Pierre Bezukhov By Leo Tolstoy

Pierre Bezukhov By Leo Tolstoy

For his epic novel, Tolstoy selected the title War and Peace. But this title does not seem to have any connection with the heart of the novel. The book may deal with life in both war and peace, but there is much more to it than that. Tolstoy should have followed the pattern he started in later books, like Anna Karenina and The Death of Ivan Ilyich, and given his book the title Pierre Bezukhov. This title works because Pierre fills the role of the book’s principal character more than any other person, and he embodies and personifies both Tolstoy’s historical and ethical philosophies.

The first thing to be established is why Pierre, more than any other character in this book, is the main character. In order for someone to qualify as the main character, they must play an integral part in the progression of the story, express or encompass some of the book’s major themes, and be involved in the majority of the story. The only characters in War and Peace who may fit these qualifications are Pierre, Andrew, and Natasha. While Andrew and Natasha may fit these characteristics, for different reasons they cannot be considered the main characters. Thus, the reader is left with Pierre alone as a potential main character.

Pierre’s search for meaning in life becomes the central theme of the novel and reflects Tolstoy’s own moral philosophies. Tolstoy advocates simplicity. He famously states: “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” The importance of individual change is an idea that Pierre realizes in the course of the novel. Pierre’s attempts to effect societal change before changing himself result in failure, as evident in the episode with the Freemasons.

Pierre’s initiation into Freemasonry acts as a temporary remedy for his questioning. Filled with the idealistic tenets of the Masons, Pierre adopts a savior complex and attempts to live up to his new identity by liberating his serfs. Pierre’s excitement to put these plans into action causes him to deny the obstacles he faces and the obvious impracticality of the endeavor. Ultimately, Pierre does not find the spiritual fulfillment he was looking for in Masonic life, and his questions return, burning more than ever. His disillusionment stems from the contrast between the Masonic ideals, and its practice. Tolstoy writes, “Pierre began to feel dissatisfied with what he was doing. Freemasonry, at any rate as he saw it here, sometimes seemed to him based merely on externals. He did not think of doubting Freemasonry itself, but suspected that Russian Masonry had taken a wrong path and deviated from its original principles” (Tolstoy 382). Pierre’s assessment of the situation reflects Tolstoy’s own thoughts about the Masons, mentioned in the footnote on page 311: they had admirable ideals, but their methods were too complex and ineffective.

Before meeting Platón, Pierre is brought to his spiritual low point by the executions he witnesses: “Though he did not acknowledge it to himself, his faith in the right ordering of the universe, in humanity, in his own soul, and in God, had been destroyed…he felt that the universe had crumbled before his eyes and only meaningless ruins remained, and this not by any fault of his own” (856). Pierre had to be reduced to nothing in order to erase all his previous acquired notions about life, goodness, and happiness and open his heart to a new doctrine.

Platón’s philosophies and actions influence Pierre on a profound level. Platón’s simple statement: “I say things happen not as we plan but as God judges,” (858) makes Pierre realize that it does not fall upon his shoulders to save the world, but rather that the power of all rests in the hands of God. As opposed to feeling like a sinking man in a bog, as Pierre did when he was with the Masons, Platón’s simplistic philosophy gives Pierre a sense of “unshakeable foundations” (859). In an ironic twist, Pierre’s new conception of the immortal soul releases him from the fear of death that prevented him from fully devoting himself to the Masons. Pierre is no longer overcome with the emotional burden of saving those around him, which is marked by his oversight of Platón’s death. His question, “what for?” is answered by God, and he realizes that the only person he can change is himself.

Following Platón’s example, he discovers that meaning in life consists of God in Heaven and his love for Natasha on Earth. The path of Pierre’s love life also mirrors Tolstoy’s philosophies. Tolstoy emphasizes the spiritual connections between people. Pierre’s marriage with Helene is false in that he has no spiritual connection with her, feeling no true love for her. Instead, he is intoxicated with her beauty and falls victim to lust. Before he finds himself trapped in marriage, he muses: “There is something nasty, something wrong, in the feeling she excites in me….and while he was thinking of her worthlessness he was also dreaming of how she would be his wife, how she would love him and become quite different, and how all he had thought and heard of her might be false” (180). Pierre’s turbulent relationship with Helene, separating and reuniting with her, always results from the hope that their condition will change. Helene’s death liberates Pierre and allows him to move forward in his spiritual regeneration.

When Pierre finally unites with Natasha, he does not try to change her. The spiritual connection they discover with each other rejuvenates both of them, and in their state of union they are able to prosper. Finally, after going through a period of personal change, Pierre is finally able to effect change on a grander scale by becoming involved in politics.

Finally, Pierre is the work's main character because he embodies Tolstoy's philosophy of history. In the first chapters of several of the books, Tolstoy speaks outside of the context of the novel. In these sections the author's genuine philosophical and theological understandings come through. There are two major themes that dominate Tolstoy's philosophy of history: (1) the term “great men” is a misnomer, as there are no such “great men” in the general connotation of this term, and (2) that all of history is predestined, i.e. the doctrine of fatalism. His ruminations on these themes are especially evident in book nine, where he explicitly denies the existence of great men. Tolstoy writes “To us, their descendants, who are not historians and are not carried away by the process of research and can therefore regard the event with unclouded common sense, and incalculable number of causes present themselves (536).” He goes on to write “In historic events, the so-called great men are labels giving names to events, and like labels they have but the smallest connection with the event itself (538).” It is in this same section where he explicitly espouses fatalism. He asserts, “We are forced to fall back on fatalism as an explanation of irrational events (that is to say, events the reasonableness of which we do not understand) (537).” Pierre Bezukhov is Tolstoy's ideal of the fatalistic, non-great man and thus the perfect title for this work.

There are several instances that illustrate this point about Pierre. Throughout the book it seems as though Pierre is driven by fate rather than free will. Whenever he tries to assert himself, i.e. when he tries to free his serfs, or when he intends to assassinate Napoleon, his efforts fail. He gains and loses his fortune entirely with the help of forces outside his control. He falls into and out of faith with the Masonic tradition easily. His attempt to free the serfs is perhaps the prime moment that makes this point. When Pierre attempts to be a progressive, “great man” by enacting societal change on a large scale, the effects are disastrous. It should be noted that around the time this novel was to have taken place there was great societal upheaval in Russia and the serfs did gain their freedom. This was not the work of any one great man but instead had no cause. The serfs were fated to free themselves, and this event unraveled according to the “laws of history (732)”.

Ultimately for Tolstoy, history's inexplicable nature can only be explained by God. It seems that Pierre typifies Tolstoy's own search for God, in his search for the central meaning of life. His search concludes in his marriage with Natasha. In this marriage he becomes free of irrational impulses that have plagued him throughout the novel, and he begins to lead a moral and spiritual life.

While it is apparent that Pierre fits all the characteristics of a main character, it remains to be discussed why neither Andrew nor Natasha can be considered the main characters. Andrew cannot be seen as the main character of War and Peace because he is overly-reliant on reason. He often seems to be trapped in his own thoughts and rarely allows himself to be guided by his passions. Everything must be explainable and looked at in a broad scope for Andrew. He never develops any sort of emotional, changing connection that is central to Tolstoy’s philosophy. The only relationship he has, with Natasha, seems to be of little importance to Andrew and does not affect him deeply when it ends.

When he is thinking of love, he claims that “he did not need anything of that kind...nor understood anything of the sort” (692). Andrew experiences a change at the end of the novel, but Tolstoy makes this change feel artificial. Even at his death, Andrew looks at everything in a broad, historical scope and can never reach an understanding of personal connection.

Natasha's problem is the opposite of Andrew’s. She too often acts impulsively and follows her desires. Rarely does she think things through before she acts. She whimsically moves from man to man without great thought and does not see or understand the deeper, more philosophical issues in the world around her. Natasha is also a generally stagnant character. When she married Pierre, “all who had known Natasha before her marriage wondered at the change in her” (1020). She does not undergo any major change until she meets Pierre.

Thus the only character in War and Peace that can justifiably be called the main character is Pierre. Pierre is a balance between Andrew's reason and Natasha's passion, using both as a guide to his actions. As the novel progresses, he learns how to use each of the traits at the appropriate moment. Pierre makes many mistakes over the course of the book, but he learns from them and eventually experiences a change within himself and uses this new realization to bring change to Natasha and other characters in the novel. Tolstoy presents Pierre’s struggle and movement toward faith as redemptive and positive. For these reasons, Pierre Bezukhov, and not War and Peace, is the more adequate title for Tolstoy’s novel.

-Rob Gallic, Tim Gallo, and Alyssa Novak