Critique of Finding War in Peace

Critique of Finding War in Peace

Critique of Finding War in Peace: Andrew’s Journey of Introspection

Firstly, I thought that paper focused not on the finding of war in peace, but rather the finding of peace in war. I think that this title implies a different argument than the one that was laid out in the paper.

I thought the paper also didn’t make enough of an effort to explain why war was a necessary occurrence for peace to ensue. They discuss Andrew’s contemplative and transcendental moments that occur during various points in the war, but these passages seemed to make more of a statement concerning Andrew’s character than the necessity of war to bring about such realizations. I think that a compelling argument concerning the necessity of war in human life and in Andrew’s intellectual journey would have been interesting and could have added more merit to the argument that they were trying to convey.

Also, I think that Tolstoy himself would take issue with having a “title character.” One of the main themes of the work is the falsity of the “great man.” I don’t think that makig Andrew a title character is equivalent to making him a great man, but I do think that Tolstoy wanted to stress the impact of everyman on the course of history and human events. By focusing on one particular character this crucial theme is completely ignored.