"The sky of Austerlitz" - a complete change in the views of Prince Andrew

The episode "The Sky of Austerlitz", which occupies a relatively small place in the novel "War and Peace", nevertheless is one of the central, as it shows the profound changes that have occurred with Prince Andrew on the battlefield. Everything important in him is what shaped the worldview of the prince, and that debunked his idea of the war and its heroes.

The life of Prince Andrew, which preceded the war

He is a rich secular man, who is deeply unhappy. To some extent, his image is created by the author as an "extra person". One of the first mentions of "extra people" appears in A.S. Pushkin in draft version 8 of the chapter "Eugene Onegin": "... almost no one speaks. One is lost and forgotten, between young aristocrats, between useful diplomats, for all, he seems a stranger. "

What is generally understood in Russian literature as an "extra person"? Usually this is a certain socio-psychological type. Its main features can be reconstructed. On the one hand, these are significant abilities, a bright personality, and on the other - alienation from the society. On the one hand, a sense of intellectual and moral superiority over his environment, and on the other - a kind of mental fatigue, skepticism, which makes him a black sheep. Superfluous people often bring misfortune not only to themselves, but also to young women who have fallen in love with them.

This all applies to the image of Prince Andrew, created by the hand of the great master.

Head life

In general, work at the rate of Kutuzov Prince Andrew satisfied. He was interested. But he stood out from the general mass of officers in that for him everything was important and significant. Especially the general course of the war, and not just the victory of the Russian army. Long before the battle when retreating to Olmyuts he understood how petty and vile the war was. He waited and waited impatiently for his Toulon. The sky of Austerlitz was still far away.

Dreams of fame and recognition

In the battle of Toulon against the supporters of the king in the south of France, the uninformed young Bonaparte, with the sharp intervention of his column, brought victory to the Republicans. It was his first victory. Prince Andrew, who served in the headquarters of Kutuzov, never for a moment lets go of the idea of fame. Therefore, "Toulon" constantly neighbors with his name as the first step to it. Napoleon became for the prince an idol. Before the battle all night there is an inner dialogue of the hero with himself, which no one can kill. He does not need a father, a sister, or a wife waiting for a child. On a foggy night before the battle, he clearly realized the extent to which he was indifferent to all those close to him. He did not look at the sky of Austerlitz, only deep in his thoughts. All night long before the battle he could not sleep. The prince, revising his life, has not yet radically changed: the love of strangers unknown to him was necessary, like air, although his possible death is already troubling.

Napoleon

It was a gray, drizzly morning. But, strangely enough, over the clear blue sky of Austerlitz shone over Napoleon, as if foretelling a victory for him. The golden sun was floating in the sky. And when it lit up everything around Napoleon, he signaled the offensive by removing the glove from a beautiful hand.

Battle

Kutuzov immediately assumed that it would be lost. Prince Andrew hoped by his intervention to reverse the course of the battle. And now it was time to show personal heroism when the mass flight of soldiers began from a position. He picked up the banner and ran forward, not paying attention to the bullets that flew by. And the soldiers followed him. But, wounded, he falls, and for the first time he sees the sky of Austerlitz. It is in an extraordinary distance. In the sky, unlike the earth, everything is calm. There is no noise, no din, no shouting, no explosions, no violent movement, no malice, no fights. There, high, there is silence. Quietly the clouds are creeping. They are calm and solemn. Prince Andrew is astonished to see the sky of Austerlitz. A fragment about the sky shows how the prince's look changes - yes, all the deception that seduced him. The antithesis is used - there is an opposition of a hot fight and rest, silence. There is only the sky. "And thank God!" So the whole tone of the narrative changed. With the help of epithets and repetitions, the rhythm of phrases slows down. And the slowly floating clouds show slow, but constant changes in the prince's thoughts.

Transfiguration

The prince fell into oblivion, bleeding to death. Only towards evening he came to, and the first thought was: where is the sky of Austerlitz (War and Peace)? The passage shows how Prince Andrew's thoughts rush from the high heaven to suffering, which he had previously never known. He again saw the sky with clouds, through which the infinity was blue. Stopping next to him Napoleon - his hero and idol - seemed to the prince insignificant, small, petty and vain, something buzzing like a fly. Prince Andrew rejects it. His soul communicates only with a high sky. But he wants to live: life seems both valuable and beautiful, because he understands what is happening differently.

Only having tasted death, having only been on a hairstick from it, Prince Andrew felt the whole being, looking to the immense sky, the pettiness of his ambitious aspirations. He realized his feat, but realized that the main thing was completely different. Heaven, which is a mystery, and peace, which can only be found at home, in the Bald Mountain.

A war is horror, dirt and pain. There is no romance in it. Thus, looking to the sky, Prince Andrew completely revises his vital position.