In preparation for our upcoming paper, I thought I would look briefly into the life of the real Kutuzov. Mikhail Kutuzov (1745-1813), fought and lead under three Tsars: Catherine II, Paul I, and Alexander I. He achieved much under all three, but is by far most well known for what he did in The Patriotic Wars (1812), which is what we are reading about now. I found it interesting, however, the Alexander was displeased at having to appoint him because he didn't like how he looked and unfairly blamed him for the disastrous Austerlitz. As in
War and Peace, though, the Russian army was delighted to have him appointed. Kutuzov is considered the second best general in Russian history, second only to Suvorov, his teacher. He died from illness in 1813.
Its interesting that we believe that out leaders must always be handsome. The fact that we tie moral and skill-based merits to physical beauty is a sad comment on our society's values. Kutuzov is obviously a capable leader, and should be given credit for all his tactical skill, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteKutuzov is one of my favorite characters in the book. He is a very strong and sensible leader; however, he also takes the tragedies of war to heart, similar to Prince Andrew. Kutuzov has a certain confidence and charisma that I am attracted to. I believe this is Tolstoy's intention. When Kutuzov decides to retreat from Moscow it becomes evident that he is not a ruler who will allow pride to override the general welfare of the Russian people.
ReplyDeleteKutuzov provides a refreshing contrast when compared to the other Russian officers and generals. Most of them are willing to make mistakes at the expense of their men if it means that they will personally get more glory. Kutuzov, however, won't risk a battle for Moscow because he knows it will hurt Russia in the long run. He sacrifices his personal reputation for Russia.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Kutuzov is such a great character, I can't help but wonder if Tolstoy is even trying to make deeper commentary between physical appearance and intelligence. To my believe the aristocracy is all about looks and status. I feel like Tolstoy is rather Progressive in his time to say, looks don't matter. I also enjoy Kutuzov's view on war, and how war is a spirit. I almost reminds me of the Hindu Deity Vishnu the Destroyer.
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