Natasha Rostova is portrayed as a charming, lively, full of life young girl. We first see her as a plain 13 year old, and watch her grow to a more mature teenager. She does seem boy crazy at an early age when she is smitten with Borris and later we see her crush on Denisov. In my opinion it seems like she was leading him on. However, when Denisov proposes to her she runs to her mother for help. This shows us that she’s naive and is still learning how to navigate relationships/ideas of love. Thus far, the idea of a “fit” marriage has seemed unattainable as we saw with Pierre & Helene. Do you think Natasha will settle down and have a happily ever after or will her romantic impulses end up being destructive?
She's not going to settle down anytime soon. Natasha is still a teenager. She seems too spontaneous to really fall in love with someone. She liked Boris, and then she said something about being a dancer and never getting married, and now she has a crush on Denisov. For her, Love is more related to joy and passion, rather than a long-term promise or future responsibility in marriage.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and I think she will settle down after some trial and error with different relationships. That might happen once she's really developed from her mistakes.
DeleteI think that Natasha will settle down, but not anytime soon. I also think that due to the repetition that Tolstoy is giving Natasha's suitors as a motif, Natasha will develop a more definitive character and will make a marital match that is also a love match. This will be a nice contrast to the marriages we've seen thus far, and would run nicely within the portrayal of the Rostov family. I definitely don't think that Natasha's flippancy in love is destructive; it simply reiterates the common thread throughout the Rostov family: a bit unreliable, but always very loving. Further, I imagine this will also play into the juxtaposition we can already see between the Rostov and Bolknosky families. I'm interested to see if Marya and Natasha become direct foils. This will be an interesting to follow throughout the novel!
ReplyDeleteI like your take on Natasha's character development before any serious marriage propositions take place. She's growing up quickly and I hope she makes good choices before settling down! It's time for a marriage based on love & not $$$!
DeleteI don't think that her romantic impulses will be destructive; however, I say so only because of Tolstoy's technique of using family units to portray certain lifestyles. I don't think that Tolstoy will stray from his use of the Rostóvs as a "model family." I am not sure, though, that Natasha will end up in a happily ever after marriage, as maybe she will not find the right husband. All this being said, we are not even half way through the book, so it is entirely possible that Tolstoy does not plan on remaining consistent in his portrayal of family units and his idealization of the Rostóvs. It is possible that due to money the Rostóvs become more urgent to marry off Natasha. We shall see...
ReplyDeleteHmm. Good point Brianna! The Rostov's financial dilemma's might force her to marry a wealthy groom after all. But like you said, a lot can happen in the second half of the book! Let's hope that she marries for love!
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