsky family develops gradually throughout the story.

The idea of ​​a classic

Testing the strength of family ties, the writer leads his heroes through a series of trials: love, war and social life. Representatives of the Bolkonsky family successfully cope with difficulties thanks to the support of their relatives.

As conceived by the great writer, the chapters devoted to describing the life of the Bolkonsky family play a huge role in ideological content novel "War and Peace". They are people of "light", worthy of deep respect. Image family life favorite heroes helps the classics to display the “family thought”, to build their work in the genre of family chronicles.

Artwork test

The novel "War and Peace" is the largest work of world literature. It alone combines a beautiful image historical events, the “Dialectics of the Soul” is superbly depicted, with great accuracy are shown historical figures, and, finally, perfectly described several completely different families. In general, the whole novel proceeds along several parallel storylines, one way or another intertwined. So there are several main characters in the novel. Namely: Pierre Bezukhov, Natasha Rostova, Andrei Bolkonsky. Pierre's family is not exactly big: sisters, his father's daughters and his wife, whom he never loved. The Rostov family is much larger, but it is not she who interests us, we are interested in the family of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. She is smaller family Rostov, but this does not diminish the reader's and author's interest in it. On the contrary, the life of this family is described even more and better than a similar description regarding the Rostovs. The first time we encounter the Bolkonsky family in in full force at the end of the first part of the first volume, when everyone in the Bald Mountains, in the main estate of the Bolkonskys, is waiting for the arrival of Prince Andrei and his wife. From that moment on, it becomes a lot, and we can say that almost everything, is clear about this family, about all their members. Starting with the old prince, and ending with m-lle Bourienne. Before starting a description of family members, it should be said that everyone in the Bolkonsky family is something special in its own way. If we draw a parallel with the Rostovs, then we can immediately say: this is completely different people. The Rostovs are simple nobles, a good-natured father, a kind mother, a generous son, carefree children. Here, everything is completely different. A dictatorial father is a submissive daughter, a fearful daughter-in-law, and an independent son. This is an overview of the whole family, which gives some idea of ​​the Bolkonskys. Figuratively, one can imagine the Bolkonskys as a triangle, on the top of which is the father, Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky, on the other peak Andrei, and not the third Princess Marya Bolkonskaya with Lisa, the wife of Prince Andrei. These are three fronts, three completely opposite groups (if one or two people can be called that) in the family.

Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky held the rank of General-in-Chief, that is, the same as Kutuzov had at that time, with whom he was very familiar. Despite the abolition of the ban on leaving the village, which he received from the new emperor Alexander, he was not going to leave anywhere, since his Bald Mountains were his real empire, and he was an emperor in them, moreover, an autocratic dictator. “With the people around him, from his daughter to his servants, the prince was harsh and invariably demanding, and therefore, without being cruel, he aroused fear and respect in himself, which the most Cruel person". But despite such an attitude of the prince towards the rest, there was such a person, the architect Mikhail Ivanovich, who always dined with him, and whom the prince respected, despite his simple origin. He “said that all people are equal, and more than once inspired his daughter that Mikhail Ivanovich was no worse than you and me. At the table, the prince most often turned to the dumb Mikhail Ivanovich. This is undeniably more than strange, if you look at his attitude towards his daughter and servants. The same thing was observed later, when the prince swore that he would marry m-lle Bourienne, in response to the request of Prince Andrei for a blessing for the wedding with Natasha Rostova. It seemed absurd, but the prince really began to bring the Frenchwoman closer to him. Marya at that time began to suffer even more. Timid, quiet, who did not bring evil to anyone, even the most disgusting cockroach, dies, which no one needed, even Prince Andrei suffers greatly, despite the fact that he did not love his wife as much as he would later love Natasha; “About two hours later, Prince Andrei with quiet steps entered his father’s office. The old man already knew everything. He stood at the very door, and as soon as it opened, the old man silently, with senile, hard hands, like a vise, clasped his son's neck and sobbed like a child. This passage proves that even he, the stern Prince Bolkonsky, managed to become very attached to the little princess. After her death, Marya was left without a good friend, which I managed to become Princess Bolkonskaya for her. And then the process of separation begins with both m-lle Bourienne and Julie Karagina. Only in the horse itself does the long-awaited happiness come in the person of Nikolai Rostov. Despite attempts to marry his daughter, the old prince was never able to do this during his lifetime. After all, we remember the case when Prince Vasily arrived in the Bald Mountains with his son, the handsome Anatole, who would break many more women's hearts.

By 1812, life in the Bolkonsky family had become almost unbearable for Princess Marya, the prince was already old, more grouchy and picky about his daughter. Increasingly, his causeless anger rained down on her, and he almost drove her to run away from home and wander. God's people constantly came to Princess Mary, whom the old prince always drove away, and for which he was always angry with his daughter. In general, the prince completely denied idleness and religion in people, these two integral details of that time were banned in the empire of Prince Bolkonsky, the holidays were replaced by work at the machine, and faith was the comprehension of the heights of mathematics. He wanted to make Princess Marya the same, but he didn’t succeed, which is why he often quarreled with her, although it’s hard to call it a quarrel, because the princess was always in the role of defending herself, he would never dare to untie it herself quarrel with father. And so, in 1812, when Napoleon's forces were on the outskirts of Smolensk, and therefore to the Bald Mountains, the prince decided to create his own militia, which ended in a blow for him, which caused his imminent death. And it was death that forced Prince Bolkonsky to finally apologize to his daughter, this never happened during his lifetime. Thus ends the history of the empire, the great Lysogorsk empire of Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky.

And what about Andrey? After all, he is one of the three main characters of the epic novel. He, of course, is also the son of Prince Bolkonsky, but his environment is very different from his family. He is a wonderful person in his own right. A man of honor, independent, leading the right way of life, patriot, good friend and an adviser - he is such throughout the novel, from the first meeting with Pierre in St. Petersburg, where we first get to know him in detail, until the explosion of the cannonball on the Borodino field and his death next to Natasha. At the same time, Prince Andrei also has something contradictory, like his father: his desire for fame. Somehow this does not fit with its basic qualities. But it did not last so long for him, although he thought about it for a long time. Coming soon crucial moment, a turning point in his life, after which he said that "he would not fight even if the French stood under the Bald Mountains." This detail is the sky of Austerlitz, one of the most beautiful episodes of the entire novel, unforgettable for its artistic beauty and power. The author here showed all his ability to penetrate into the state of the characters, to be in their place: “… it is not at all like the clouds crawl across this high, endless sky. How could I not have seen this lofty sky before? And how happy I am that I finally got to know him. Yes! Everything is empty, everything is a lie, except for this endless sky. Nothing, nothing but him. But even that is not even there, there is nothing but silence, calmness. And thank God! ..” Just an amazing episode, which is not found anywhere else. Before that, Prince Andrei, realizing what he was doing, with the thought “Here it is!” rushed with a flag to meet the French, followed by fleeing soldiers. Thus, nature changed the life of Prince Andrei, after which he began to lead a completely different lifestyle: he began to live on the Bogucharovo estate and engage in purely economic affairs. Everything was changed again by the beauty of the surrounding world, namely the oak, the simple old oak. And here one cannot refrain from a decent-sized quote: “There was an oak tree on the edge of the road. Probably ten times older than the birches that made up the forest, it was ten times thicker and twice as tall as each birch. It was a huge, two-girth oak tree, with branches broken off, you can see for a long time, and with a broken bark […] only he alone did not want to submit to the charm of spring and did not want to see either spring or the sun. “Spring, and love, and happiness! - as if said this oak. “And how will you not get tired of the same stupid and senseless deceit!…” and then, returning, Prince Andrei saw new life this oak, and decided that it was time for him to start a new life. “The old oak tree, all transformed, spread out like a tent of juicy, dark greenery, was thrilled, slightly swaying in the rays of the evening sun. […] “No, life is not over at thirty-one…” Thus, the life of Prince Andrei was radically changed twice by nature, with all its beauty.

Prince Andrei is a completely different topic, therefore, it’s probably worth ending here. It is impossible to speak about the Bolkonsky family as about something united, since everyone there is completely different, unlike the Rostovs. Here given short description each member of the family individually and together with others. After all, the Bolkonsky family is the most interesting in the novel, both from an artistic point of view and from a purely reader's point of view, since it is always interesting to read about people who are so different, but nevertheless living in the same family.

1. Relationship characteristics
2. Head of family
3. Prince Andrey
4. Princess Mary
5. family traits
6. The idea of ​​a classic

The role of the Bolkonsky family in the work

An important role is played in the novel "War and Peace" by the Bolkonsky family. The main problems of the work of the great writer are inextricably linked with them. The text traces the history of several families. The main attention is paid to Bolkonsky, Rostov and Kuragin. The author's sympathies are on the side of the Rostovs and Bolkonskys. There is a big difference between them. The relationship between the Rostovs is sensual and emotional. Bolkonsky is guided by reason and expediency. But it is in these families that the beloved heroes of Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy are brought up. Members of the Bolkonsky family are prominent representatives of the people of "peace and light." Their fates are closely intertwined with the life paths of the rest of the characters in the work. They take an active part in the development of the storyline of the story. Psychological problems, issues of morality, morality, family values ​​are reflected in the depiction of these characters.

Relationship characteristics

The Bolkonskys belong to an ancient princely family and live in the Bald Mountains estate, located not far from the capital.
Each of the family members is an extraordinary person, endowed with a strong character and remarkable abilities.

Head of family

Old Prince Nikolai Andreevich, his son Andrei Nikolaevich and Princess Marya Nikolaevna are members of the Bolkonsky family in the novel War and Peace.

The head of the family is the old prince Bolkonsky. This is a man with a strong character and a well-established worldview. A successful military career, honors and respect remained for him in the distant past. On the pages of the book we see an old man who retired from military service and state affairs, retired to his estate. Despite the blows of fate, he is full of strength and energy. The day of the old man is scheduled by the minute. In his routine there is a place for both mental and physical labor. Nikolai Andreevich draws up plans for military campaigns, works in a carpentry workshop, and is engaged in arranging the estate. He is of sound mind and in good physical shape, does not recognize idleness for himself and makes all household members live according to his rules. It is especially difficult for the daughter, who is forced to study the natural sciences and endure the heavy temper of her father.

The proud and uncompromising nature of the old prince brings a lot of trouble to those around him, and incorruptibility, honesty and intelligence command respect.

Prince Andrey

We meet Andrei Bolkonsky in the first chapter of the work. He appears among the guests of the secular salon of Anna Pavlovna Scherer and immediately attracts everyone's attention. The young man stands out against the general background not only in appearance, but also in his behavior. We understand that the people around us cause irritation and even anger in him. He dislikes false masks, lies, hypocrisy and empty talk of secular society. A sincere kind smile appears on the face of the hero only at the sight of Pierre Bezukhov. Andrei Bolkonsky is young, handsome, educated, but dissatisfied with his existence on this earth.
He does not love his beautiful wife, he is dissatisfied with his career. Throughout the development of the storyline, the image of the hero is revealed to the reader in all its depth.

At the beginning of the novel, Andrei is a man who dreams of becoming like Napoleon. Therefore, he decides to leave his pregnant wife, his bored lifestyle and goes to military service. He dreams of heroic deeds, fame and popular love. The high sky of Austerlitz changes his worldview and corrects his plans for life. He is constantly looking for himself. Feats and severe wounds, love and betrayal, disappointments and victories fill the life of one of Tolstoy's favorite heroes. As a result, the young prince finds the true meaning of life in serving the Fatherland, protecting his homeland. The fate of the hero is tragic. He dies from a severe wound, never making his dream come true.

Princess Mary

The sister of Andrei Bolkonsky, Princess Marya is one of the most striking and touching images of the story. Living close to her father, she is patient and submissive. Thoughts about her husband, her family and children seem to her pipe dreams. Marya is unattractive: "an ugly weak body and a thin face", insecure and lonely. Only “large, deep, radiant” eyes were remarkable in her appearance: “She sees her destiny in serving the Lord. Deep faith gives strength, is an outlet in her difficult life situation. "I don't want another life, and I can't want it, because I don't know another life"? the heroine talks about herself.

The timid and gentle Princess Marya is equally kind to everyone, sincere and spiritually rich. For the sake of loved ones, the girl is ready for sacrifices and decisive actions. At the end of the novel, we see the heroine as the happy wife of Nikolai Rostov and a caring mother. Fate rewards her for devotion, love and patience.

family traits

In the novel War and Peace, the Bolkonsky house is an example of truly aristocratic foundations. Restraint reigns in the relationship, although all family members sincerely love each other. The Spartan way of existence does not allow you to show your feelings and experiences, whine, complain about life. No one is allowed to break the strict rules of conduct.

The Bolkonskys in the novel "War and Peace" personify the best features of the nobility that is going down in history. Once the representatives of this class were the basis of the state, they devoted their lives to serving the Fatherland, like the representatives of this noble family.

Each of the Bolkonsky family has its own unique character traits. But they have something in common that unites these people. They are distinguished by family pride, honesty, patriotism, nobility, and a high intellectual level of development. Betrayal, meanness, cowardice have no place in the souls of these heroes. The characterization of the Bolkonsky family develops gradually throughout the story.

The idea of ​​a classic

Testing the strength of family ties, the writer leads his characters through a series of trials: love, war and social life. Representatives of the Bolkonsky family successfully cope with difficulties thanks to the support of their relatives.

As conceived by the great writer, the chapters devoted to describing the life of the Bolkonsky family play a huge role in the ideological content of the novel War and Peace. They are people of "light", worthy of deep respect. The image of the family way of favorite heroes helps the classics to display the “family thought”, to build their work in the genre of family chronicles.

Characteristics of the Bolkonsky family in the novel "War and Peace" - a description for the essay |