Who is Nicholas in war and peace. Composition Nikolai Rostov in the novel War and Peace (Image and Characteristics)

Nikolai Rostov is the son of Count Ilya Ilyich Rostov, an officer, a man of honor. At the beginning of the novel, Nikolai leaves the university and goes to serve in the Pavlograd hussar regiment. He was distinguished by courage and courage, although in the Shengraben battle he, having no idea of ​​the war, rushes too bravely into the attack, therefore, seeing a Frenchman in front of him, throws a weapon at him and rushes to run, as a result of which he is wounded in the arm. But this episode does not speak of his cowardice, it is just that in the face of danger, Nikolai could not make a decision. In all further battles, he showed himself heroically, for which he was awarded the St. George's Cross. The war tempered him very much and he became a real hussar, loyal to his country and remaining loyal to the sovereign.

Rostov was a noble and selfless person. Nicholas fell in love with Princess Mary, but could not break his given word to Sonya that he would marry her, and although his parents were against it, since they wanted him to find a rich bride, he still decided to marry a dowry woman. But Sonya sends him a letter in which she frees him from promises and gives him freedom. After the death of the count, Nicholas did not abandon the inheritance, but he got only debts. He believed that it was his duty to pay off the bills and take care of his mother and Sonya. The Rostovs became completely impoverished, they had to sell the estate and move to live in a small apartment, the countess hints to Nikolai that the way out of the predicament is a wedding with the princess. Nikolai does not even admit such a thought: he loves Marya, but if he marries her, then in society they will say that he married for convenience, and he considers it shameful. It's good that Marya loved him too, and they got married. After the wedding, Nikolai became the best owner, his estate flourished and brought in a huge income. As before, Nikolai devoted himself with all his heart to serving the country, so now he devoted himself to serving his family and household.

ROSTOV NIKOLAY Ilyich - the hero of the novel by L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace".

The character of the epic novel by L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace", count, son of the rich Moscow count Ilya Andreevich Rostov and Countess Natalya, who lived in "a large, well-known house in all of Moscow ... on Povarskaya," Vera's younger brother and Natasha and Petya Rostov's older brother. We first meet him at a dinner in the Rostovs' house on the occasion of the birthday of the Countess of the mother and daughter. It is a beautiful " short curly young man with an open expression on his face ", on which " swiftness and enthusiasm were expressed ". He is a student, but dreams of a military career, to which " feels a calling", And therefore leaves the university and goes into military service, when in 1805 Napoleon's war against Austria and Russia began. His friend Boris Drubetskoy, thanks to the troubles of influential relatives, enters the army as a guard officer, and Nikolai, for whom there is "no one to plead", as a cadet. Nikolai is full of patriotic feelings. " I am convinced , - he says at dinner with the Rostovs, - h then Russians must die, die or win ».

Nikolai is in love with his second cousin Sonya, who lives in the Rostovs' house. " Sonya! I don't need the whole world! You are all for me ", - he warmly admits to his beloved. Nicholas "rewrites her poems, the first time he wrote." From the description of the Rostovs' dinner we learn about Nikolai's musicality. “At the request of the guests,” he sang the Klyuch quartet with Natasha, Vera and Sonya, which everyone liked very much; then Nikolai sang the song he had learned again: "On a pleasant night, in the moonlight ..."

Tolstoy constantly emphasizes the best spiritual qualities of Nikolai. Thus, Julie's letter to Princess Maria Bolkonskaya says about him: “ In a young man ... there is so much nobility, true youth, which you meet so rarely in our age between our twenty-year-olds! He especially has so much frankness and heart. He is so pure and full of poetry ... »

In the Pavlograd hussar regiment, where Nikolai entered as a cadet, he was completely happy. " Heart friend», « buddy"He turns to the messenger with a request to lead the horse out," with that fraternal cheerful tenderness with which good young people treat everyone when they are happy. " He has the same relationship with the owner of the house, where Nikolai is on the watch. Here is how Tolstoy writes about their fleeting meeting: “Although there was no reason for particular joy either for the German who was cleaning his cowshed, or for Rostov, who drove with a platoon for hay, these two people looked at each other with happy delight and brotherly love, shook their heads as a sign of mutual love and, smiling, parted - the German in the cowshed, and Rostov in the hut, which he occupied with Denisov. "
And yet the harsh reality of life, into which Nikolai plunged, violates the harmony of cloudless happiness created by the romantic ideas of a young man who grew up in an atmosphere of prosperity, mutual friendship and respect that reigned in the Rostov family. He exposes officer Telyanin, who stole a purse with money from Denisov, and in disgust throws the purse that was taken away to him (“If you need it, take it ...”).

This conflict continues. The straightforward Nikolai accused the thief officer publicly. The regiment commander, taking care of the prestige of the unit, accused Nikolai of lying. According to the law of noble ethics, Nikolai challenged the commander to a duel. “... Yes, I'm not a diplomat. Then I joined the hussars and went, I thought that there was no need for subtleties, but he tells me that I am lying ... ”- he explains to the officers of the regiment, persuading Nikolai to apologize to the commander. Having understood the truth of the officers, Nikolai with tears in his eyes admits his "guilt", but categorically refuses to apologize. “Gentlemen, I will do everything, no one will hear a word from me ... but I cannot apologize, by God, I cannot, as you want! How am I going to apologize, like a little one, ask for forgiveness? "

Having found himself in battle for the first time, Nikolay " had the happy look of a student, summoned before a large audience for an exam, in which he is sure that he will excel. He clearly and brightly looked around at everyone, as if asking to pay attention to how he calmly stood under the bullets". In response to the approving hail and smile of the squadron commander, Denisov Nikolay “ felt completely happy". Taking part in the execution of the order by the squadron to light the bridge, "he was afraid ... that he would keep up ... he ran, trying only to be ahead of everyone ... at the very bridge ... stumbling, fell into his hands." On the bridge, Nikolai stopped in confusion, “not knowing what to do. There was no one to chop ... he could not help in lighting the bridge, because he did not take with him, like other soldiers, a bundle of straw. He stood and looked around. " The enemy began to fire grapeshot at the hussar.

The wounded fell with a groan. At this moment of mortal danger, Nikolai saw the surrounding beautiful nature, the water of the Danube, the sky, the monastery, gorges, pine forests, where "it is quiet, happy." "Nothing, nothing I would want ... if only I were there," thought Rostov. - In me alone and in this sun there is so much happiness, but here ... groans, suffering, fear and this ambiguity, this haste ... Here again they are shouting something, and again everyone ran back somewhere, and I run with them, and here it is, here it is, death, above me, around me ... An instant - and I will never see this sun, this water, this gorge .... " “Lord God! The one who is there in this sky, save, forgive and protect me! " - Rostov whispered to himself. "

When the danger has passed, he is seriously worried about his state ("... I am a coward, yes, I am a coward") and is glad that "no one noticed this." "Indeed, no one noticed anything, because everyone was familiar with the feeling that the unfired cadet experienced for the first time."

Soon Nikolai again participates in the battle and here he hopes to "taste the delight of the attack, about which he has heard so much from his comrade-hussars." "Oh, how I slash ... Get caught now whoever is," he thinks. But reality turned out to be simpler, more everyday and more dramatic than dreams. Under Nicholas, a horse was killed in the attack, he was wounded in the left arm, French soldiers approached him to capture or kill. All this seems to the young man, almost a boy, a bad dream. "Who are they? Why are they running? Really to me? Are they really running to me? And why? Kill me? Me, whom everyone loves so much? " Nikolai escaped by "grabbing a pistol ... and threw it at the Frenchman and ran to the bushes, which was strength ... with the feeling of a hare running away from the dogs."

After a while, the enthusiastic young man transforms into a pale hussar cadet, one hand supporting the other, wounded. During the retreat of the army, Nikolai asks Captain Tushin to put him on the gun. “For God's sake, I cannot go. For God's sake!" Nikolay “has repeatedly asked to sit somewhere and got rejections everywhere”. And only Captain Tushin ordered to put the Wounded Junker on the gun, from which they laid down the dead officer. “A feverish shiver from pain, cold and dampness shook his whole body. Sleep beckoned him irresistibly, but he could not fall asleep from the excruciating pain in his aching arm, which could not find position, "- this is how Tolstoy describes Nikolai's condition. Not receiving medical care, experiencing severe physical suffering at the night's rest, a feeling of uselessness and loneliness, remembering a loving mother, family care, a warm home, he thought: "And why did I come here!"

However, everything ended well. In the middle of winter the Rostovs received a letter from Nikolai. “The letter briefly described a campaign and two battles ... being promoted to officer ...” The letter aroused admiration of the mother: “Nothing about myself! .. About some Denisov ... He does not write anything about his sufferings. What a heart! .. And how I remembered everyone! I have not forgotten anyone. " Nikolai has already been awarded the soldier's St.George Cross.
Tolstoy constantly compares Nikolai with his peer and friend Boris, and this comparison is always in favor of Nikolai. If, when meeting with Boris, he talks "about his hussar revelry and combat life," then Boris "about the pleasantness and benefits of serving under the command of high-ranking officials." Nikolai tosses under the table "a letter of recommendation to Prince Bagration", sent by the old princess to her son, so that he can use it. He does not want to go to anybody to be an adjutant, calling this position a lackey, while Boris, in his words, "would like, and very much, to become an adjutant, and not remain in the front" service, we must try to make, if possible, a brilliant career. "

At the same time, Nikolai is not idealized either. So, telling his friends about the Shengraben affair, he portrayed it “as it was more beautiful to tell”, but not at all the way it was. “Rostov was a true young man,” the author notes, “he would never deliberately tell a lie. He began to tell with the intention of telling everything exactly how it was, but imperceptibly, involuntarily and inevitably for himself, he turned into a lie ... Telling the truth is very difficult, and young people are rarely capable of it. " Moreover, the friends were waiting for just such a story and they would not have believed the truth.

Nikolai is endowed with both subtlety and spiritual sensitivity. During the meeting with Andrei Bolkonsky and the quarrel with him, which almost ended in a challenge, in his soul, along with the resentment of the soldier towards the adjutant, "respect for the calmness of this figure" arose in his soul. After the skirmish, he "felt with surprise that of all the people he knew, he would not have so much desired to have his friend as this hated adjutant."

Obviously, Bolkonsky also felt in Nicholas a more meaningful and noble person than others, for he remained restrained and calm in a skirmish with him, not allowing a quarrel to flare up. At the review of the Austrian and Russian troops, Nikolai, " standing in the front ranks of the Kutuzov army, to which the sovereign approached the first, felt ... a feeling of self-forgetfulness, a proud consciousness of power and a passionate attraction to the one who was the cause of this triumph". When Alexander approached at a distance of twenty steps, "he experienced a feeling of tenderness and delight ... Every feature, every movement - seemed to him charming in the sovereign." “If only the sovereign turned to me! Thought Rostov. "I would die of happiness." "How happy I would be if he told me to throw myself into the fire now." It was at such a moment, seeing Andrei Bolkonsky in the emperor's retinue, that Nicholas decided not to summon him. “Is it worth thinking and talking about it at such a moment as now? In a moment of such a feeling of love, delight and selflessness, what do all our quarrels and grievances mean ?! I love everyone, I forgive everyone now, ”thought Rostov. This feeling of love for everyone is prevalent in Nikolai's character throughout the novel. Sometimes this feeling turns into a paradoxical form. Rostov sees the emperor, who, “leaning on one side, holding a golden lorgnette with a graceful gesture to his eye, looked into him at a soldier lying prone, without a shako, with a bloody head. The wounded soldier was so unclean, rude and nasty that Rostov was offended by his closeness to the sovereign.

At a friendly feast, three days after the show, Nicholas proposes "a toast to the health of the sovereign, but not the sovereign emperor, as they say at official dinners ... but to the health of the sovereign, a kind, charming and great man ..." Denisov ("there is no one to fall in love with on the campaign, so he fell in love with the tsar") Nikolai shouted: "Denisov, don't joke with that, this is such a high, such a wonderful feeling, such ..."

"He really was in love with the tsar, and the glory of Russian arms, and the hope of a future triumph ... Nine-tenths of the people of the Russian army at that time were in love, albeit less enthusiastically, with their tsar and the glory of Russian arms." Nicholas' subsequent participation in the war reveals an experienced warrior in him. He commands horse reconnaissance, to which Bagration himself is summoned, and carries out it carefully, overcoming the temptation to travel on a safe road, being subjected to shelling. Having reported the result of reconnaissance to Bagration, he asked him to be seconded to the first squadron, since his squadron was “assigned to reserves”. Bagration leaves Nicholas with him as an orderly. For Nicholas, this appointment is by no means an opportunity to make a career, but the hope of participating in a battle and, if he is lucky, demonstrating his loyalty to the king. “Tomorrow, very likely, they will be sent with some order to the emperor,” he thought. - Thank God!"

And so it happened. Bagration sends Nicholas with an assignment to the commander-in-chief or the sovereign. In the confusion of the defeat and flight of the Russian troops, he meets Alexander "in the middle of an empty field" in a miserable state, who did not dare to jump over a ditch on a horse. The delicacy of Nicholas did not allow him to approach the sovereign at such a moment (“ I seem to be glad to take advantage of the fact that he is alone and in despondency. An unknown face can seem unpleasant and heavy to him at this moment of sadness, and then, what can I tell him now, when at one glance at him my heart stops and my mouth dries up? - thinks Nikolay. - No, resolutely I should not drive up to him, should not disturb his thoughtfulness ...»).

Assistance to the sovereign was provided by another officer, and Nicholas had only to repent of his excessive scrupulousness.

In early 1806, Nikolai came home on vacation. "Sonya is already sixteen years old." At home, Nikolai "was very happy with the love that was shown to him." He defines his attitude to Sonya for himself as follows: "I do not take back my word in anything ... And then, Sonya is so lovely that what kind of fool would give up her happiness?" And at the same time, he is not ready to marry her. “Now there are so many other joys and activities! .. We must remain free,” he decides. “During this short stay of Rostov in Moscow, before leaving for the army, he did not become close, but, on the contrary, parted with Sonya ...

He was at that time of his youth, when it seems so many things that there is no time to do it, and the young man is afraid to get involved - he values ​​his freedom, which he needs for many other things. "

Having gone through emotional turmoil, participation in battles, injury, Nikolai did not lose the romantic and sentimental ideas of youth. At a dinner in the English Club hosted by Count Ilya Andreyevich Rostov, "the enthusiastic voice of young Rostov," shouting hurray after the toast to the health of the Emperor, "was heard over all three hundred voices. He almost cried. "

The history of relations with Dolokhov testifies to the kind heart of Nikolai, capable of understanding and participation. "To his great surprise," he learns, after Dolokhov was wounded in a duel with Pierre, where Nikolai was Dolokhov's second, that "this brawler, a brute ... lived in Moscow with an old mother and a hunchbacked sister and was the most tender son and brother." Nikolai "became especially good friends with him during his recovery from injury." He introduced Dolokhov to his house, where "a special atmosphere of love was started at that time" and where everyone liked him, "except for Natasha," who considered Dolokhov "angry and without feelings." "You have to understand what kind of soul this Dolokhov has, you have to see him with his mother, this is such a heart!" Her brother objected. And Dolokhov mercilessly and deliberately beat him at cards for forty-three thousand and tried to trade Sonya with him. For Nikolai, this was a difficult life lesson. “After all, he knows,” he says to himself, “what this loss means to me. Can't he wish for my destruction? After all, he was my friend. After all, I loved him ... "

This dramatic episode revealed both the spiritual subtlety and spiritual wealth of Nicholas. Listening to Natasha's beautiful singing in the evening after the loss, he enjoyed her voice. " Eh, our life is stupid ! - thought Nikolay. - All this, and misfortune, and money, and Dolokhov, and anger, and honor - all this is nonsense ... but here it is ... "And he," without noticing that he was singing ... took the second in a third of a high note ... "" Oh, how this third trembled and how something better that was in Rostov's soul moved. And this something was independent of everything in the world and above everything in the world. What losses are there, and Dolokhovs, and honestly! .. All nonsense! .. "

Nikolai confessed to his father that he had lost, considering “himself a scoundrel, a scoundrel who could not atone for his crime for his whole life. He would like to kiss his father's hands, on his knees to ask for his forgiveness, but he said in a casual and even rude tone that this happens to everyone. " When the father did not even reproach his son with a word and “went out of the room”, “Daddy! Pa ... hemp! - he shouted after him, sobbing, - forgive me! "And, seizing his father's hand, he pressed his lips to it and began to cry." Returning from vacation to his Pavlograd regiment, Nicholas experienced joy and reassurance, similar to those that a tired person feels when lying down for rest. " Now he decided "to make amends, serve well and be a completely excellent comrade and officer ... that he will pay ... the debt to his parents in five years", taking only two of the sent "ten thousand a year", and the rest "Provide parents for
payment of debt ".

The Pavlograd regiment was in serious condition. He stood for a long time "near a desolate German empty village" without provisions. From hunger and disease, the regiment lost almost half of its people. "The common cause of the war was going badly." Once Nikolai found in an abandoned village "the family of an old Pole and his daughter with a baby." He brought them to his apartment and "for several weeks ... kept", which caused ridicule of one of the officers and a quarrel with him, which almost led to a duel. “She is like a sister to me ...” - Nikolai explained his relationship to the Polish woman to the commander and friend Denisov. Denisov “hit him on the shoulder and quickly began to walk around the room, not looking at Rostov, which he did in moments of emotional excitement. “What a stupid breed of yours, Rostov,” he said, and Rostov noticed tears in Denisov’s eyes. ”

In 1809, Nikolai already commanded a squadron in the Pavlograd regiment. He "became coarse, a kind fellow ... was loved and respected by his comrades, subordinates and superiors, and ... was content with his life." Letters from home informed about the financial distress of the family and the need for his arrival, which Nikolai kept postponing, although he felt that “sooner or later he would have to re-enter that maelstrom of life with disorders and corrections of affairs, with records of managers, quarrels, intrigues, connections , with society, with Sonya's love and promises to her. " Finally, he arrived, trying to put things in order at home in the household, but he did not succeed, and he “no longer got into business,” although he made one of the important and indicative decisions for him. “Once the countess ... told him that she had Anna Mikhailovna's bill for two thousand and asked ... what he thought to do with him. “Here's how,” Nikolai answered. - ... I do not love Anna Mikhailovna and I do not love Boris, but they were friendly with us and poor ... "- and he tore up the bill, and with this act, with tears of joy, he made the old countess weep."

The only thing that really captures Nicholas in the village is hunting with hounds. Hunting helps him to bond with his sister. It is on the hunt that he experiences, perhaps, the greatest uplift in his life. “Only once in my life would I hunt a hardened wolf, I don’t want to anymore!” - he thought, straining his ears and eyes ... He looked ... to the right and saw that something was running towards him across the deserted field. "No, it can't be!" - thought Rostov, sighing heavily, as a man sighs when doing what was long expected of him. The greatest happiness was accomplished - and so simply, without noise, without brilliance, without commemoration. " After a whole day spent by Nikolai and Natasha with their uncle in his village, a fun evening with a guitar, singing and dancing, when both felt themselves to be very happy people, they mentally gave each other characteristics (“What a charm, this is my Natasha! I am not and will not be. Why would she marry? Everyone would go with her! "" What a charm this Nikolai! "- thought Natasha).

The financial situation of the Rostovs' house was getting worse. The old Count Ilya Andreevich was completely confused in matters. “The Countess, with a loving heart, felt that her children were going broke ... and looked for means to help the cause. From her feminine point of view, there was only one remedy - the marriage of Nikolai to a rich bride. " She found a suitable match for her son - Julie Karagin - and began to probe her son, what he thought about it. Nikolai's answer did not reassure his mother: “... If I loved a girl without fortune, would you really demand ... that I sacrifice feeling and honor for the fortune? "He reflects on this:" Because Sonya is poor, so I cannot love her, cannot answer her faithful, devoted love? .. "It ended with Nikolai" declaring to his mother his love for Sonya and his firm decision to marry her. " His parents refused to bless him. In the end, through Natasha's efforts, the family conflict was muted by the fact that Nikolai "received a promise from his mother that Sonya would not be oppressed, and he himself made a promise that he would not do anything secretly from his parents." He left for the regiment with the firm intention to retire, "come and marry Sonya." In 1811, Nikolai received a letter from home about Natasha's illness and her break with Prince Andrei. The letter asked him to retire and come home. But "the opening of the campaign delayed Rostov and prevented him from coming."

He was promoted to captain and "devoted himself entirely to the pleasures and interests of military service." On July 13, the regiment "had to be in serious business." “Now he did not feel the slightest feeling of fear ... He learned to control his soul in the face of danger. He is used to thinking about everything, going into business, excluding what, it seemed, would be more interesting than anything else - about the impending danger. " At one of the moments of the battle, Nikolai intuitively felt the necessary time for the attack, when it could be successful, and without a command from above, “jumped ahead of the squadron, and before he had time to command the movement, the whole squadron, having experienced the same as he did, set off after him ". Pursuing the enemy, Nikolai, for the first time hitting a man with a saber, wounded a French officer. "The instant he did this, all of Rostov's animation suddenly disappeared." He "rode ... experiencing some unpleasant feeling that squeezed his heart, something vague, confused, which he could not explain to himself, was revealed to him by the capture of this officer and the blow that he inflicted on him." Both the flattering words of the boss and the promise of a reward did not eliminate this unpleasant feeling. He was "just as embarrassed and somehow ashamed." All this and the next day, Nikolai was "silent, thoughtful and concentrated ... he drank reluctantly, tried to stay alone and kept thinking about something." " So that's just what is called heroism? And did I do this for the fatherland? And what is he to blame? .. And how scared he was! .. Why should I kill him? My hand trembled. And for me the St.George Cross ..."- Nikolay reflects. But "the wheel of happiness in the service ... turned in his favor ... He was pushed forward ... they gave him a battalion of hussars and, when it was necessary to employ a brave officer, they gave him instructions."

During the retreat of the Russian army into the interior of the country, when the Bolkonskys' Bogucharovo estate was "between two enemy armies" and the Bogucharov's men rebelled and did not let Princess Marya out of the estate, Nikolai, who happened to be here in search of provisions, freed the princess and helped her to leave. In a short time of a romantic meeting, Princess Marya managed to see that "he was a man with a high and noble soul ... His kind and honest eyes, with tears coming out on them ... did not leave her imagination." Nicholas had a similar impression. Both managed to fall in love with each other. “The idea of ​​marrying Princess Marya with a huge fortune more than once came to his mind against his will ... Marrying her would have made the countess - his mother's happiness - and would have straightened his father's affairs; and even - Nikolai felt it - would have made Princess Marya happy. " But these thoughts were clouded by the word given to Sonya. Nicholas "without any goal of self-sacrifice, but by chance, since the war found him in the service, took a close and long-term participation in the defense of the fatherland and therefore looked at what was happening without despair and gloomy conclusions." " If they asked him what he thinks about the current situation in Russia, he would say that he has nothing to think about, that there are Kutuzov and others ... and that, it must be, they will fight for a long time ... and he is not surprised for a year. get the regiment in two».

A few days before the Battle of Borodino, Nikolai was sent to Voronezh to get horses for the division. On a business trip, "everything went well and argued." In Voronezh, thanks to the efforts of society ladies, he met again with Princess Marya, who lived with her aunt after leaving Bogucharov. Nikolay " saw clearly, as if he knew her whole life, all her pure spiritual inner work ... her suffering, striving for good, humility, love, self-sacrifice "- everything that" now shone in these radiant eyes, in a subtle smile, in every line of her tender face". He was convinced that she was "a very special and extraordinary being." And at the same time, Nikolai did not express his feelings to Princess Marya, for this, as he believed, would be mean towards Sonya. "And he knew that he would never do mean things." At the second meeting with Princess Marya in Voronezh, Nikolai "was struck by the special, moral beauty that he noticed in her this time." This meeting "sank deeper in his heart than he wanted it ... He regretted for the first time:" Why am I not free, why did I hurry with Sonya? "He involuntarily began to compare both girls and saw" poverty in one and wealth in the other of those spiritual gifts that Nikolai did not have and which therefore he valued so highly ". “Yes, I don’t love her,” he suddenly revealed. - Oh my God! get me out of this awful, hopeless situation! " - he began ... to pray. " And then, in a happy way, "what he ... prayed for ... was fulfilled." In a letter he received from Sonya, it was said that she renounces his promises and gives him complete freedom.

The death of Count Ilya Andreevich was the reason for Nikolai's resignation and his return home from Paris, where he was with his regiment. A month after the death of the count, it became clear that "the family has twice as much debt as the estate." But Nicholas did not renounce the inheritance, because he saw in this "a reproach to the sacred memory of his father", but accepted it "with the obligation to pay debts." I had to sell the "estate under the hammer" for half the price, take thirty thousand from my son-in-law (Pierre Bezukhov) and, despite the "disgust for civil service," remove the "favorite" military uniform and find a place in Moscow, settling with his mother and Sonya on a little apartment. On his salary, Nikolai had to "support himself, Sonya and his mother ... and support his mother so that she would not notice that they were poor."

"Nikolai's position was getting worse and worse." It was not possible to postpone from the salary, he "owed on trifles." At the same time, "the thought of marrying a wealthy heiress ... was repugnant to him." That is why he restrained his feelings for his beloved girl. And yet loving people have found ways to each other. A decisive explanation took place, the right words were found. “No, I’m not only this cheerful, kind and open look, I fell in love with more than one beautiful appearance in it,” Princess Marya told herself. - I guessed his noble, solid, selfless soul.

In the fall of 1814, Nikolai married Princess Marya and with his wife, mother and Sonya moved to live in Lysye Gory - the Bolkonskys' estate. He successfully managed the farm, paid all debts and "negotiated the redemption of his father's Otradny, which was his favorite dream." Nikolai became addicted to farming, and it "became for him a favorite and almost exclusive occupation."
The "main tool" in business for him was a peasant worker, who seemed to him "not only a tool, but also a goal and a judge." Nikolai “learned from the peasants and techniques, and speeches, and judgments about what is good and what is bad. And only when he understood the tastes and aspirations of the peasant, learned to speak his speech and understand the secret meaning of his speech, when he felt himself akin to him, only then he began to boldly manage him, that is, to perform in relation to the peasant the very position, the execution of which it was required of him. He "loved the people and their way of life with all the strength of his soul, and therefore only understood and assimilated for himself that only way and method of economy, which brought good results." “Everything he did was fruitful: his fortune increased rapidly; neighboring peasants came to ask him to buy them, and for a long time after his death the people kept the pious memory of his government. "

« With his wife, he came closer and closer, every day discovering spiritual treasures in her ". In his house there was an "indestructible right life."

The political position of Nikolai, expressed by him in a dispute with his son-in-law Pierre Bezukhov, was also quite definite and firm: "... A secret society is ... hostile and harmful, which can only give rise to evil." In doing so, he proceeded from the ethical principle: "duty and oath are above all." " You say..... - he declares to Pierre, - that the oath is a conditional matter, and to that I tell you: you form a secret society, you start opposing the government, whatever it may be, I know that it is my duty to obey it. And now tell me Arakcheev to go at you with a squadron and chop - I will not think for a second and I will go. And then judge as you want". Princess Marya supported her husband, adding an important motive to his words. "... He forgets," she says of Pierre, "that we have other responsibilities closer, which God himself has indicated to us, and that we can risk ourselves, but not children." By 1820, Nicholas and Princess Marya already had two children: a son, Andrei, and a daughter, Natasha. In addition, they are raising Nikolenka, the son of Andrei Bolkonsky. Time does not change their feelings. Princess Marya "felt a submissive, tender love for this man, who would never understand everything that she understood, and as if from this she loved him even more, with a tinge of passionate tenderness." "Oh my God! what will happen to us if she dies ... "- Nikolai worried and prayed for his wife.

In Leo Tolstoy's novel, all the characters are described very vividly and clearly. Each of them is in its place, plays a significant role for the entire story. Nikolai Rostov is an example of a positive image. It combines many positive qualities that make the hero attractive to the reader.

Nikolai's appearance

Before the reader, Nikolai appears as a positive character, not only in terms of character, but also externally. Quotes from the novel speak of the character's good looks. Tolstoy calls him "a handsome young man" and endows him with "an open expression on his face." He is short and has beautiful blonde hair. On his face, you can always notice an enthusiastic expression that evokes associations with children's perception of the world. His eyes radiate goodness, his smile is open and sincere.

Nikolai's personality

Nicholas reminds the child not only externally. It is normal for him to be enthusiastic about the world. This hero is honest and sincere. In him, upbringing gets along side by side with spontaneity. He stands out among the aristocratic society in that he is not capable of lies and deceit.

Nikolay treats his relatives tenderly and reverently. He truly loves them, respects his family members, not only because it is supposed to be. His parents have always been kind to him, and he responds in kind.

Nicholas is no stranger to nobility. His actions are altruistic, he always thinks about whether his decision will harm others. Nevertheless, he does any act only on the basis of his own convictions, and not in order to please others, to serve someone. The public has a positive attitude towards Nikolai. This gives him a reason to be proud of himself, but even this pride does not translate into a sharply negative quality. Rather, it serves as a slight contrast, because a person cannot be completely perfect.

The fate of Nikolai Rostov

For a long time, the hero is in love with Sonya - his second cousin, who has no dowry. Nikolai plans to marry her against the wishes of his mother, but Sonya writes him a letter in which he “lets go” of him.

Nikolai goes to war. For him, this is not a feat and heroism. Many young people aspired to this, it was normal among that generation. But Nikolai decides to quit his studies at a prestigious university for the sake of service. Parents accept his decision.

It is noteworthy that Nikolai is aware of his lack of experience. He does not aspire to the leadership, for him serving the motherland is already a joy, even in the lowest ranks. But here, too, Nikolai is in place. He quickly goes up the career ladder. After two battles, he was already appointed an officer, and soon - a commander. Nikolai gained the respect of his colleagues due to his honesty, openness, courage and humanity.

Returning from the war, Nikolai feels sympathy for Mary. Marriage with a girl is very beneficial to the Rostov family, but Nikolai does not even allow the thought to marry for the sake of money. The situation changes when Nikolai learns about the reciprocity of his feelings. Marya and Nikolay find each other and become a happy married couple. They have many children, they live in harmony and mutual respect. At the time of the finale of the novel, Maria is pregnant again. The reader no longer finds the birth of a child, but the confidence develops that everything will be fine.

If we talk about the characteristics of Nikolai Rostov, then he is definitely a positive character, and Tolstoy shows the entire Rostov family from a beautiful and pleasant side. The image of Nikolai is partly copied from the father of Lev Nikolayevich himself, perhaps that is why he is endowed with such obvious positive qualities.

"War and Peace" is an epic about human destinies, about honor and duty. Nikolai Rostov fits the whole work. He has a wonderful disposition, he is honest with himself and with people, his actions are noble and filled with good. Perhaps this is why Nikolai ultimately finds happiness and a calm family life.

This article will help to competently write an essay on the topic "Nikolai Rostov", to give an external description of the hero, to describe his character, lifestyle and destiny.

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