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War & Peace Podnotes, A Study GuideAuthor: Sean Roman Language: en-us Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Bk. 1, Pt. 3., Ch. 16: Oh, Chapter of Chapters!
Episode 22
Wednesday, 10 December, 2025
This paramount chapter involves Tolstoy using Andrei to grasp the transcendence of the Almighty God which the author revered. More particularly, when Andrei takes in the vastness of the sky, Tolstoy conveys the vulgarity of this earth compared with His infinite nature. Further, Tolstoy lays bare the senselessness of war for most of the men shooting and hacking each other. There will be a depiction of opposing soldiers in a tug-of-war over the most insignificant object – a broomstick, highlighting the meaninglessness many sacrifice themselves for. The chapter begins with the battle intensifying while Kutuzov was riding near the rear of a column down a hill. He stops at a deserted house on a majestic hell, symbolic of war interrupting civility. Fog was clearing as some of the French became more visible, at first over a mile away. However, additional forces were quickly found to be ascending toward them. Upon noticing, the expressions on most of the Russian officers changed to Holy terror. Andrei embraces the moment, thinking “Here it is! The decisive moment! My turn has come!” Soon a cloud of smoke from a blast of artillery spread all round. A voice of naïve terror shouted, “Brothers! All is lost!” There was an instantaneous break of morale and the men ran in different directions.Andrei took in bewildering sights as Kutuzov was encouraged to leave and avoid being taken prisoner. With stoicism, Kutuzov wiped away blood flowing from his cheek and noted the true damage was to his army by reason of their humiliating performance. He vainly called for the soldiers to maintain discipline. Kutuzov rode toward the sound of artillery – where one of the batteries was under attack. The French noticed Kutuzov and fired at him. There were many casualties, including an officer carrying the Battle Flag. Kutuzov called out to Andrei with a trembling voice. Andrei, feeling shame and rage leapt from his horse and picked up the fallen Standard. He called to his men, in a piercing scream: “Forward, lads!” He was not physically powerful and was challenged in carrying the flag. Yet he proceeded with full confidence his army would follow him, which they did and soon overtook him.A burly sergeant assisted with the swaying flag, but was killed. Undaunted, Andrei stumbled along. He embraced being the primary target and essentially dared the enemy to hit him. He reached within 20 paces of French soldiers seizing horses and canons as prizes. Through the whistle of bullets and men dropping, he focused on reaching the seized Battery. However, he became distracted by the most unusual but symbolic confrontation -- a red-haired gunner from his army in a tall cylindrical hat comically askew pulling one end of a cleaning mop while a French soldier tugged at the other. He took in their contorted faces filled with venom. Andrei realized the absurdity and that the gunner should have retreated, as there were other Frenchmen nearby. His comrade won the broom but Tolstoy notes the man’s fate was about to be decided when Andrei lost the moment though taking a heavy blow. He felt as if hit on the head with the full swing of a bludgeon. The pain was disorienting but he felt worse about not seeing how the fracas over the broom ended. The Comment is that all such efforts, for the men doing the hacking and dying, are as useless as fighting over a broom.Andrei’s perception slows down and as he falls on his back. “What’s this? Am I falling? My legs are giving way…” He opens his eyes, hoping to see the struggle for the mop. However, he absorbed what couldn’t be more opposite -- something vast and Godly, Above him there was only the sky—the lofty sky, not clear yet immeasurably lofty, with gray clouds gliding. “How quiet, peaceful, and solemn; not as it was as I ran. No, not as we ran, shouting and fighting, not at all as the gunner and the Frenchman with terrified faces struggling for the mop. How differently do those clouds glide across that lofty infinite sky! How was it I did not see that sky before? And how happy I am to have found it at last!"This is where Tolstoy briefly quotes and paraphrases Ecclesiastes:"Yes! All is vanity, all falsehood except that infinite sky. There is nothing, nothing but that. But even it does not exist, there is nothing but quiet and peace."And Andrei thanks God for this realization!
