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Foreshadowing
Volume 3, Part 1: Chapters 1–7
Explanation and Analysis:
War and Peace is a sweeping historical epic. In the novel, Tolstoy examines the tumultuous years of the Napoleonic Wars as experienced in Russia. To depict this momentous period of history, he examines the war from a number of different perspectives from both within and beyond Russia, from foot soldiers to political leaders. In one passage, he considers the causes of the war from the viewpoints of various parties directly involved in the conflict:
Understandably, it seemed to Napoleon that the war was caused by the intrigues of England (as he said, in fact, on the island of St. Helena); understandably, to the members of the English Parliament it seemed that the war was caused by Napoleon’s love of power; to Prince Oldenburg it seemed that the war was caused by the violence done him; to the merchants it seemed that the war was caused by the Continental System, which was ruining Europe; to the old soldiers and generals it seemed that the chief cause was the need to make use of them [...]
Here, Tolstoy imagines how these different people and groups view the origins of the war. Napoleon, he suggests, blames England, and the English, in turn, blame Napoleon. Prince Oldenburg, whose Duchy was annexed by Napoleon, thinks of the war as a personal insult, and the merchants blame Napoleon's embargo of Britain. In contrast, the "old soldiers and generals" assume that the war is little more than an excuse to "make use of them."
Notably, Tolstoy does not pick a "side" in this broader debate. He is not interested in identifying any single cause of the war, but instead in taking a more holistic view of the war as a whole and in analyzing the nature of human conflict. In addition to telling the story of the war, then, Tolstoy also offers a model for thinking through history itself, without privileging the account or actions of any specific historical figure. As he does so, he also attends closely to the perspectives of individual people and families as they seek to live meaningful lives against a backdrop of war and historical change.
Related Themes:
