Nikolay Rosov. Nikolay Rostov. Obtaining an officer rank

Peter and Vera.

Nikolai Rostov has a prototype - the father of the writer Leo Tolstoy, whose name, like the character, was Nikolai. The literary image is close to the original. Lev Nikolaevich's father had fun during his youth and squandered a lot of money. To restore his shaky fortune, the writer’s father, like Nikolai Rostov, married an ugly and middle-aged princess, heir to the Yasnaya Polyana estate.

Appearance and character

In the novel, the hero is described as “a short, curly-haired young man with an open expression on his face” - this is what Nikolai looks like at the age of 20. In the novel, the hero is repeatedly called handsome. The young man is rosy-cheeked, slender, slightly flirtatious, light and quick in his movements, and wears a black mustache. Often described as wearing military uniform.

Nikolay can be given the following characteristics. The hero is characterized by enthusiasm and impetuosity. He has a cheerful and open character, Nikolai does not know how to hide his own feelings, he is frank with people, and the hero’s heart is “full of poetry.” He is friendly to others and clearly shows emotions, does not hide his tears.

With his family, Nikolai is sweet and respectful, and his friends consider the hero a nice fellow. In his military service, Nikolai Rostov shows himself to be a caring commander for his subordinates and a person worthy of respect from both his comrades and his superiors. At the same time, Nikolai has a simple disposition, the hero does not like difficulties in communication, subtleties, and is not particularly insightful.

Tolstoy describes the hero’s honest and kind eyes and childish, pure smile. Nikolai does not tolerate deliberate lies and tells people the truth, never deliberately commits meanness. Nikolai Rostov believes that a person should live according to his conscience and remain faithful to his homeland. This manner of behavior provides the hero with universal love.

As befits a well-educated young nobleman of that time, Nikolai Rostov dances deftly, knows how to sing, is fond of hound hunting, and has an excellent understanding of horses.

Life path

At the beginning of the novel, the reader sees Nikolai as a 20-year-old young man, a student. Then Nikolai quits studying at the university and enlists in the army. The hero follows his old friend Boris, who was promoted to officer. Nikolai, looking at him, wishes the same fate for himself. The young man wants to become a participant in the war with and fight against the aggressor.

The point, however, is not so much the desire to imitate a friend. Nikolai Rostov went to war because he believes that military service is his calling. The hero is attached to his colleagues and considers his own regiment to be as sweet and dear to his heart as his parents’ home.

In addition, Nikolai is sure that he is not suitable for any other work that befits a nobleman - neither diplomatic nor bureaucratic. The hero feels disgust for these types of activities, but sincerely loves military service, which is evident even from Nikolai’s affection for his own uniform.

The hero took part in the Battle of Shengraben. When he first found himself in war, at first he bravely rushed into the attack, but was wounded in the arm and was scared. Nicholas is characterized by courage, and the hero showed cowardice (or, rather, confusion) once when he did not kill a Frenchman on the battlefield, but only threw a pistol at him and ran away, like “a hare running away from dogs.” In a panic, the hero thinks about his own death, does not want to die young and, along with life, be deprived of the happiness he is accustomed to.

The hero is so accustomed to universal love at home and among his colleagues that the intention of the enemy soldiers to kill him seems unthinkable and incredible to Nikolai. In this episode, the hero's image is somewhat reduced. Despite this attack of panic and the cowardice shown in the first battle, the hero still makes a military career and becomes a hussar - a gallant, faithful officer. The hero takes part in the War of 1812.

Open and warm relationships within the Rostov family are clearly visible in the episode where Nikolai comes home on vacation. On the way, the hero cannot wait to be among his family and once again plunge into an atmosphere of love and care.

His personal life is as follows. Nikolai has a second cousin, Sonya, who is homeless, and the hero has feelings for her. A romance blossoms between them; Nikolai wants to marry the girl, although his mother is against this marriage. Count Rostov, the hero's father, is not doing well, and Nikolai's mother wants to improve the family's financial situation by marrying her son to the rich Princess Bolkonskaya. Sonya writes a letter to Nikolai, in which she informs the hero about the breakup of relations.

After Count Rostov died, Nicholas inherited only debts. The noble hero believes that he must take care of Sonya and his own mother and pay off his father’s bills. The impoverished Rostov family sells their estate and moves to a small apartment.

The countess mother still sees salvation in a successful marriage and clearly hints to her son that he should marry the princess. The hero considers such an act inappropriate and offensive. After all, if Nikolai marries, gossip will begin in society that he entered into a marriage of convenience, and the hero considers this state of affairs shameful for himself.

At the same time, Nikolai has feelings for Marya, and later it turns out that the princess is also in love with the hero. When the serf princesses of Bolkonskaya decide to hand her over to the French, Nikolai Rostov saves Marya - and this wins the girl’s love.

By the age of thirty, Nikolai Rostov still marries Marya and moves to his wife’s estate, taking with him his beloved cousin Sonya. At the end of the novel, the reader sees Nikolai as the father of three children, and Marya is waiting for the birth of the fourth. By the end, Nikolai is already 35 years old, the hero is shown as a wealthy landowner. By the end of the novel and life's journey, Nikolai Rostov exhibits such character traits as severity and responsibility.

As a young man, Nikolai saw the meaning of life in pleasure and military service. He showed indifference to the financial difficulties of the Rostovs. He behaved frivolously, incurred gambling debts and squandered money, although the state of the family capital was no secret to him.

The sad experience gained due to his father’s debts and his own wastefulness made the hero, by the age of 35, a zealous owner, whose life goal is to increase the well-being of the family. The matured hero does not want his own children to go around the world, and is trying to arrange the financial affairs of the Rostovs in the best possible way while he is alive. At the same time, Nikolai did not lose either his sense of justice or his good attitude towards people. The peasants treat Rostov with respect:

“The owner was... First the peasant’s, and then his own. Well, he didn’t give me any encouragement. One word - master!

Film adaptations

In January 2016, a drama based on the legendary novel was released on the British TV channel BBC One. The series has six episodes, each lasting an hour. A Scottish actor starred in the role of Nikolai Rostov. To film the ball scenes, the BBC team traveled to St. Petersburg and Tsarskoe Selo. Filming took place in the Yusupov and Catherine Palaces, in the Assumption Cathedral, on Palace Square and in Gatchina.

Earlier, in 2007, another television series based on “War and Peace” was released - a joint project of five countries: Russia, France, Germany, Italy and Poland. The total duration of the series is 480 minutes. The cast is mixed, the role of Nikolai Rostov was played by a Russian actor.

The film contains many differences from the novel. For example, who in the novel died due to an unsuccessful attempt to have an abortion, in the film spectacularly dies from syphilis, which she picked up from a certain lover who was part of Napoleon’s inner circle.

And in the film, after Moscow was sacked by the French, she is found playing the piano in a destroyed house, while in the novel the meeting of the heroes takes place under less spectacular circumstances. Nikolai Rostov in the film became Pierre's second, and not Dolokhov, as was the case in the novel.

In 1965-67, the director released a film epic in 4 parts, War and Peace. Filming began in 1961 and required a budget unprecedented for Soviet cinema - 8 million Soviet rubles. In 1969, the epic won the Oscar and Golden Globe awards for best foreign language film.

The role of Nikolai Rostov was played by the actor. True, the storyline of Nikolai Rostov was abandoned in the film, as were some other episodes, although in general the novel was reproduced carefully and accurately.

In 1956, an American-Italian film adaptation was released, where the role of Natasha Rostova went to the actress known for the films “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “Roman Holiday”. Nikolai Rostov was played by English actor Jeremy Brett, who is famous for playing the role in a series of films based on works that aired on British television from 1984 to 1994.

Brett was chosen for the role of Nikolai Rostov in part because the actor looked similar to Audrey Hepburn, who represented Nikolai's sister, Natasha, on screen. And Brett is the only one of the actors who rides a real horse in the episode where the Rostovs call Prince Andrei to go hunting with them. Filming took place mainly in Italy, with winter scenes filmed in Finland.

Quotes

“Oh, how funny you are! ...do I really love my wife? I don’t love you, but I don’t know how to tell you. Without you and when some cat runs past us like that, it’s like I’m lost and I can’t do anything. Well, do I love my finger? I don’t like it, but try, cut it off...”

Count Nikolai Rostov is the brother of Natasha Rostova. At the beginning of the novel he is only 20 years old. A student, he is short, slender, curly hair, an open, kind face with gray eyes. He is youthfully handsome and charming. She dances well, plays the piano, and sings. He enjoys hunting and breeding horses. An enviable groom.

A kind, honest, sincere guy, an optimist. Same as his father. He combines cheerfulness and prudence at the same time. Smart and serious beyond his years. Tolstoy says about him that he is a “twenty-year old man.” He knows how to observe and draw conclusions. This skill often helps him out in sticky situations.

Due to his character, he does not know how to lie. Only over time does he understand that he needs to know when to tell the truth. Sometimes it is better to remain tactfully silent. Because in the wrong place and at the wrong time, the truth spoken will bring trouble to both him and those around him.

He is a patriot of his country. He interrupts his studies at a prestigious university and goes to military service in a cavalry regiment. It turned out that this was precisely his calling - to serve Russia. He begins his military career from the lowest rank.

His military career subsequently developed successfully. He likes to serve. He serves diligently, is distinguished by courage and fearlessness, but without fanaticism. In his heart he is still afraid of death. But he doesn’t hide behind the backs of his comrades. He doesn’t betray them, he treats them humanely. He is respected by both officers and ordinary hussars. He rises to the rank of first lieutenant, and then captain.

Mother insists that Nikolai leave military service. She lost one son and does not want to lose the second. His rationality tells him that, as a military man, he may die at a young age. Just as his brother died, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky died.

After the death of his father, Nikolai inherits only debts. A marriage of convenience to the rich Marya Bolkonskaya would immediately solve all financial problems. But Nikolai does not want such love, such a marriage. He approaches marriage seriously and thoroughly.

Therefore, he cannot immediately marry Princess Marya, because he ran away to marry Sonya. A relative who is being brought up in the Rostov house. Only when Sonya lets Nikolai go and removes this promise from him, then he marries Princess Marya. Marries for love, not for convenience. Moreover, as it turned out, Princess Marya also loves him. He is a faithful, loving, caring husband, a wonderful father of three tomboys.

A successful marriage improved Nikolai Rostov’s financial situation. By the age of thirty-five he acquired a large estate. The peasants respect him. He does not oppress or mock them, as other landowners do. He wants to leave a legacy to his children of a strong farm that will allow them to lead a comfortable life.

Essay 2

The most famous novel called “War and Peace” was written by the Russian writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy. He had a positive influence on the development of world literature.

The novel has a huge number of main characters. Each of them is entrusted with some important role, which he plays with responsibility and does an excellent job. One such distinctive figure is Nikolai Rostov.

Nikolai Rostov - the hero of the work of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy - is a kind of “ideal”, exemplary hero. He is a reference. Even if the reader tries to find some kind of flaw or flaw in him, it will not be possible to do this because Nikolai is too good-looking. Lev Nikolaevich did his best.

In general, the image of this hero does not have any distinctive characteristics. He is short. Hair is curly. And the face is childish and this is very attractive. His facial features are correct and he has kind eyes.

Nikolai has a slender figure and moves very gracefully. At the same time, he is very charming and flirts because of his youth.

As for the characteristics of Nikolai’s specific qualities, he is similar in many ways to his father. Nikolai has a cheerful disposition, almost never loses heart or falls into melancholy. He is sanguine.

This Rostov does not know how to hide his feelings. That's how he characterizes himself. Of course, from his childish, sweet face, or from an open book, one can easily read the inner emotions and feelings of its owner.

Despite the fact that Nikolai is quite young (he is about twenty), he is characterized by prudence. It is filled with nobility, real youth, which is a rare occurrence to meet.

Lev Nikolaevich endowed this hero with a musical gift. He plays and sings a musical instrument very well. She often demonstrates such skills with her sister Natalya.

At balls she does not create the image of a quiet person, but dances quite well, which evokes completely different emotions on the part of observers.

This young man also has two hobbies that he devotes himself to with special passion and interest - hunting and horses. He learned his love of hunting from his father. He is also very interested in horses.

Nikolai always tells the truth. Lying is against his principles. He believes that truthful information that is hidden can cause harm if said at the wrong time.

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 enrolls in the Pavlograd Hussar Regiment. He was distinguished by courage and boldness, although in the Battle of Shengraben he, having no idea about war, rushed into the attack too bravely, so when he saw a Frenchman in front of him, he threw a weapon at him and rushed to run, as a result of which he was wounded in the arm. But this episode does not speak of his cowardice; simply, 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 Cross of St. George. The war strengthened him greatly and he became a real hussar, devoted to his country and remaining faithful to the sovereign.

Rostov was a noble and selfless man. Nicholas fell in love with Princess Marya, but could not break his word to Sonya that he would marry her, and although his parents were against it, because they wanted him to find a rich bride, he still decided to marry a dowry-free woman. But Sonya sends him a letter in which she releases him from his promises and gives him freedom. After the death of the count, Nicholas did not refuse the inheritance, but he only inherited 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 allow 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 this shameful. It’s good that Marya loved him too and they still got married. After the wedding, Nikolai became the best owner, his estate flourished and brought in huge income. Just as Nikolai had previously devoted himself wholeheartedly to serving the country, so now he devoted himself to serving his family and household.

ROSTOV NIKOLAI ILYICH - hero of the novel by L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace".

The character of the epic novel L.N. Tolstoy's "War and Peace", the count, the son of the wealthy Moscow Count Ilya Andreevich Rostov and Countess Natalya, who lived in a "large, well-known house throughout Moscow... on Povarskaya", the younger brother of Vera and the older brother of Natasha and Petya Rostov. We first meet him at a dinner at the Rostov house on the occasion of the name day of the countesses mother and daughter. It's beautiful" short, curly-haired young man with an open expression on his face ", on which " expressed impetuosity and enthusiasm " He is a student, but dreams of a military career, to which “ feels a calling", and therefore left the university and went into military service when Napoleon's war against Austria and Russia began in 1805. His friend Boris Drubetskoy, thanks to the efforts of his influential relatives, enters the army as a guard officer, and Nikolai, for whom “there is no one to bother,” becomes a cadet. Nikolai is full of patriotic feelings. " I'm convinced “,” he says at dinner with the Rostovs, “ h then the 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 alone are everything to me “, he warmly confesses to his beloved. Nikolai “rewrites for her the poems he composed for the first time.” From the description of dinner at the Rostovs', we learn about Nikolai's musicality. “At the request of the guests,” he sang the “Key” quartet with Natasha, Vera and Sonya, which everyone really liked; 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. So, in Julie’s letter to Princess Maria Bolkonskaya it is said about him: “ In the young man... there is so much nobility, true youth, which you see so rarely in our age among our twenty-year-olds! He especially has so much candor and heart. It is so pure and full of poetry... »

In the Pavlograd Hussar Regiment, where Nikolai joined as a cadet, he was completely happy. " Friend of the heart», « buddy“He turns to the messenger with a request to lead the horse out, “with that brotherly, 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 billeted. Here is how Tolstoy writes about their fleeting meeting: “Although there was no reason for special joy either for the German, who was cleaning out his barn, or for Rostov, who was going with a platoon for hay, both these people looked at each other with happy delight and brotherly love, shook their heads as a sign of mutual love and, smiling, went their separate ways - the German to the cowshed, and Rostov to the hut that he and Denisov occupied.”
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 Denisov’s wallet with money, and with disgust throws him the wallet he had taken away (“If you need it, take it...”).

This conflict continues. The straightforward Nikolai accused the thief officer publicly. The regiment commander, caring about the prestige of the unit, accused Nikolai of lying. According to the law of noble ethics, Nicholas challenged the commander to a duel. “...Yes, I’m not a diplomat. Then I joined the hussars, I thought that there was no need for subtleties, but he tells me that I’m lying...” he explains to the regiment officers, persuading Nikolai to apologize to the commander. Having understood the truth of the officers, Nikolai tearfully admits his “guilt”, but categorically refuses to apologize. “Gentlemen, I’ll do everything, no one will hear a word from me... but I can’t apologize, by God, I can’t, whatever you want! How am I going to apologize, like a little kid, asking for forgiveness?”

Finding himself in battle for the first time, Nikolai " had the happy look of a student summoned before a large audience for an exam in which he was confident that he would excel. He looked clearly and brightly at everyone, as if asking them to pay attention to how calmly he stood under bullets." In response to the approving shout and smile of squadron commander Denisov, Nikolai “ felt completely happy" Participating in the squadron’s execution of the order to light the bridge, “he was afraid... lest he might fall behind... he ran, trying only to be ahead of everyone... right at the bridge... tripped and fell on his hands.” On the bridge, Nikolai stopped in confusion, “not knowing what to do. There was no one to chop down, and he also 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 at the hussars with grapeshot.

The wounded fell groaning. 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 was “quiet, happy.” “I wouldn’t want anything, nothing... if only I were there,” thought Rostov. – There is so much happiness in me alone and in this sun, and here... groans, suffering, fear and this obscurity, this haste... Here again they shout something, and again everyone runs somewhere back, and I run with them, and here it is, here it is, death, above me, around me... A moment - and I will never see this sun, this water, this gorge...." “Lord God! Whoever is there in this sky, save, forgive and protect me!” - Rostov whispered to himself.

When the danger has passed, he worries about his condition (“...I’m a coward, yes, I’m a coward”) and is glad that “no one noticed.” “Indeed, no one noticed anything, because everyone was familiar with the feeling that an unfired cadet experienced for the first time.”

Soon Nikolai again takes part in the battle and here he hopes to “experience the pleasure of attack, about which he heard so much from his fellow hussars.” “Oh, how I chop... Now whoever it is, get caught,” he thinks. But reality turned out to be simpler, more mundane and more dramatic than the dream. Near Nicholas, a horse was killed in an attack, he was wounded in the left arm, French soldiers were approaching him to capture or kill him. All this seems like a bad dream to the young man, almost a boy. “Who are they? Why are they running? Really to me? Are they really running towards me? And why? Kill me? Me, whom everyone loves so much? Nikolai saved himself by “grabbing a pistol... and throwing it at the Frenchman and running towards the bushes as best he could... with the feeling of a hare running away from dogs.”

After some time, the enthusiastic young man is transformed into a pale hussar cadet, with one hand supporting the other, wounded. During the army's retreat, Nikolai asks Captain Tushin to put him on a gun. “For God's sake, I can't go. For God's sake! Nikolai “more than once asked to sit somewhere and was refused everywhere.” And only Captain Tushin ordered the wounded cadet to be placed on the gun from which the dead officer was laid down. “Feverish trembling from pain, cold and dampness shook his whole body. Sleep was overwhelming him, but he could not fall asleep because of the excruciating pain in his arm that ached and could not find a position,” this is how Tolstoy describes Nikolai’s condition. Having not received medical care, experiencing severe physical suffering at the night halt, a feeling of uselessness and loneliness, remembering his loving mother, family care, warm home, he thought: “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 the campaign and two battles... promotion to officer...” The letter aroused the admiration of the mother: “Nothing about myself!.. About some Denisov... He writes nothing about his sufferings. What a heart!.. And how I remembered everyone! I haven’t forgotten anyone.” Nikolai was already 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 he meets Boris, he talks “about his hussar revelry and military life,” then Boris talks “about the pleasures and benefits of serving under the command of high-ranking officials.” Nikolai throws 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 become an adjutant to anyone, calling this position a lackey, while Boris, in his words, “would like, very much, to become an adjutant, and not remain at the front,” because, “having already gone through a military career service, we must try to make, if possible, a brilliant career.”

At the same time, Nikolai is not idealized. So, telling his friends about the Shengraben affair, he portrayed it “as it was more beautiful to tell,” but completely different from how it was. “Rostov was a truthful young man,” the author notes, “he would never deliberately tell a lie. He began to tell with the intention of telling everything exactly as it was, but unnoticed, involuntarily and inevitably for himself, he turned into a lie... Telling the truth is very difficult, and young people are rarely capable of this.” 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 emotional sensitivity. During a meeting with Andrei Bolkonsky and a quarrel with him, which almost ended in a challenge, in his soul, along with the embitterment of the combatant towards the adjutant, “respect for the calmness of this figure” arose. After the skirmish, he “felt with surprise that of all the people he knew, he would not have wanted anyone as much as his friend as this adjutant he hated.”

Obviously, Bolkonsky felt in Nikolai a person more meaningful and nobler than others, for he remained restrained and calm in the clash with him, not allowing a quarrel to flare up. At the review of Austrian and Russian troops, Nikolai, “ standing in the front ranks of Kutuzov’s army, to which the sovereign approached first, he felt... a feeling of self-forgetfulness, a proud consciousness of power and a passionate attraction to the one who was the reason for this triumph" When Alexander approached at a distance of twenty steps, “he experienced a feeling of tenderness and delight... Every feature, every movement seemed charming to him in the sovereign.” “If only the sovereign would turn 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 call him. “Is it worth thinking and talking about this at a moment like now? In a moment of such a feeling of love, delight and selflessness, what do all our quarrels and insults mean?! I love everyone, I forgive everyone now,” thought Rostov. This feeling of love for everyone is predominant in Nikolai’s character throughout the novel. Sometimes this feeling results in a paradoxical form. Rostov sees the emperor, who, “leaning to one side, with a graceful gesture holding a golden lorgnette to his eye, looked at the soldier lying face down, without a shako, with a bloody head. The wounded soldier was so unclean, rude and disgusting that Rostov was offended by his closeness to the sovereign.”

At a friendly feast, three days after the review, 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...” In response to a joke Denisov (“there was no one to fall in love with on the campaign, so he fell in love with the Tsar”) Nikolai shouted: “Denisov, don’t joke about this, this is such a high, such a wonderful feeling, such...”

“He really was in love with the Tsar, and with the glory of Russian weapons, and with the hope of future triumph... Nine-tenths of the people of the Russian army at that time were in love, although less enthusiastically, with their Tsar and with the glory of Russian weapons.” Nicholas's subsequent participation in the war reveals him to be an experienced warrior. He commands mounted reconnaissance, which Bagration himself volunteers for, and carries out it carefully, overcoming the temptation to take the safe route while being exposed to fire. Having reported the result of the reconnaissance to Bagration, he asks him to be seconded to the first squadron, since his squadron is “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 a hope to participate in battle and, if lucky, demonstrate his devotion to the Tsar. “Tomorrow, perhaps, they will send some order to the sovereign,” he thought. - God bless!"

And so it happened. Bagration sends Nicholas with an order 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 pitiful state, not daring to jump over a ditch on a horse. Nicholas’s delicacy 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 despondent. An unknown face may seem unpleasant and difficult to him at this moment of sadness, and then what can I tell him now, when just looking at him my heart skips a beat and my mouth goes dry? - Nikolai thinks. - No, I definitely shouldn’t drive up to him, I shouldn’t disturb his reverie....»).

Another officer provided assistance to the sovereign, and Nicholas could only repent of his excessive scrupulosity.

At the beginning of 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 towards Sonya as follows: “I don’t take back my word on anything... And then, Sonya is so lovely, what kind of fool would give up his 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, separated from Sonya...

He was in that time of youth when there seems to be so much to do 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 experienced mental turmoil, participation in battles, and injury, Nikolai did not lose the romantic and sentimental ideas of his youth. At a dinner at the English Club, hosted by Count Ilya Andreevich Rostov, “the enthusiastic voice of young Rostov,” shouting hurray after a toast to the health of the Emperor, “was heard from behind all three hundred voices. He almost cried."

The history of relations with Dolokhov testifies to Nikolai’s kind heart, 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, brute... lived in Moscow with an old mother and a hunchbacked sister and was the most gentle son and brother.” Nikolai “became especially friendly with him during his recovery from injury.” He brought Dolokhov into his house, where “at that time there was some kind of special atmosphere of love” and where everyone liked him, “except Natasha,” who considered Dolokhov “evil and without feelings.” “You need to understand what kind of soul this Dolokhov has, you need to see him with his mother, this is such a heart!” - her brother objected to her. And Dolokhov mercilessly and deliberately beat him at cards for forty-three thousand and tried to trade Sonya with him. For Nikolai, this was the hardest life lesson. “After all, he knows,” he says to himself, “what this loss means for me. He can't want my death, can he? 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 ! - Nikolai thought. – All this, and misfortune, and money, and Dolokhov, and anger, and honor - all this is nonsense... but here it is real... “And he, “without noticing that he was singing... took the second in the third of a high note...” “Oh, how this third trembled and how something better that was in Rostov’s soul was touched. And this something was independent of everything in the world and above everything in the world. What losses are there, and the Dolokhovs, and honestly!.. It’s all nonsense!..”

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

The Pavlograd regiment was in serious condition. He stood for a long time “near a German empty village that had been destroyed to the ground” without provisions. The regiment lost almost half of its people from hunger and disease. “The general cause of the war was going badly.” One day Nikolai found in an abandoned village “the family of an old Pole and his daughter with an infant.” He brought them to his apartment and “kept them for several weeks...,” which caused ridicule from one of the officers and a quarrel with him, which almost led to a duel. “She’s like a sister to me...” Nikolai explained his relationship with the Polish woman to his commander and friend Denisov. Denisov “hit him on the shoulder and quickly began to walk around the room, without looking at Rostov, which he did in moments of emotional excitement. “What a stupid Rostov breed of yours,” he said, and Rostov noticed tears in Denisov’s eyes.”

In 1809, Nikolai already commanded a squadron in the Pavlograd regiment. He “became a hardened, kind fellow... was loved and respected by his comrades, subordinates and superiors and... was satisfied with his life.” Letters from home reported on the family’s financial troubles and the need for his arrival, which Nikolai kept postponing, although he felt that “sooner or later he would have to enter that whirlpool of life again with disorders and adjustments in affairs, with managers, quarrels, intrigues, with connections.” , with society, with Sonya’s love and promises to her.” Finally, he arrived, trying to put things in order at home, but he failed, and he “no longer intervened in business,” although he made one of the important and significant decisions for him. “One day the Countess... informed him that she had Anna Mikhailovna’s bill of exchange for two thousand and asked... what he thought to do with it. “That’s how it is,” answered Nikolai. “...I don’t like Anna Mikhailovna and I don’t like Boris, but they were friendly with us and poor...” - and he tore up the bill, and with this act he made the old countess cry with tears of joy.”

The only thing that truly captivates Nikolai in the village is hound hunting. Hunting helps him get closer to his sister. It is on the hunt that he experiences, perhaps, the greatest elation of his life. ““Only once in my life would I hunt down a seasoned wolf, I don’t want to do it again!” - he thought, straining his hearing and vision... He looked... to the right and saw something running across the deserted field towards him. “No, this can’t be!” - thought Rostov, sighing heavily, like a man sighs when he does something that he has been waiting for a long time. The greatest happiness happened - and so simply, without noise, without glitter, without commemoration.” After a whole day spent by Nikolai and Natasha with their uncle in his village, a cheerful evening with guitar, singing and dancing, when both felt like very happy people, they mentally described each other (“What a charm this Natasha is! Such a different friend I’m not here and won’t be. Why should she get married? Everyone would go with her!” “What a charm this Nikolai is!” thought Natasha.

The financial situation of the Rostov house was getting worse. Old Count Ilya Andreevich is completely confused in his affairs. “The Countess, with a loving heart, felt that her children were going bankrupt... and looked for ways to help the cause. From her female point of view, only one remedy seemed possible - Nikolai’s marriage to a rich bride.” She found a suitable match for her son - Julie Karagin - and began to feel out her son what he thought about it. Nikolai’s answer did not reassure his mother: “... If I loved a girl without a fortune, would you really demand... that I sacrifice my feelings and honor for the fortune? " He reflects on this: " Because Sonya is poor, I cannot love her, I cannot respond to her faithful, devoted love?.. “It ended with Nikolai “announcing his love for Sonya and his firm decision to marry her to his mother.” His parents refused to bless him. In the end, through the efforts of Natasha, the family conflict was muffled 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 of retiring, “to 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 resign and come home. But “the opening of the campaign delayed Rostov and prevented him from coming.”

He was promoted to captain and “devoted himself completely to the pleasures and interests of military service.” On July 13, the regiment “had to be in serious business.” “Now he did not experience the slightest sense of fear... He learned to control his soul in the face of danger. He was accustomed, when going into business, to think about everything, except for what seemed to be more interesting than anything else - about the upcoming danger.” At one point in the battle, Nikolai intuitively sensed the necessary time for an attack when it could be successful, and without a command from above, “jumped ahead of the squadron, and before he even had time to command the movement, the entire squadron, which had experienced the same thing as he, set off after him " Pursuing the enemy, Nikolai, for the first time hitting a man with a saber, wounded a French officer. “The moment he did this, all the excitement in Rostov suddenly disappeared.” He “galloped... experiencing some unpleasant feeling that was squeezing his heart, something unclear, confusing, which he could not explain to himself, was revealed to him by the capture of this officer and the blow that he dealt him.” Both the flattering words of the boss and the promise of a reward did not eliminate this unpleasant feeling. He was “still embarrassed and somehow ashamed.” All that day and the next, Nikolai was “silent, thoughtful and focused... he drank reluctantly, tried to remain alone and kept thinking about something.” " So that’s all there is to what is called heroism? And did I do this for the fatherland? And what is he to blame for?.. And how scared he was!.. Why should I kill him? My hand trembled. And for me the St. George Cross...“- Nikolai reflects. But “the wheel of happiness in service... turned in his favor... He was pushed forward... they gave him a battalion of hussars and, when it was necessary to use a brave officer, they gave him instructions.”

During the retreat of the Russian army into the interior of the country, when the Bolkonsky Bogucharovo estate was “between two enemy armies,” and the Bogucharovo men rebelled and did not let Princess Marya leave the estate, Nikolai, who happened to be here in search of provisions, freed the princess and helped her leave. In the short time of the romantic meeting, Princess Marya was able to see that “he was a man with a high and noble soul... His kind and honest eyes with tears appearing on them... did not leave her imagination.” Nikolai had a similar impression. Both managed to fall in love with each other. “The thought of marrying Princess Marya with a huge fortune came into his head more than once against his will... Marrying her would have made the countess - his mother - happy, and would have improved his father’s affairs; and even - Nikolai felt this - would have made Princess Marya happy.” But these thoughts were darkened 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 part 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 Kutuzov and others are there for that... and that they will probably be fighting for a long time... and it’s no wonder to him for a year in two you will receive a regiment».

A few days before the Battle of Borodino, Nikolai was sent to Voronezh to buy horses for the division. During his business trip, “everything went well and went smoothly.” In Voronezh, thanks to the efforts of society ladies, he again met Princess Marya, who lived with her aunt after leaving Bogucharovo. Nikolai " saw clearly, as if he knew her whole life, all her pure spiritual inner work... her suffering, the desire for good, humility, love, self-sacrifice" - everything that "now shone in those radiant eyes, in the thin smile, in every feature of her tender face" He was convinced that she was “a very special and extraordinary creature.” And at the same time, Nikolai did not express his feelings to Princess Marya, because this would, as he believed, be meanness towards Sonya. “And he knew that he would never do anything mean.” On his 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 into his heart than he wanted... For the first time he regretted: “ Why am I not free, why did I hurry up with Sonya? "He involuntarily began to compare both girls and saw" poverty in one and wealth in the other of those spiritual gifts that Nicholas did not have and which therefore he valued so highly " ““Yes, I don’t love her,” it suddenly dawned on him. - My God! get me out of this terrible, hopeless situation!” - he began... to pray.” And then, happily, “what he... prayed for... was fulfilled.” The letter he received from Sonya said that she renounced his promises and gave 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 count’s death, it turned out that “the family had twice as much debt as the estate.” But Nicholas did not refuse the inheritance, for he saw in this “a reproach to his father’s sacred memory,” but accepted it “with the obligation to pay debts.” He had to sell the “estate under the hammer” at half price, take thirty thousand from his son-in-law (Pierre Bezukhov) and, despite his “aversion to civil service,” take off his “beloved” military uniform and find a place in Moscow, settling with his mother and Sonya in a small apartment. With 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 situation got worse and worse.” It was not possible to save from his salary; he “owed on small things.” At the same time, “the thought of marrying a rich heiress... was disgusting to him.” That is why he restrained his feelings for his beloved girl. And yet loving people found ways to each other. A decisive explanation took place, the right words were found. “No, it’s not just this cheerful, kind and open look, it’s not just his beautiful appearance that I fell in love with,” Princess Marya told herself. “I guessed his noble, firm, selfless soul.”

In the fall of 1814, Nikolai married Princess Marya and with his wife, mother and Sonya moved to live in Bald Mountains - the Bolkonsky estate. He managed his household successfully, paid off all his debts and “negotiated the redemption of his father’s Otradny, which was his favorite dream.” Nikolai became addicted to housekeeping, and it “became his favorite and almost exclusive occupation.”
The “main tool” in farming for him was the peasant worker, who seemed to him “not only a tool, but also a goal and a judge.” Nikolai “learned from the peasants techniques, 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 did he begin to boldly manage him, that is, to fulfill in relation to the peasant the very position whose fulfillment it was required of him. He “loved the people and their way of life with all the strength of his soul, and therefore he only understood and adopted for himself the only way and method of farming that brought good results.” “Everything he did was fruitful: his fortune quickly increased; neighboring men came to ask him to buy them, and long after his death the people kept a devout memory of his management.”

« He became closer and closer to his wife, discovering spiritual treasures in her every day " In his house there was an “inviolably correct life.”

Nikolai’s political position was also quite definite and firm, expressed by him in a dispute with his son-in-law Pierre Bezukhov: “... A secret society is ... hostile and harmful, which can only give rise to evil.” 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 this I will tell you: form a secret society, if you begin to oppose the government, whatever it may be, I know that it is my duty to obey it. And Arakcheev told me now to go at you with a squadron and cut down - I won’t think for a second and I’ll go. And then judge as you want" Princess Marya supported her husband, adding an important motive to his words. “...He forgets,” she says about Pierre, “that we have other responsibilities closer to us, which God himself showed us, and that we can risk ourselves, but not our children.” By 1820, Nicholas and Princess Marya already had two children: son Andrei and daughter Natasha. In addition, they are raising Nikolenka, the son of Andrei Bolkonsky. Time doesn't change their feelings. Princess Marya “felt submissive, tender love for this man, who would never understand everything that she understood, and as if this made her love him even more strongly, with a touch of passionate tenderness.” "My God! what will happen to us if she dies...” Nikolai was worried and prayed for his wife.

Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" is known to everyone. The events described in the book captivate you from the first minutes of reading. The author showed the complex world of human relationships, where many different names and destinies are closely intertwined. Among the heroes of the novel I would like to mention Nikolai Rostov. He is the most sincere character.

The image and characterization of Nikolai Rostov in the novel “War and Peace” is the most organic of all. His whole life is shown in full view, starting from the age of twenty, as he appears at the very beginning of the work, and ending in adulthood, when he settled down and started a family, tying the knot with Marya Bolkonskaya.

Image

Nikolai is the son of Count Rostov. An enviable Moscow groom. Any girl would happily accept his advances. Secured. I could afford to visit expensive clubs. He was a member of the English Club, where mere mortals were not allowed to enter.

Nikolai is short. The guy's head is covered with small curls. Outwardly he was handsome. There was always a blush on her cheeks, giving her face a shy look. A mustache began to appear above the lip.

“Nikolai was a short, curly-haired young man with an open expression on his face. Black hairs were already showing on his upper lip, and his whole face expressed impetuosity and enthusiasm...”

An open smile immediately endeared him to those around him. Kindness shone in the eyes.

“His kind and honest eyes with tears welling up in them.”

Cheerful, open guy. This is how he was at twenty years old. A student at one of the universities, but my studies had to be postponed until later. Nikolai decided to devote himself to military service.

Characteristic

The guy decided for himself that serving the Fatherland was his calling. The main concepts for him were honor and dignity, loyalty to the oath. He participated in many military campaigns. Took part in the Patriotic War of 1812. Only once did his action belittle him in the eyes of his colleagues.

Battle of Shengraben. Nikolai rushed to the attack with all the speed characteristic of him. A small wound knocked the fuse off. He started to panic. Thoughts swarmed in my head. He couldn't imagine that death was so close. Is he really going to die? This cannot be allowed to happen, because he is loved by everyone. He cowardly fled from the battlefield. Instead of firing a bullet at the enemy, he threw the pistol. The fear of dying so young turned out to be stronger than the fear of the enemy.

This never happened again. Nikolai managed to become a real officer, remaining faithful to duty.

Among his hobbies, he preferred hunting. He was endowed with musical abilities.

Truth-seeker, sincere.

“Rostov was a truthful young man, he would never deliberately tell a lie”

Tactful. Life taught Rostov to understand when and what to say. Words spoken in the heat of the moment can hurt loved ones, as happened during a quarrel with the father.

Proud, independent. Likes to rush from one extreme to another. It is difficult to find a middle ground in an argument.

Reasonable.

“His soul is full of nobility, true youth, which you see so rarely in our age”

Love in Nikolai's life

For a long time, Rostov had an affair with Sonya. He even thought about marrying her, although his mother was categorically against it. The girl was homeless. Why such a daughter-in-law? She is no match for her son. Sonya herself turned out to be smarter, not imposing herself on him. In a letter addressed to him, she said that she was ready to let him go. The relationship ended. Nikolai became free again.

The next woman in his life was Marya Bolkonskaya. Rich, but unattractive to men. Nikolai was able to discern the inner world in her, and it was beautiful and pure. Their relationship developed difficultly, but they managed to overcome all difficulties on the path to family happiness. By complementing each other, they were able to become a harmonious, happy couple. Nikolai became a respectable farmer, giving up military service and completely devoting himself to caring for his family.

In the novel, he is a positive character who tends to make mistakes and his actions can not always be called correct, but he managed to realize everything and correct it.