Motive as a Motif
A major motif in War and Peace
is the varying motivations that influence the characters' decisions.
Characters are motivated by many factors ranging from their social
status to their gut feelings.
The very first character that the
reader meets, Anna Pavlovna, is motivated largely by her desire to
have an influence in upper-class society. Anna Mikhaylavna contrasts
greatly with Anna Pavlovna;
almost everything she does in the book is in an attempt to
help her son Boris without regard to her social standing or peoples'
opinions of her. First, Anna
Pavlovna asks Prince Vasili to have her son put in the Guard.
Then, she tries to get inheritance money from the dying Count
Bezukhov in order to pay for her son's uniform. She even states to
her friend that “God grant you never know what it is to be left a
widow without means and with a son you love to distraction!... I
don't care what they think of me,” (War and Peace 40).
Every major
character has a prominent motivation, if not several. Andrew is
largely motivated to go to war by his marital dissatisfaction.
Natasha is largely motivated to pursue Boris in Book 1 of the novel
because she sees Sonya kissing Nicholas. Nicholas says he is
motivated to go to war because he feels his place is in the army.
However, his father speculates that he is going to war to follow his
friend Pierre.
Do you think Nicholas joins the army
because he feels pressured to conform to all of the men around him
who are also joining the army, or is he intrinsically motivated?
I think that, at least to an extent, Nicholas wants to fight. If he didn't he would have joined the guards instead of the hussars. It seems true that, for the young male nobility, very few characters outright avoid the war (perhaps out of family honor, or perhaps because the book is titled War and Peace). Still, if you're asking whether he is secretly filled with blood lust, enamored with war's glorification, or forced into it by shame, I would say it's probably none of those. Judging by his attitude at the bridge burning, Nicholas enjoys exciting things, and the war is the most momentous, exciting thing happening to his generation.
ReplyDeleteI agree. In Book 3 Nicholas seems enticed by the glory of dying for the Russian Emperor. I think this also shows his simple desire for excitement above all else, even his own life.
DeleteGood observations!
ReplyDeleteI don’t think Nicholas is a hardcore Russian patriot. He’s introduced as a happy-go-lucky kind of guy who coasts along his interests. This is evident in his puppy-dog love relationship with Sonya. Likewise, I assume he joined the army out of pure interest. Towards the end of Book Two he is injured and he exclaims, “There is no one to help me or pity me. Yet I was once at home, strong, happy, and loved” (War and Peace 172). It’s as if he regrets ever leaving his comfortable lifestyle. Being a member of the army isn’t exactly what he expected.
He does seem to change his outlook on life very quickly once he's been injured!
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