When Leo Tolstoy created this novel he was certainly struggling with searching for the meaning of life. As we know, he is one of the most reputable Realist novelists in the mid- nineteenth century. His description of historical events was carefully and detailed. He held the view that little things and little people matter more than the big ideas, history is not the creation of any great people but made up of chains of causes and effects of individual small things.The story was set in 1805-1820, in various locations in Russia and Eastern Europe. Russia declared war against France, which is under the leadership of Napoleon. Under that background, all of the individual characters are growing, facing the threat of loss, the struggle of maintaining their ideals and the search for the meaning of existence.
People sometimes question the choices they made in the past.When the Russian troops was defeated in the battle of Austerlitz, Andrei Bolkonsky was wounded. He was lying in the battlefield and gazing up at the sky, contemplating his purpose of joining the war and leaving his family behind. The sky was blue and infinite which makes him think of life. If war is not about gaining more pride, if the person who started the war is absurd themselves, then what about life? What about the great leaders in his time, how small are they in the scale of the sky. Their ambitions, arrogance and selfishness makes them nothing but ordinary human beings.
Andrei’s epiphany impressed me and made me reflect on my life. Everything can be forgiven, because everything is too small in the scale of the universe. Conflicts, anger, disappointment, grief and happiness can all be written in the water. Nothing to struggle about once you understand the absurdity of life.
Written by Claire Meng
Comments