Analysis of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace

Leo Tolstoy was a Russian novelist known for his renowned works: War and Peace and Anna Karina. His philosophy of life was one of Christian anarchism, a philosophy that lays mistrust on all legal and political institutions of the state and a philosophy that adheres to nonviolence and pacifism.

War and Peace is a philosophical and literary work, a masterpiece that espouses Tolstoy’s Christian view of life. The novel war and peace contains a chronicle of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. Tolstoy’s rhetoric is persuasive and convincing. The aesthetic aspects of the work are minimal. The novel engages in the trivialities of life. War and Peace has become an idiom meaning something that is long and dense.

The main characters in the novel are Anna Pavlona and Prince Vasily. The novel is set up on the banks of an aristocratic family. Russia is invaded by Napoleon and the citizens of Russia face a troublesome situation. Pavlona and Vasily discuss the harmful effects of war.

The novel idealizes Christian beliefs and convictions. The novel’s background is based on the Sermon of the mount. The novel renders the Christ’s homily: ‘blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth’. Christian anarchism is very prominent in the novel. Tolstoy distrusts all institutions of the state. Tolstoy comments on the temptations of Jesus after fasting in the wilderness for forty days. Satan shows Christ all the kingdoms of the earth and said: all I will bequeath you, if you worship me and Christ’s answer was: ‘you shall worship only God alone’.

The novel is a sublime epic. One can’t praise the literary quality of the novel too highly. But still, the novel merits some praise. There is depth of psychological insight into the minds of the characters. Tolstoy uses many allusions from Christian religions. The novel is an intellectual and psychological catharsis. One can get a sense of pathos in the novel. The novel is a classic work of realism. Tolstoy’s own autobiographical self enters into the characters mind. The novel is lyrical and sublime. The novel chronicles the 18 the century history of the life of Russian people. Russia is going through a series of historical transformations. War and Peace form allegories of a narrative. The novel is an eclectic symposium of syncretism of the cultural life of Russian aristocracy. The story of the novel is not particularly interesting. There is no suspense. The novel follows a chronological order going from the beginning to the end.