War and Peace Character Guide

Character List
Anna Pavlovna Scherer - A wealthy St. Petersburg society hostess and matchmaker for the Kuragin family, whose party in 1805 opens the novel. Pierre Bezukhov - The large-bodied, ungainly, and socially awkward illegitimate son of an old Russian grandee. Pierre, educated abroad, returns to Russia as a misfit. His unexpected inheritance of a large fortune makes him socially desirable. Pierre is ensnared by the fortune-hunting Helene Kuragina, whose eventual deception leaves him depressed and confused, spurring a spiritual odyssey that spans the novel. Pierre eventually marries Natasha Rostova. Pierre, whom many critics regard as a reflection of Tolstoy himself, attracts our sympathy in his status as an outsider to the Russian upper classes. His simplicity and emotional directness contrast with the artificiality of fakes such as the Kuragins. Though the attendees at Anna Pavlovnas party consider Pierre uncouth and awkward, this very awkwardness emphasizes his natural unpretentiousness. We see his love of fun in his expulsion from St. Petersburg for excessive partying, and his generosity in his bank-breaking largesse toward friends and acquaintances following his inheritance. Pierre, though intelligent, is not dominated by reason, as his friend Andrew is. Pierres emotional spurts occasionally get him into trouble, as when his sexual passions make him prey to the self-serving and beautiful Helene. His madcap escape into the city of Moscow and his subsequent obsessive belief that he is destined to be Napoleons assassin show his submission to irrational impulses. Yet there is also a great nobility in Pierres emotions, and his search for meaning in his life becomes a central theme of the novel. We feel that his final marriage to Natasha represents the culmination of a life of moral and spiritual questioning. Andrew Bolkonski - The intelligent, disciplined, and ambitious son of the retired military commander Prince Bolkonski. Andrew is coldly analytical and resistant to flights of emotion. Lonely after the death of his wife, Lise, he falls in love with Natasha, but is unable to forgive her momentary passion for Anatole.

Andrew, though as noble a soul as Pierre, differs from his friend in important ways that make him a very distinct character, and that illustrate Tolstoys philosophy of life. Andrew has a highly intelligent and analytical mind, as we see in the profitable way he runs his estate. He is devoted to his country, returning to active duty even after nearly being killed at Austerlitz, and spending months helping Speranski write a new civil code for Russia. Andrew, though often detached, is emotionally honest and willing to examine mysteries in himself, as we see in his frank admission early in the novel that he is dissatisfied with marriage to his virtuous and lovely wife, Lise. But Andrews flaw is a spiritual one: his detachment is an intellectual advantage, but an emotional handicap. Andrew is free from Pierres disabling search for the meaning of life, but he is also unable to forge deep and lasting connections with others, and unwilling to forgive their misdeeds. When Andrew is first introduced, Pierre touches his arm; Andrew instinctively flinches, disliking the contact. This physical reaction reflects Andrews inability to be touched by others throughout his life. Ultimately, he is a lonely individual whom even the love of Natasha cannot save. Lise Bolkonskaya - Andrews angelic wife, who dies in childbirth. Prince Bolkonski - Andrews father, a stodgy and old-fashioned recluse who lives in the country after his retirement from the army and subsequent retreat from social life. The old prince, cynical about modern life, is stern and sometimes cruel toward his daughter Mary. In the war with Napoleon, he returns to active military service, but dies as the French approach his estate. Mary Bolkonskaya - The lonely, plain, and long-suffering daughter of Prince Bolkonski. Princess Mary cares for her father, enduring his cruel treatment with Christian forgiveness. In the end, Nicholas Rostov weds Mary and saves her from an unhappy solitude.

Mademoiselle Bourienne - The French companion of Princess Mary, who lives with her on the Bolkonski estate. Mademoiselle Bourienne becomes the object of the old princes affections shortly before his death. Julie Karagina - Marys friend and pen pal. Julie, an heiress, lives in Moscow and eventually marries Boris. Count Ilya Rostov - A loving, friendly, and financially carefree nobleman who lives with his large family at Otradnoe, their estate south of Moscow. The old count piles up debts through luxurious living, eventually depriving his children of their inheritancea failing for which he seeks his childrens forgiveness before he dies. Countess Natalya Rostova - Count Rostovs wife. The countess is as neglectful of money matters as her husband, maintaining standards of luxury that prove a burden to her son Nicholas when he supports her after the counts death. The death of her youngest son, Petya, deeply affects the countess, sinking her into a gloom from which she never again emerges. Natasha Rostova - The lively and irrepressible daughter of the Rostov family, who charms everyone she meets. Natasha falls in love with a series of men and then becomes seriously committed to Andrew, though she ruins the relationship by engaging in a brief tryst with Anatole Kuragin. Eventually, Natasha marries Pierre and becomes a stout, unkempt matron. Natasha is one of Tolstoys grandest creations, a representation of joyful vitality and the ability to experience life fully and boldly. The antithesis of Helene Kuragina, her eventual husbands first wife, Natasha is as lively and spontaneous as Helene is stony and scheming. From infancy to adulthood, Natasha charms everyone who meets her, from the guests of the

Rostovs who witness her unintelligible comments about her doll, to Andrew Bolkonski, Anatole Kuragin, and finally Pierre Bezukhov. Yet, despite her charms, Natasha never comes across as a show-off or a flirt angling for mens attentions. Whether running in the fields in a yellow dress, singing on her balcony at Otradnoe, or simply sitting in an opera box, Natasha inspires desire simply by being herself, by existing in her own unique way. Her simplicity sometimes makes her nave, however, as when she misunderstands her momentary passion for Anatole and makes absurd plans to elope with him. But Natasha repents her error with a sincerity that elicits forgiveness even from the wronged Andrew on his deathbed. Natashas spiritual development is not as philosophical or bookish as Pierres, but it is just as profound. She changes radically by the end of the novel, growing wise in a way that makes her Pierres spiritual equal. Nicholas Rostov - The impetuous, eldest Rostov son, who joins the Russian forces in 1805 and spends much of the novel on the front. Nicholas accumulates gambling debts that become burdensome for his family. However, we see his commitment to his family upon his fathers death, when he supports his mother and cousin Sonya on his meager salary while continuing to pay off the familys debts. Nicholas eventually marries the heiress Mary, saving his family from financial ruin. Sonya Rostova - The humble cousin of Natasha and Nicholas, who lives with the Rostovs as a ward. Sonya and Nicholas were childhood sweethearts, but as adults, Sonya generously gives up Nicholas so that he can marry a rich woman and save the Rostov finances. Petya Rostov - The youngest Rostov son, who begs to join the Russian army. Petya, who is close to Natasha and beloved by his mother, is killed in partisan fighting after the French begin their withdrawal from Moscow.

Vera Rostova - The eldest Rostov daughter. Vera is a somewhat cold, unpleasant young woman, and her only proposal of marriage comes from the officer Berg, who is candid about his need for her dowry. Vasili Kuragin - An artificial and untrustworthy Russian nobleman, and a special friend of Anna Pavlovna. Vasili continually tries to maneuver his children into lucrative marriages. Anatole Kuragin - Vasilis roguish and spendthrift son, who is on the hunt for a rich wife. Anatole falls for Natasha Rostova at the opera, causing her rift with Andrew Bolkonski. Helene Kuragina - Vasilis cold, imperious, and beautiful daughter, who seduces Pierre into marriage, only to take up with another man immediately. Helene, though known in social circles as a witty woman, is actually stupid and shallow. Hippolyte Kuragin - The ugly and undistinguished brother of Helene and Anatole. Princess Anna Mikhaylovna Drubetskaya - A woman from an illustrious old family who is nonetheless impoverished. Anna Mikhaylovna is dominated by thoughts of securing a good future for her son Boris. She extracts a promise from Vasili Kuragin that he will help Boris get an officers position in the army. Boris Drubetskoy - Anna Mikhaylovnas son, a poor but ambitious friend of Nicholas Rostov. Boris fights to establish a career for himself, using connections and his own intelligence and talents. Though he flirts with the young Natasha, as an adult he seeks a bigger fortune, eventually marrying an heiress. Dolokhov - A handsome Russian army officer and friend of Nicholas. Dolokhov carries on with Helene, prompting Pierre to challenge him to a duel in which Pierre nearly kills him.

Denisov - A short, hairy, good-looking friend of Nicholas who accompanies him to Moscow on home leave and later falls for Sonya. Denisov is later court-martialed for seizing army food provisions to feed his men. Speranski - A brilliant liberal advisor to the tsar. Speranski attempts to reform and modernize the Russian state until his fall from grace. Bagration - A Russian military commander. General Kutuzov - An old, one-eyed general who leads the Russians to military success at Borodino, but who falls from favor toward the end of his life. Kutuzov is characterized by a spirituality and humility that contrast sharply with Napoleons vanity and logic. The commander of the Russian forces against Napoleon, Kutuzov is old, fat, and oneeyedhardly the archetypal image of military leadership. Yet Kutuzov is a brilliant strategist as well as a practiced philosopher of human nature, and Tolstoys respect for him is greater than for any other government functionary among the French or Russiansgreater even than his respect for the somewhat oblivious Tsar Alexander. Kutuzov is humble and spiritual, in sharp contrast to the vain and self-absorbed Napoleon with his cold use of logic. After the Battle of Borodino, Kutuzov stops at a church procession and kneels in gratitude to a holy icon, demonstrating a humility of which Napoleon certainly would be incapable. Kutuzov is motivated by personal belief rather than the desire for acceptance, which makes his final fall from grace only a minor tragedy for him. Whereas Napoleon is always convinced of being absolutely right, Kutuzov is more realistic and wary about the state of things. He hesitates to declare a Russian victory at Borodino despite the

obvious advantages of doing so, partly because the experiences of his long career have proved that reality is always more complex than one initially thinks. Such awareness of the mysteries of existence win Kutuzov ourand Tolstoys approval. Platon Karataev - Though Platon Karataev makes only a brief appearance in a few chapters of this immense novel, he has won an admiration from readers and critics that has endured from the publication of War and Peace through the Soviet period and up to the present day. One of the few peasants in the novel to whom Tolstoy gives deep, individualized characterization, Platon represents the authors ideal of the simple, life-affirming philosophy of the Russian peasantry (Platon is the Russian name for Plato, the Greek philosopher). Platon lives in the moment, forgetful of the past and oblivious of the future, to the extent that he cannot even remember what he said a few minutes earlier. His affinity with animals, like the little dog accompanying the Russian political prisoners, suggests that he too lives by instinct rather than by reason. He spouts Russian proverbs that resound with wisdom. Overall, this characterization of an extraordinarily happy human being contrasts sharply with Pierre, who has been depressed and confused for dozens of chapters when he meets Platon. Platon thus appears as a kind of answer to Pierres long spiritual questionings, living proof that the human search for contentment can be a successful one.

Napoleon - The small, plump, and extremely arrogant French emperor and military leader who invades Russia. Napoleon embodies self-serving rationalization and vainglory in the novel, and he is shocked by the French defeat at Borodino.