- Are we totally free?
- Does free will determine historical events?
- Is our mind the cause of our lack of freedom?
- How are astrology and history alike?
- What is free will's relation to things like fate and inevitability?
Monday, July 18, 2016
Epilogue 2 RECAP
Tolstoy analyzes many philosophical theories and questions.
Epilogue 2, Chapters 9, 10, 11, 12
CHAPTER 9
The difference between necessity and freedom is touched on. The greater amount of time that passes between events gives less necessity to an issue, therefore more freedom. Also other factors like mans' relation to the external world and the relation between him and the causes leading up to the action determine his choices and freewill. The more vulnerable, the less freedom we have because then our actions are based on instinct.
Important Quotes
"In every action we examine we see a certain measure of freedom and a certain measure of inevitability. And always the more freedom we see in any action the less inevitability do we perceive, and the more inevitability the less freedom."
"A sinking man who clutches at another and drowns him; or a hungry mother exhausted by feeding her baby, who steals some food; or a man trained to discipline who on duty at the word of command kills a defenseless man—seem less guilty, that is, less free and more subject to the law of necessity"
"our conception of freedom and necessity is increased and diminished depend on three considerations:
(1) The relation to the external world of the man who commits the deeds.
(2) His relation to time.
(3) His relation to the causes leading to the action."
CHAPTER 10
Humans can't be totally free unless they live in a place where time and space doesn't interfere. We believe we are free and freedom becomes an explanation for that which we can't understand. Inevitability and freedom are vastly different and both exist within man, but to understand each concept, we must look at them differently. Reason says that we exist due to time, but consciousness says we exist to change time.
*Do our own minds hinder our total freedom?*
Important Quotes
"Can I lift my arm? I lift it, but ask myself: could I have abstained from lifting my arm at the moment that has already passed? To convince myself of this I do not lift it the next moment. But I am not now abstaining from doing so at the first moment when I asked the question."
"for as soon as there is no freedom there is also no man. And so the conception of the action of a man subject solely to the law of inevitability without any element of freedom is just as impossible as the conception of a man's completely free action."
"So also in history what is known to us we call laws of inevitability, what is unknown we call free will. Free will is for history only an expression for the unknown remainder of what we know about the laws of human life."
CHAPTER 11
If history is examined through free will, there would be no cause for history. History has yet to answer the questions of why certain events occur.
Important Quotes
"If any single action is due to free will, then not a single historical law can exist, nor any conception of historical events. For history, lines exist of the movement of human wills, one end of which is hidden in the unknown but at the other end of which a consciousness of man's will in the present moves in space, time, and dependence on cause. The more this field of motion spreads out before our eyes, the more evident are the laws of that movement. To discover and define those laws is the problem of history."
CHAPTER 12
Just like in astronomy which goes against religion, history's laws go against free will. We choose to recognize astronomy's laws like history's laws, therefore recognizing that we are not totally free and we depend on something that we cannot see.
Important Quotes
"The struggle between the old views and the new was long and stubbornly fought out in physical philosophy. Theology stood on guard for the old views and accused the new of violating revelation. But when truth conquered, theology established itself just as firmly on the new foundation.
Just as prolonged and stubborn is the struggle now proceeding between the old and the new conception of history, and theology in the same way stands on guard for the old view, and accuses the new view of subverting revelation"
"But as in astronomy the new view said: "It is true that we do not feel the movement of the earth, but by admitting its immobility we arrive at absurdity, while by admitting its motion (which we do not feel) we arrive at laws," so also in history the new view says: "It is true that we are not conscious of our dependence, but by admitting our free will we arrive at absurdity, while by admitting our dependence on the external world, on time, and on cause, we arrive at laws."
The difference between necessity and freedom is touched on. The greater amount of time that passes between events gives less necessity to an issue, therefore more freedom. Also other factors like mans' relation to the external world and the relation between him and the causes leading up to the action determine his choices and freewill. The more vulnerable, the less freedom we have because then our actions are based on instinct.
Important Quotes
"In every action we examine we see a certain measure of freedom and a certain measure of inevitability. And always the more freedom we see in any action the less inevitability do we perceive, and the more inevitability the less freedom."
"A sinking man who clutches at another and drowns him; or a hungry mother exhausted by feeding her baby, who steals some food; or a man trained to discipline who on duty at the word of command kills a defenseless man—seem less guilty, that is, less free and more subject to the law of necessity"
"our conception of freedom and necessity is increased and diminished depend on three considerations:
(1) The relation to the external world of the man who commits the deeds.
(2) His relation to time.
(3) His relation to the causes leading to the action."
CHAPTER 10
Humans can't be totally free unless they live in a place where time and space doesn't interfere. We believe we are free and freedom becomes an explanation for that which we can't understand. Inevitability and freedom are vastly different and both exist within man, but to understand each concept, we must look at them differently. Reason says that we exist due to time, but consciousness says we exist to change time.
*Do our own minds hinder our total freedom?*
Important Quotes
"Can I lift my arm? I lift it, but ask myself: could I have abstained from lifting my arm at the moment that has already passed? To convince myself of this I do not lift it the next moment. But I am not now abstaining from doing so at the first moment when I asked the question."
"for as soon as there is no freedom there is also no man. And so the conception of the action of a man subject solely to the law of inevitability without any element of freedom is just as impossible as the conception of a man's completely free action."
"So also in history what is known to us we call laws of inevitability, what is unknown we call free will. Free will is for history only an expression for the unknown remainder of what we know about the laws of human life."
CHAPTER 11
If history is examined through free will, there would be no cause for history. History has yet to answer the questions of why certain events occur.
Important Quotes
"If any single action is due to free will, then not a single historical law can exist, nor any conception of historical events. For history, lines exist of the movement of human wills, one end of which is hidden in the unknown but at the other end of which a consciousness of man's will in the present moves in space, time, and dependence on cause. The more this field of motion spreads out before our eyes, the more evident are the laws of that movement. To discover and define those laws is the problem of history."
CHAPTER 12
Just like in astronomy which goes against religion, history's laws go against free will. We choose to recognize astronomy's laws like history's laws, therefore recognizing that we are not totally free and we depend on something that we cannot see.
Important Quotes
"The struggle between the old views and the new was long and stubbornly fought out in physical philosophy. Theology stood on guard for the old views and accused the new of violating revelation. But when truth conquered, theology established itself just as firmly on the new foundation.
Just as prolonged and stubborn is the struggle now proceeding between the old and the new conception of history, and theology in the same way stands on guard for the old view, and accuses the new view of subverting revelation"
"But as in astronomy the new view said: "It is true that we do not feel the movement of the earth, but by admitting its immobility we arrive at absurdity, while by admitting its motion (which we do not feel) we arrive at laws," so also in history the new view says: "It is true that we are not conscious of our dependence, but by admitting our free will we arrive at absurdity, while by admitting our dependence on the external world, on time, and on cause, we arrive at laws."
Friday, July 15, 2016
Epilogue 2, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
CHAPTER 1
Tolstoy describes the differences between modern and ancient history and historical views. Ancient history was more based on a deity reining over the people in history, leading them to do what they did. Modern history deals with fact and explanation through sequence.
Important Quotes
"how did individuals make nations act as they wished and by what was the will of these individuals themselves guided? the ancients met by recognizing a divinity which subjected the nations to the will of a chosen man, and guided the will of that chosen man so as to accomplish ends that were predestined."
"Instead of men endowed with divine authority and directly guided by the will of God, modern history has given us either heroes endowed with extraordinary, superhuman capacities, or simply men of very various kinds, from monarchs to journalists, who lead the masses."
"If history had retained the conception of the ancients it would have said that God, to reward or punish his people, gave Napoleon power and directed his will to the fulfillment of the divine ends, and that reply would have been clear and complete. One might believe or disbelieve in the divine significance of Napoleon, but for anyone believing in it there would have been nothing unintelligible in the history of that period, nor would there have been any contradictions.
But modern history cannot give that reply. Science does not admit the conception of the ancients as to the direct participation of the Deity in human affairs, and therefore history ought to give other answers."
CHAPTER 2
Tolstoy continues the explain the differences among historians.
Important Quotes
"As soon as historians of different nationalities and tendencies begin to describe the same event, the replies they give immediately lose all meaning, for this force is understood by them all not only differently but often in quite contradictory ways."
"the historians of culture involuntarily contradict themselves, and show that the new force they have devised does not account for what happens in history, and that history can only be explained by introducing a power which they apparently do not recognize."
CHAPTER 3
The explanation of universal and cultural histories continues.
Important Quotes
"A locomotive is moving. Someone asks: "What moves it?" A peasant says the devil moves it. Another man says the locomotive moves because its wheels go round. A third asserts that the cause of its movement lies in the smoke which the wind carries away."
" Some see it as a force directly inherent in heroes, as the peasant sees the devil in the locomotive; others as a force resulting from several other forces, like the movement of the wheels; others again as an intellectual influence, like the smoke that is blown away."
" The writers of universal histories and of the history of culture are like people who, recognizing the defects of paper money, decide to substitute for it money made of metal that has not the specific gravity of gold."
CHAPTER 4
Tolstoy continues to explain history.
Important Quotes
"This reply is quite satisfactory if we believe that the power was given him by God. But as soon as we do not admit that, it becomes essential to determine what is this power of one man over others. "
CHAPTER 5
The question of what power is is brought up again.
Important Quotes
"If the realm of human knowledge were confined to abstract reasoning, then having subjected to criticism the explanation of "power" that juridical science gives us, humanity would conclude that power is merely a word and has no real existence. But to understand phenomena man has, besides abstract reasoning, experience by which he verifies his reflections. And experience tells us that power is not merely a word but an actually existing phenomenon. "
"On the one side reflection shows that the expression of a man's will—his words—are only part of the general activity expressed in an event, as for instance in a war or a revolution, and so without assuming an incomprehensible, supernatural force—a miracle—one cannot admit that words can be the immediate cause of the movements of millions of men"
CHAPTER 6
Those who are at the top have more power. But it is power along with circumstance that allows events to unfold as they do.
Important Quotes
"Only the expression of the will of the Deity, not dependent on time, can relate to a whole series of events occurring over a period of years or centuries, and only the Deity, independent of everything, can by His sole will determine the direction of humanity's movement; but man acts in time and himself takes part in what occurs."
"So that examining the relation in time of the commands to the events, we find that a command can never be the cause of the event, but that a certain definite dependence exists between the two."
"the contiguous sections of a cone and of the ranks of an army, or the ranks and positions in any administrative or public business whatever from the lowest to the highest, we see a law by which men, to take associated action, combine in such relations that the more directly they participate in performing the action the less they can command and the more numerous they are, while the less their direct participation in the action itself, the more they command and the fewer of them there are; rising in this way from the lowest ranks to the man at the top, who takes the least direct share in the action and directs his activity chiefly to commanding. This relation of the men who command to those they command is what constitutes the essence of the conception called power."
CHAPTER 7
Tolstoy answers the questions of what is power and what force produces movements in history.
Important Quotes
"Whatever happens it always appears that just that event was foreseen and decreed. Wherever the ship may go, the rush of water which neither directs nor increases its movement foams ahead of it, and at a distance seems to us not merely to move of itself but to govern the ship's movement also."
"(1)What is power? (2) What force produces the movement of the nations?
(1) Power is the relation of a given person to other individuals, in which the more this person expresses opinions, predictions, and justifications of the collective action that is performed, the less is his participation in that action.
(2) The movement of nations is caused not by power, nor by intellectual activity, nor even by a combination of the two as historians have supposed, but by the activity of all the people who participate in the events, and who always combine in such a way that those taking the largest direct share in the event take on themselves the least responsibility and vice versa."
"Speaking of the interaction of heat and electricity and of atoms, we cannot say why this occurs, and we say that it is so because it is inconceivable otherwise, because it must be so and that it is a law. The same applies to historical events. Why war and revolution occur we do not know. We only know that to produce the one or the other action, people combine in a certain formation in which they all take part, and we say that this is so because it is unthinkable otherwise, or in other words that it is a law."
CHAPTER 8
Do men have free will? If so, why do we abide by certain laws? Our bodies seem to have free wills because we do what we please with them, but they are controlled by the nervous system which we have no control over. Are we created by God or descendants of apes?
Important Quotes
"But the law of history relates to man. A particle of matter cannot tell us that it does not feel the law of attraction or repulsion and that that law is untrue, but man, who is the subject of history, says plainly: I am free and am therefore not subject to the law."
" If the will of every man were free, that is, if each man could act as he pleased, all history would be a series of disconnected incidents."
Tolstoy describes the differences between modern and ancient history and historical views. Ancient history was more based on a deity reining over the people in history, leading them to do what they did. Modern history deals with fact and explanation through sequence.
Important Quotes
"how did individuals make nations act as they wished and by what was the will of these individuals themselves guided? the ancients met by recognizing a divinity which subjected the nations to the will of a chosen man, and guided the will of that chosen man so as to accomplish ends that were predestined."
"Instead of men endowed with divine authority and directly guided by the will of God, modern history has given us either heroes endowed with extraordinary, superhuman capacities, or simply men of very various kinds, from monarchs to journalists, who lead the masses."
"If history had retained the conception of the ancients it would have said that God, to reward or punish his people, gave Napoleon power and directed his will to the fulfillment of the divine ends, and that reply would have been clear and complete. One might believe or disbelieve in the divine significance of Napoleon, but for anyone believing in it there would have been nothing unintelligible in the history of that period, nor would there have been any contradictions.
But modern history cannot give that reply. Science does not admit the conception of the ancients as to the direct participation of the Deity in human affairs, and therefore history ought to give other answers."
CHAPTER 2
Tolstoy continues the explain the differences among historians.
Important Quotes
"As soon as historians of different nationalities and tendencies begin to describe the same event, the replies they give immediately lose all meaning, for this force is understood by them all not only differently but often in quite contradictory ways."
"the historians of culture involuntarily contradict themselves, and show that the new force they have devised does not account for what happens in history, and that history can only be explained by introducing a power which they apparently do not recognize."
CHAPTER 3
The explanation of universal and cultural histories continues.
Important Quotes
"A locomotive is moving. Someone asks: "What moves it?" A peasant says the devil moves it. Another man says the locomotive moves because its wheels go round. A third asserts that the cause of its movement lies in the smoke which the wind carries away."
" Some see it as a force directly inherent in heroes, as the peasant sees the devil in the locomotive; others as a force resulting from several other forces, like the movement of the wheels; others again as an intellectual influence, like the smoke that is blown away."
" The writers of universal histories and of the history of culture are like people who, recognizing the defects of paper money, decide to substitute for it money made of metal that has not the specific gravity of gold."
CHAPTER 4
Tolstoy continues to explain history.
Important Quotes
"This reply is quite satisfactory if we believe that the power was given him by God. But as soon as we do not admit that, it becomes essential to determine what is this power of one man over others. "
CHAPTER 5
The question of what power is is brought up again.
Important Quotes
"If the realm of human knowledge were confined to abstract reasoning, then having subjected to criticism the explanation of "power" that juridical science gives us, humanity would conclude that power is merely a word and has no real existence. But to understand phenomena man has, besides abstract reasoning, experience by which he verifies his reflections. And experience tells us that power is not merely a word but an actually existing phenomenon. "
"On the one side reflection shows that the expression of a man's will—his words—are only part of the general activity expressed in an event, as for instance in a war or a revolution, and so without assuming an incomprehensible, supernatural force—a miracle—one cannot admit that words can be the immediate cause of the movements of millions of men"
CHAPTER 6
Those who are at the top have more power. But it is power along with circumstance that allows events to unfold as they do.
Important Quotes
"Only the expression of the will of the Deity, not dependent on time, can relate to a whole series of events occurring over a period of years or centuries, and only the Deity, independent of everything, can by His sole will determine the direction of humanity's movement; but man acts in time and himself takes part in what occurs."
"So that examining the relation in time of the commands to the events, we find that a command can never be the cause of the event, but that a certain definite dependence exists between the two."
"the contiguous sections of a cone and of the ranks of an army, or the ranks and positions in any administrative or public business whatever from the lowest to the highest, we see a law by which men, to take associated action, combine in such relations that the more directly they participate in performing the action the less they can command and the more numerous they are, while the less their direct participation in the action itself, the more they command and the fewer of them there are; rising in this way from the lowest ranks to the man at the top, who takes the least direct share in the action and directs his activity chiefly to commanding. This relation of the men who command to those they command is what constitutes the essence of the conception called power."
CHAPTER 7
Tolstoy answers the questions of what is power and what force produces movements in history.
Important Quotes
"Whatever happens it always appears that just that event was foreseen and decreed. Wherever the ship may go, the rush of water which neither directs nor increases its movement foams ahead of it, and at a distance seems to us not merely to move of itself but to govern the ship's movement also."
"(1)What is power? (2) What force produces the movement of the nations?
(1) Power is the relation of a given person to other individuals, in which the more this person expresses opinions, predictions, and justifications of the collective action that is performed, the less is his participation in that action.
(2) The movement of nations is caused not by power, nor by intellectual activity, nor even by a combination of the two as historians have supposed, but by the activity of all the people who participate in the events, and who always combine in such a way that those taking the largest direct share in the event take on themselves the least responsibility and vice versa."
"Speaking of the interaction of heat and electricity and of atoms, we cannot say why this occurs, and we say that it is so because it is inconceivable otherwise, because it must be so and that it is a law. The same applies to historical events. Why war and revolution occur we do not know. We only know that to produce the one or the other action, people combine in a certain formation in which they all take part, and we say that this is so because it is unthinkable otherwise, or in other words that it is a law."
CHAPTER 8
Do men have free will? If so, why do we abide by certain laws? Our bodies seem to have free wills because we do what we please with them, but they are controlled by the nervous system which we have no control over. Are we created by God or descendants of apes?
Important Quotes
"But the law of history relates to man. A particle of matter cannot tell us that it does not feel the law of attraction or repulsion and that that law is untrue, but man, who is the subject of history, says plainly: I am free and am therefore not subject to the law."
" If the will of every man were free, that is, if each man could act as he pleased, all history would be a series of disconnected incidents."
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
RECAP of Epilogue 1
Important Parts:
- Natasha: has outgrown her youthfulness and is now a changed, aged woman. She lives only for Pierre, her husband, and her family. She has lost her sense of self and her spirit.
- Pierre: Has become a respected figure, but disagrees with Nicholas Rostov on government issues. Pierre wants to revolt against a government he's dissatisfied with.
- Nicholas: Has grown cold towards little Nicholas (who is not his own son) and only cares about farming and interacting with the serfs.
- Mary: One of the smartest women in the book--she is revered by Nicholas and may even be smarter than him (at least spiritually)
- Little Nicholas: He is as Pierre was at the beginning. He has no parents and people don't appreciate of love him like they should. He sees Pierre as a father figure, replacing Andrew. He will probably end up growing up like Pierre (The cycle of life continues).
- Countess Rostova: She has grown so old that nobody cares for her anymore. Her grandchildren avoid her and she longs to die.
Epilogue 1, Chapters 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
CHAPTER 12
When Pierre comes back, everyone's mood changes and becomes merrier. Pierre has noticed changes in Natasha and sees how the once youthful girl he loved is more materialistic and washed-out. Little Nicholas tries remembering Andrew, his dad, but cannot remember him clearly or without contempt. Pierre becomes his new father figure. The Countess has been forgotten as she ages and becomes irritable. No one understands her and she wishes to die. Her kids only care for her out of pity and her grandchildren avoid her.
Important Quotes
"The servants—the most reliable judges of their masters because they judge not by their conversation or expressions of feeling but by their acts and way of life—were glad of Pierre's return because they knew that when he was there Count Nicholas would cease going every day to attend to the estate, and would be in better spirits and temper, and also because they would all receive handsome presents for the holidays."
"[Little Nicholas], who was only just beginning to guess what love is, derived the notion that his father had loved Natasha and when dying had left her to his friend. But the father whom the boy did not remember appeared to him a divinity who could not be pictured, and of whom he never thought without a swelling heart and tears of sadness and rapture."
Countess: "After the deaths of her son and husband in such rapid succession, she felt herself a being accidentally forgotten in this world and left without aim or object for her existence. She ate, drank, slept, or kept awake, but did not live. Life gave her no new impressions. She wanted nothing from life but tranquillity, and that tranquillity only death could give her."
CHAPTER 13
The adults sit with the Countess as Pierre tells her of his travels in Petersburg. He simplifies all his stories and sticks to talking about trivial matters for her to understand.
Important Quotes
" Though Pierre, Natasha, Nicholas, Countess Mary, and Denisov had much to talk about that they could not discuss before the old countess—not that anything was hidden from her, but because she had dropped so far behindhand in many things that had they begun to converse in her presence they would have had to answer inopportune questions and to repeat what they had already told her many times"
CHAPTER 14
The men go talk about government matters in another room and little Nicholas follows. Pierre thinks that there is no order in the government and that riots will begin soon and that Alexander is not even interested in saving his own country. Nicholas thinks otherwise and believes in serving the government to ones' best ability. Little Nicholas is confused as to which side to choose and asks Pierre what side his father, Andrew, would've been on.
Important Quotes
"Natasha, who had come in during the conversation, looked joyfully at her husband. It was not what he was saying that pleased her—that did not even interest her, for it seemed to her that was all extremely simple and that she had known it a long time (it seemed so to her because she knew that it sprang from Pierre's whole soul), but it was his animated and enthusiastic appearance that made her glad."
Nicholas (to Pierre): "'You are my best friend, as you know, but if you formed a secret society and began working against the government—be it what it may—I know it is my duty to obey the government. And if Arakcheev ordered me to lead a squadron against you and cut you down, I should not hesitate an instant, but should do it.' And you may argue about that as you like!"
Little Nicholas: "Uncle Pierre, you... no... If Papa were alive... would he agree with you?" he asked.
And Pierre suddenly realized what a special, independent, complex, and powerful process of thought and feeling must have been going on in this boy during that conversation, and remembering all he had said he regretted that the lad should have heard him. He had, however, to give him an answer.
Pierre: "Yes, I think so"
CHAPTER 15
Nicholas talks to Mary about how absurd he thinks Pierre is for wanting to revolt against to government. Mary shows him her diary where she writes all the seemingly insignificant things about their children and he admires her for it. He values her spirituality and composure. They also speak of little Nicholas and Mary just cannot seem to love him like her own kids. Nicholas also isn't too fond of the boy, although he pretends he is.
*Little Nicholas is just as Pierre was at the beginning of the book--alone and not well liked. He has taken an interest in Pierre which is ironic since they are both almost the same person*
Important Quotes
"Nicholas put down the book and looked at his wife. The radiant eyes gazed at him questioningly: would he approve or disapprove of her diary? There could be no doubt not only of his approval but also of his admiration for his wife."
"[Nicholas] was proud of [Mary's] intelligence and goodness, recognized his own insignificance beside her in the spiritual world, and rejoiced all the more that she with such a soul not only belonged to him but was part of himself."
Nicholas: "We began disputing—Pierre and I—and I lost my temper. But he is impossible: such a child! I don't know what would become of him if Natasha didn't keep him in hand"
Mary (about Nicholas): "She felt a submissive tender love for this man who would never understand all that she understood, and this seemed to make her love for him still stronger and added a touch of passionate tenderness."
Mary: "while thinking of her nephew she thought also of her own children. She did not compare them with him, but compared her feeling for them with her feeling for him, and felt with regret that there was something lacking in her feeling for young Nicholas."
CHAPTER 16
Pierre talks to Natasha about how complacent Nicholas is. Meanwhile, little Nicholas dreams of Pierre who morphs into his father in the dream. Nicholas seems to be the villain in the dream and, when he wakes up, he vows to do something grand in life to impress his dead father and Pierre.
Important Quotes
"In saying this Natasha was sincere in acknowledging Mary's superiority, but at the same time by saying it she made a demand on Pierre that he should, all the same, prefer her to Mary and to all other women"
Pierre: "I only wished to say that ideas that have great results are always simple ones. My whole idea is that if vicious people are united and constitute a power, then honest folk must do the same. Now that's simple enough."
Little Nicholas: "But Uncle Pierre! Oh, what a wonderful man he is! And my father? Oh, Father, Father! Yes, I will do something with which even he would be satisfied...."
When Pierre comes back, everyone's mood changes and becomes merrier. Pierre has noticed changes in Natasha and sees how the once youthful girl he loved is more materialistic and washed-out. Little Nicholas tries remembering Andrew, his dad, but cannot remember him clearly or without contempt. Pierre becomes his new father figure. The Countess has been forgotten as she ages and becomes irritable. No one understands her and she wishes to die. Her kids only care for her out of pity and her grandchildren avoid her.
Important Quotes
"The servants—the most reliable judges of their masters because they judge not by their conversation or expressions of feeling but by their acts and way of life—were glad of Pierre's return because they knew that when he was there Count Nicholas would cease going every day to attend to the estate, and would be in better spirits and temper, and also because they would all receive handsome presents for the holidays."
"[Little Nicholas], who was only just beginning to guess what love is, derived the notion that his father had loved Natasha and when dying had left her to his friend. But the father whom the boy did not remember appeared to him a divinity who could not be pictured, and of whom he never thought without a swelling heart and tears of sadness and rapture."
Countess: "After the deaths of her son and husband in such rapid succession, she felt herself a being accidentally forgotten in this world and left without aim or object for her existence. She ate, drank, slept, or kept awake, but did not live. Life gave her no new impressions. She wanted nothing from life but tranquillity, and that tranquillity only death could give her."
CHAPTER 13
The adults sit with the Countess as Pierre tells her of his travels in Petersburg. He simplifies all his stories and sticks to talking about trivial matters for her to understand.
Important Quotes
" Though Pierre, Natasha, Nicholas, Countess Mary, and Denisov had much to talk about that they could not discuss before the old countess—not that anything was hidden from her, but because she had dropped so far behindhand in many things that had they begun to converse in her presence they would have had to answer inopportune questions and to repeat what they had already told her many times"
CHAPTER 14
The men go talk about government matters in another room and little Nicholas follows. Pierre thinks that there is no order in the government and that riots will begin soon and that Alexander is not even interested in saving his own country. Nicholas thinks otherwise and believes in serving the government to ones' best ability. Little Nicholas is confused as to which side to choose and asks Pierre what side his father, Andrew, would've been on.
Important Quotes
"Natasha, who had come in during the conversation, looked joyfully at her husband. It was not what he was saying that pleased her—that did not even interest her, for it seemed to her that was all extremely simple and that she had known it a long time (it seemed so to her because she knew that it sprang from Pierre's whole soul), but it was his animated and enthusiastic appearance that made her glad."
Nicholas (to Pierre): "'You are my best friend, as you know, but if you formed a secret society and began working against the government—be it what it may—I know it is my duty to obey the government. And if Arakcheev ordered me to lead a squadron against you and cut you down, I should not hesitate an instant, but should do it.' And you may argue about that as you like!"
Little Nicholas: "Uncle Pierre, you... no... If Papa were alive... would he agree with you?" he asked.
And Pierre suddenly realized what a special, independent, complex, and powerful process of thought and feeling must have been going on in this boy during that conversation, and remembering all he had said he regretted that the lad should have heard him. He had, however, to give him an answer.
Pierre: "Yes, I think so"
CHAPTER 15
Nicholas talks to Mary about how absurd he thinks Pierre is for wanting to revolt against to government. Mary shows him her diary where she writes all the seemingly insignificant things about their children and he admires her for it. He values her spirituality and composure. They also speak of little Nicholas and Mary just cannot seem to love him like her own kids. Nicholas also isn't too fond of the boy, although he pretends he is.
*Little Nicholas is just as Pierre was at the beginning of the book--alone and not well liked. He has taken an interest in Pierre which is ironic since they are both almost the same person*
Important Quotes
"Nicholas put down the book and looked at his wife. The radiant eyes gazed at him questioningly: would he approve or disapprove of her diary? There could be no doubt not only of his approval but also of his admiration for his wife."
"[Nicholas] was proud of [Mary's] intelligence and goodness, recognized his own insignificance beside her in the spiritual world, and rejoiced all the more that she with such a soul not only belonged to him but was part of himself."
Nicholas: "We began disputing—Pierre and I—and I lost my temper. But he is impossible: such a child! I don't know what would become of him if Natasha didn't keep him in hand"
Mary (about Nicholas): "She felt a submissive tender love for this man who would never understand all that she understood, and this seemed to make her love for him still stronger and added a touch of passionate tenderness."
Mary: "while thinking of her nephew she thought also of her own children. She did not compare them with him, but compared her feeling for them with her feeling for him, and felt with regret that there was something lacking in her feeling for young Nicholas."
CHAPTER 16
Pierre talks to Natasha about how complacent Nicholas is. Meanwhile, little Nicholas dreams of Pierre who morphs into his father in the dream. Nicholas seems to be the villain in the dream and, when he wakes up, he vows to do something grand in life to impress his dead father and Pierre.
Important Quotes
"In saying this Natasha was sincere in acknowledging Mary's superiority, but at the same time by saying it she made a demand on Pierre that he should, all the same, prefer her to Mary and to all other women"
Pierre: "I only wished to say that ideas that have great results are always simple ones. My whole idea is that if vicious people are united and constitute a power, then honest folk must do the same. Now that's simple enough."
Little Nicholas: "But Uncle Pierre! Oh, what a wonderful man he is! And my father? Oh, Father, Father! Yes, I will do something with which even he would be satisfied...."
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Epilogue 1, Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
CHAPTER 7
Nicholas and Mary get married in 1813. Nicholas takes up farming when they all move to Bald Hills and takes care of the working serfs. He becomes their leader and loves dealing with the land and the peasants which Mary doesn't understand. He is very possessive of his new hobby and gets mad when Mary interferes.
Important Quotes
Nicholas: "At first he watched the serfs, trying to understand their aims and what they considered good and bad, and only pretended to direct them and give orders while in reality learning from them their methods, their manner of speech, and their judgment of what was good and bad."
"Countess Mary was jealous of this passion of her husband's and regretted that she could not share it; but she could not understand the joys and vexations he derived from that world, to her so remote and alien. She could not understand why he was so particularly animated and happy when, after getting up at daybreak and spending the whole morning in the fields or on the threshing floor, he returned from the sowing or mowing or reaping to have tea with her."
Nicholas: "fairness, of course," he added, "for if the peasant is naked and hungry and has only one miserable horse, he can do no good either for himself or for me." And all Nicholas did was fruitful—probably just because he refused to allow himself to think that he was doing good to others for virtue's sake."
CHAPTER 8
Nicholas talks to Mary about his anger issues. He breaks the ring on his finger from clenching his fists out of anger. Non of the people in his class like him because he spends so much time on his own farming and with the peasants. Nicholas also tells Mary of his and Sonya's past love and Mary feels guilty and jealous. Natasha tells her to forget the past and that Sonya has just been dealt the losing card in this life.
Important Quotes
"The looks of the plain Countess Mary always improved when she was in tears. She never cried from pain or vexation, but always from sorrow or pity, and when she wept her radiant eyes acquired an irresistible charm."
"Among the gentry of the province Nicholas was respected but not liked. He did not concern himself with the interests of his own class, and consequently some thought him proud and others thought him stupid."
Mary: " She thoroughly realized the wrong he had done Sonya, felt herself to blame toward her, and imagined that her wealth had influenced Nicholas' choice. She could not find fault with Sonya in any way and tried to be fond of her, but often felt ill-will toward her which she could not overcome."
Natasha (about Sonya): "''To him that hath shall be given, and from him that hath not shall be taken away.' You remember? She is one that hath not; why, I don't know. Perhaps she lacks egotism, I don't know, but from her is taken away, and everything has been taken away. Sometimes I am dreadfully sorry for her. Formerly I very much wanted Nicholas to marry her, but I always had a sort of presentiment that it would not come off. She is a sterile flower, you know"
CHAPTER 9
It is Nicholas' name day and the whole family has arrived. Mary senses that he's cross with her at dinner since he is happy with everyone else except her. She mentions that this always happens when she's pregnant. Later that night, Mary and her children, little Andrew and Natasha, sneak up to see Nicholas. She feels that she's not beautiful or exciting enough for him. He tells her that he's not mad as he romps around the room with Natasha, his favorite child.
Important Quotes
Nicholas to Mary: "You always have such strange fancies! I didn't even think of being angry," he replied. But the word always seemed to her to imply: "Yes, I am angry but I won't tell you why." Nicholas and his wife lived together so happily that even Sonya and the old countess, who felt jealous and would have liked them to disagree"
"That's always the way," thought Countess Mary. "He talks to everyone except me. I see... I see that I am repulsive to him, especially when I am in this condition." She looked down at her expanded figure and in the glass at her pale, sallow, emaciated face in which her eyes now looked larger than ever. "
Nicholas to Mary: "It is not beauty that endears, it's love that makes us see beauty. It is only Malvinas and women of that kind who are loved for their beauty. But do I love my wife? I don't love her, but... I don't know how to put it. Without you, or when something comes between us like this, I seem lost and can't do anything. Now do I love my finger? I don't love it, but just try to cut it off!"
Mary: "I should never, never have believed that one could be so happy," she whispered to herself. A smile lit up her face but at the same time she sighed, and her deep eyes expressed a quiet sadness as though she felt, through her happiness, that there is another sort of happiness unattainable in this life and of which she involuntarily thought at that instant."
CHAPTER 10
Pierre and Natasha are happily married with four kids. Natasha has lost all her charm of youth and does not go out in public much. She devoted her whole life to her family. She also sets up strict rules for Pierre to follow in the marriage which he agrees to happily. She makes up for it by becoming his slave whenever he's home. The woman's movement is on the rise, but Natasha refuses it and does not comprehend it (except that she starts nursing her children rather than hiring a wet nurse).
Important Quotes
Natasha: "Now her face and body were often all that one saw, and her soul was not visible at all. All that struck the eye was a strong, handsome, and fertile woman"
"Natasha did not follow the golden rule advocated by clever folk, especially by the French, which says that a girl should not let herself go when she marries, should not neglect her accomplishments, should be even more careful of her appearance than when she was unmarried, and should fascinate her husband as much as she did before he became her husband. Natásha on the contrary had at once abandoned all her witchery"
"Pierre's subjection consisted in the fact that he not only dared not flirt with, but dared not even speak smilingly to, any other woman; did not dare dine at the club as a pastime, did not dare spend money on a whim, and did not dare absent himself for any length of time, except on business—in which his wife included his intellectual pursuits, which she did not in the least understand but to which she attributed great importance. To make up for this, at home Pierre had the right to regulate his life and that of the whole family exactly as he chose. At home Natasha placed herself in the position of a slave to her husband"
"After seven years of marriage Pierre had the joyous and firm consciousness that he was not a bad man, and he felt this because he saw himself reflected in his wife. He felt the good and bad within himself inextricably mingled and overlapping. But only what was really good in him was reflected in his wife, all that was not quite good was rejected. And this was not the result of logical reasoning but was a direct and mysterious reflection."
CHAPTER 11
Natasha worries tremendously when Pierre does not come home quickly after his conference in Petersburg. She worries so much that, to distract herself, she overfeeds her baby, Petya, until he's sick. She finds joy in caring for him, though. Pierre finally arrives and Natasha's old, happy self is restored.
*Natasha is really incomplete without her family and Pierre and has changed so much since the beginning. Her spirit is her family and she has no sense of identity without them.*
Important Quotes
"During that fortnight of anxiety Natasha resorted to the baby for comfort so often, and fussed over him so much, that she overfed him and he fell ill. She was terrified by his illness, and yet that was just what she needed. While attending to him she bore the anxiety about her husband more easily."
Nicholas and Mary get married in 1813. Nicholas takes up farming when they all move to Bald Hills and takes care of the working serfs. He becomes their leader and loves dealing with the land and the peasants which Mary doesn't understand. He is very possessive of his new hobby and gets mad when Mary interferes.
Important Quotes
Nicholas: "At first he watched the serfs, trying to understand their aims and what they considered good and bad, and only pretended to direct them and give orders while in reality learning from them their methods, their manner of speech, and their judgment of what was good and bad."
"Countess Mary was jealous of this passion of her husband's and regretted that she could not share it; but she could not understand the joys and vexations he derived from that world, to her so remote and alien. She could not understand why he was so particularly animated and happy when, after getting up at daybreak and spending the whole morning in the fields or on the threshing floor, he returned from the sowing or mowing or reaping to have tea with her."
Nicholas: "fairness, of course," he added, "for if the peasant is naked and hungry and has only one miserable horse, he can do no good either for himself or for me." And all Nicholas did was fruitful—probably just because he refused to allow himself to think that he was doing good to others for virtue's sake."
CHAPTER 8
Nicholas talks to Mary about his anger issues. He breaks the ring on his finger from clenching his fists out of anger. Non of the people in his class like him because he spends so much time on his own farming and with the peasants. Nicholas also tells Mary of his and Sonya's past love and Mary feels guilty and jealous. Natasha tells her to forget the past and that Sonya has just been dealt the losing card in this life.
Important Quotes
"The looks of the plain Countess Mary always improved when she was in tears. She never cried from pain or vexation, but always from sorrow or pity, and when she wept her radiant eyes acquired an irresistible charm."
"Among the gentry of the province Nicholas was respected but not liked. He did not concern himself with the interests of his own class, and consequently some thought him proud and others thought him stupid."
Mary: " She thoroughly realized the wrong he had done Sonya, felt herself to blame toward her, and imagined that her wealth had influenced Nicholas' choice. She could not find fault with Sonya in any way and tried to be fond of her, but often felt ill-will toward her which she could not overcome."
Natasha (about Sonya): "''To him that hath shall be given, and from him that hath not shall be taken away.' You remember? She is one that hath not; why, I don't know. Perhaps she lacks egotism, I don't know, but from her is taken away, and everything has been taken away. Sometimes I am dreadfully sorry for her. Formerly I very much wanted Nicholas to marry her, but I always had a sort of presentiment that it would not come off. She is a sterile flower, you know"
CHAPTER 9
It is Nicholas' name day and the whole family has arrived. Mary senses that he's cross with her at dinner since he is happy with everyone else except her. She mentions that this always happens when she's pregnant. Later that night, Mary and her children, little Andrew and Natasha, sneak up to see Nicholas. She feels that she's not beautiful or exciting enough for him. He tells her that he's not mad as he romps around the room with Natasha, his favorite child.
Important Quotes
Nicholas to Mary: "You always have such strange fancies! I didn't even think of being angry," he replied. But the word always seemed to her to imply: "Yes, I am angry but I won't tell you why." Nicholas and his wife lived together so happily that even Sonya and the old countess, who felt jealous and would have liked them to disagree"
"That's always the way," thought Countess Mary. "He talks to everyone except me. I see... I see that I am repulsive to him, especially when I am in this condition." She looked down at her expanded figure and in the glass at her pale, sallow, emaciated face in which her eyes now looked larger than ever. "
Nicholas to Mary: "It is not beauty that endears, it's love that makes us see beauty. It is only Malvinas and women of that kind who are loved for their beauty. But do I love my wife? I don't love her, but... I don't know how to put it. Without you, or when something comes between us like this, I seem lost and can't do anything. Now do I love my finger? I don't love it, but just try to cut it off!"
Mary: "I should never, never have believed that one could be so happy," she whispered to herself. A smile lit up her face but at the same time she sighed, and her deep eyes expressed a quiet sadness as though she felt, through her happiness, that there is another sort of happiness unattainable in this life and of which she involuntarily thought at that instant."
CHAPTER 10
Pierre and Natasha are happily married with four kids. Natasha has lost all her charm of youth and does not go out in public much. She devoted her whole life to her family. She also sets up strict rules for Pierre to follow in the marriage which he agrees to happily. She makes up for it by becoming his slave whenever he's home. The woman's movement is on the rise, but Natasha refuses it and does not comprehend it (except that she starts nursing her children rather than hiring a wet nurse).
Important Quotes
Natasha: "Now her face and body were often all that one saw, and her soul was not visible at all. All that struck the eye was a strong, handsome, and fertile woman"
"Natasha did not follow the golden rule advocated by clever folk, especially by the French, which says that a girl should not let herself go when she marries, should not neglect her accomplishments, should be even more careful of her appearance than when she was unmarried, and should fascinate her husband as much as she did before he became her husband. Natásha on the contrary had at once abandoned all her witchery"
"Pierre's subjection consisted in the fact that he not only dared not flirt with, but dared not even speak smilingly to, any other woman; did not dare dine at the club as a pastime, did not dare spend money on a whim, and did not dare absent himself for any length of time, except on business—in which his wife included his intellectual pursuits, which she did not in the least understand but to which she attributed great importance. To make up for this, at home Pierre had the right to regulate his life and that of the whole family exactly as he chose. At home Natasha placed herself in the position of a slave to her husband"
"After seven years of marriage Pierre had the joyous and firm consciousness that he was not a bad man, and he felt this because he saw himself reflected in his wife. He felt the good and bad within himself inextricably mingled and overlapping. But only what was really good in him was reflected in his wife, all that was not quite good was rejected. And this was not the result of logical reasoning but was a direct and mysterious reflection."
CHAPTER 11
Natasha worries tremendously when Pierre does not come home quickly after his conference in Petersburg. She worries so much that, to distract herself, she overfeeds her baby, Petya, until he's sick. She finds joy in caring for him, though. Pierre finally arrives and Natasha's old, happy self is restored.
*Natasha is really incomplete without her family and Pierre and has changed so much since the beginning. Her spirit is her family and she has no sense of identity without them.*
Important Quotes
"During that fortnight of anxiety Natasha resorted to the baby for comfort so often, and fussed over him so much, that she overfed him and he fell ill. She was terrified by his illness, and yet that was just what she needed. While attending to him she bore the anxiety about her husband more easily."
Monday, July 11, 2016
Epilogue 1, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
CHAPTER 1
year 1813-20
Tolstoy explains how the once praised Alexander is now seen at fault by historians. What is good and bad is determined by a time period in which other time periods cannot understand.
Important Quotes
"But even if we assume that fifty years ago Alexander I was mistaken in his view of what was good for the people, we must inevitably assume that the historian who judges Alexander will also after the lapse of some time turn out to be mistaken in his view of what is good for humanity."
"If we admit that human life can be ruled by reason, the possibility of life is destroyed."
CHAPTER 2
What is chance? What is genius? These thoughts are touched upon in this chapter.
Important Quotes
" I do not know why a certain event occurs; I think that I cannot know it; so I do not try to know it and I talk about chance. I see a force producing effects beyond the scope of ordinary human agencies; I do not understand why this occurs and I talk of genius. "
CHAPTER 3
All of Napoleon's actions in the war are described by chance.
CHAPTER 4
Napoleon is exiled to an island off of France. There he contemplates what good he could've brought had he won the war and the people hadn't turned against him. Alexander is now the most powerful ruler but gives up his power because he finds power to be unattractive. Tolstoy speaks of perspective and how everyone has a different perspective and only sees certain parts of a whole (he uses a beehive metaphor).
Important Quotes
"And some years pass during which [Napoleon] plays a pitiful comedy to himself in solitude on his island, justifying his actions by intrigues and lies when the justification is no longer needed, and displaying to the whole world what it was that people had mistaken for strength as long as an unseen hand directed his actions."
"at the time when Napoleon in exile was drawing up childish and mendacious plans of how he would have made mankind happy had he retained power—Alexander I, having fulfilled his mission and feeling the hand of God upon him, suddenly recognizes the insignificance of that supposed power, turns away from it, and gives it into the hands of contemptible men whom he despises"
CHAPTER 5
Count Rostov dies after Natasha and Pierre marry. Nicholas comes home to take care of the countess and Sonya helps him care for her every need. The Rostovs are very poor now and in debt, but hide this from the countess who likes lavish things. Nicholas does not love Sonya at all anymore and thinks she's too perfect to like. He also doesn't want to marry rich and simply enjoys being in his gloomy state.
Important Quotes
"[Nicholas] felt that the more he valued her the less he loved her. He had taken her at her word when she wrote giving him his freedom and now behaved as if all that had passed between them had been long forgotten and could never in any case be renewed. "
CHAPTER 6
Mary goes to visit the Rostovs. Nicholas greets her very coldly and she is taken aback. The countess advises Nicholas to call Mary again and talk with her and he goes, grudgingly. Mary and he talk and Mary asks him why he's changed so much. She cries, telling him that she has so little happiness in life and now has even less since he won't be friendly with her.
Important Quotes
Mary: "I expected nothing else," she told herself, calling her pride to her aid. "I have nothing to do with him and I only wanted to see the old lady, who was always kind to me and to whom I am under many obligations." But she could not pacify herself with these reflections"
Mary: "I don't understand your why, Count," she continued, "but it's hard for me... I confess it. For some reason you wish to deprive me of our former friendship. And that hurts me." There were tears in her eyes and in her voice. "I have had so little happiness in life that every loss is hard for me to bear.... Excuse me, good-by!" and suddenly she began to cry and was hurrying from the room."
year 1813-20
Tolstoy explains how the once praised Alexander is now seen at fault by historians. What is good and bad is determined by a time period in which other time periods cannot understand.
Important Quotes
"But even if we assume that fifty years ago Alexander I was mistaken in his view of what was good for the people, we must inevitably assume that the historian who judges Alexander will also after the lapse of some time turn out to be mistaken in his view of what is good for humanity."
"If we admit that human life can be ruled by reason, the possibility of life is destroyed."
CHAPTER 2
What is chance? What is genius? These thoughts are touched upon in this chapter.
Important Quotes
" I do not know why a certain event occurs; I think that I cannot know it; so I do not try to know it and I talk about chance. I see a force producing effects beyond the scope of ordinary human agencies; I do not understand why this occurs and I talk of genius. "
CHAPTER 3
All of Napoleon's actions in the war are described by chance.
CHAPTER 4
Napoleon is exiled to an island off of France. There he contemplates what good he could've brought had he won the war and the people hadn't turned against him. Alexander is now the most powerful ruler but gives up his power because he finds power to be unattractive. Tolstoy speaks of perspective and how everyone has a different perspective and only sees certain parts of a whole (he uses a beehive metaphor).
Important Quotes
"And some years pass during which [Napoleon] plays a pitiful comedy to himself in solitude on his island, justifying his actions by intrigues and lies when the justification is no longer needed, and displaying to the whole world what it was that people had mistaken for strength as long as an unseen hand directed his actions."
"at the time when Napoleon in exile was drawing up childish and mendacious plans of how he would have made mankind happy had he retained power—Alexander I, having fulfilled his mission and feeling the hand of God upon him, suddenly recognizes the insignificance of that supposed power, turns away from it, and gives it into the hands of contemptible men whom he despises"
CHAPTER 5
Count Rostov dies after Natasha and Pierre marry. Nicholas comes home to take care of the countess and Sonya helps him care for her every need. The Rostovs are very poor now and in debt, but hide this from the countess who likes lavish things. Nicholas does not love Sonya at all anymore and thinks she's too perfect to like. He also doesn't want to marry rich and simply enjoys being in his gloomy state.
Important Quotes
"[Nicholas] felt that the more he valued her the less he loved her. He had taken her at her word when she wrote giving him his freedom and now behaved as if all that had passed between them had been long forgotten and could never in any case be renewed. "
CHAPTER 6
Mary goes to visit the Rostovs. Nicholas greets her very coldly and she is taken aback. The countess advises Nicholas to call Mary again and talk with her and he goes, grudgingly. Mary and he talk and Mary asks him why he's changed so much. She cries, telling him that she has so little happiness in life and now has even less since he won't be friendly with her.
Important Quotes
Mary: "I expected nothing else," she told herself, calling her pride to her aid. "I have nothing to do with him and I only wanted to see the old lady, who was always kind to me and to whom I am under many obligations." But she could not pacify herself with these reflections"
Mary: "I don't understand your why, Count," she continued, "but it's hard for me... I confess it. For some reason you wish to deprive me of our former friendship. And that hurts me." There were tears in her eyes and in her voice. "I have had so little happiness in life that every loss is hard for me to bear.... Excuse me, good-by!" and suddenly she began to cry and was hurrying from the room."
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