An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1018 words)
rince Andrew had to see the Marshal of the Nobility for the district
in connection with the affairs of the Ryazán estate of which he was
trustee. This Marshal was Count Ilyá Rostóv, and in the middle of May
Prince Andrew went to visit him.
It was now hot spring weather. The whole forest was already clothed in
green. It was dusty and so hot that on passing near water one longed to
bathe.
Prince Andrew, depressed and preoccupied with the business about which
he had to speak to the Marshal, was driving up the avenue in the grounds
of the Rostóvs’ house at Otrádnoe. He heard merry girlish cries
behind some trees on the right and saw a group of girls running to cross
the path of his calèche. Ahead of the rest and nearer to him ran a
dark-haired, remarkably slim, pretty girl in a yellow chintz dress, with
a white handkerchief on her head from under which loose locks of hair
escaped. The girl was shouting something but, seeing that he was a
stranger, ran back laughing without looking at him.
Suddenly, he did not know why, he felt a pang. The day was so beautiful,
the sun so bright, everything around so gay, but that slim pretty girl
did not know, or wish to know, of his existence and was contented and
cheerful in her own separate—probably foolish—but bright and happy
life. “What is she so glad about? What is she thinking of? Not of
the military regulations or of the arrangement of the Ryazán serfs’
quitrents. Of what is she thinking? Why is she so happy?” Prince
Andrew asked himself with instinctive curiosity.
In 1809 Count Ilyá Rostóv was living at Otrádnoe just as he had done
in former years, that is, entertaining almost the whole province with
hunts, theatricals, dinners, and music. He was glad to see Prince
Andrew, as he was to see any new visitor, and insisted on his staying
the night.
During the dull day, in the course of which he was entertained by
his elderly hosts and by the more important of the visitors (the old
count’s house was crowded on account of an approaching name day),
Prince Andrew repeatedly glanced at Natásha, gay and laughing among the
younger members of the company, and asked himself each time, “What is
she thinking about? Why is she so glad?”
That night, alone in new surroundings, he was long unable to sleep. He
read awhile and then put out his candle, but relit it. It was hot in the
room, the inside shutters of which were closed. He was cross with the
stupid old man (as he called Rostóv), who had made him stay by assuring
him that some necessary documents had not yet arrived from town, and he
was vexed with himself for having stayed.
He got up and went to the window to open it. As soon as he opened the
shutters the moonlight, as if it had long been watching for this, burst
into the room. He opened the casement. The night was fresh, bright, and
very still. Just before the window was a row of pollard trees, looking
black on one side and with a silvery light on the other. Beneath the
trees grew some kind of lush, wet, bushy vegetation with silver-lit
leaves and stems here and there. Farther back beyond the dark trees a
roof glittered with dew, to the right was a leafy tree with brilliantly
white trunk and branches, and above it shone the moon, nearly at its
full, in a pale, almost starless, spring sky. Prince Andrew leaned his
elbows on the window ledge and his eyes rested on that sky.
His room was on the first floor. Those in the rooms above were also
awake. He heard female voices overhead.
“Just once more,” said a girlish voice above him which Prince Andrew
recognized at once.
“But when are you coming to bed?” replied another voice.
“I won’t, I can’t sleep, what’s the use? Come now for the last
time.”
Two girlish voices sang a musical passage—the end of some song.
“Oh, how lovely! Now go to sleep, and there’s an end of it.”
“You go to sleep, but I can’t,” said the first voice, coming
nearer to the window. She was evidently leaning right out, for the
rustle of her dress and even her breathing could be heard. Everything
was stone-still, like the moon and its light and the shadows. Prince
Andrew, too, dared not stir, for fear of betraying his unintentional
presence.
“Sónya! Sónya!” he again heard the first speaker. “Oh, how can
you sleep? Only look how glorious it is! Ah, how glorious! Do wake up,
Sónya!” she said almost with tears in her voice. “There never,
never was such a lovely night before!”
Sónya made some reluctant reply.
“Do just come and see what a moon!... Oh, how lovely! Come here....
Darling, sweetheart, come here! There, you see? I feel like sitting down
on my heels, putting my arms round my knees like this, straining tight,
as tight as possible, and flying away! Like this....”
“Take care, you’ll fall out.”
He heard the sound of a scuffle and Sónya’s disapproving voice:
“It’s past one o’clock.”
“Oh, you only spoil things for me. All right, go, go!”
Again all was silent, but Prince Andrew knew she was still sitting
there. From time to time he heard a soft rustle and at times a sigh.
“O God, O God! What does it mean?” she suddenly exclaimed. “To bed
then, if it must be!” and she slammed the casement.
“For her I might as well not exist!” thought Prince Andrew while he
listened to her voice, for some reason expecting yet fearing that she
might say something about him. “There she is again! As if it were on
purpose,” thought he.
In his soul there suddenly arose such an unexpected turmoil of youthful
thoughts and hopes, contrary to the whole tenor of his life, that unable
to explain his condition to himself he lay down and fell asleep at once.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
Witnessing someone else's authentic happiness forces us to confront our own emotional numbness and can trigger unexpected awakening.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches us to use other people's authentic joy as a diagnostic tool for identifying where we've gone emotionally dead.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone else's happiness irritates or confuses you—then ask what that reaction reveals about what you've shut down in yourself.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"What is she so glad about? What is she thinking of?"
Context: After seeing Natasha run past laughing in her yellow dress
This question reveals Andrew's disconnection from joy and his inability to understand spontaneous happiness. He's so removed from natural emotion that genuine joy puzzles him, forcing him to confront his own emotional deadness.
In Today's Words:
What does she have to be so happy about that I don't?
"Oh, how lovely this moon is! Come here, Sonya. Come here, darling, do you see? If one could only sit on one's heels, embrace one's knees like this, strain tight, as tight as possible, and fly away!"
Context: Speaking to her cousin while looking out at the moonlit night
This captures Natasha's passionate response to beauty and her desire to somehow merge with the joy she feels. Her physical language shows how deeply beauty affects her - she wants to contain and express overwhelming happiness.
In Today's Words:
This is so beautiful I could just burst! I want to hold onto this feeling and fly away with it!
"No, she doesn't know I exist and she is contented and happy in her own separate - probably foolish - but bright and happy life."
Context: Andrew reflecting on Natasha after their brief encounter
Andrew recognizes that Natasha lives in a completely different emotional world from his own. He dismisses her happiness as 'probably foolish' because he can't access it himself, revealing his defensive cynicism.
In Today's Words:
She has no idea I exist, and she's perfectly happy in her own little bubble - probably over nothing important, but still happy.
Thematic Threads
Emotional Numbness
In This Chapter
Andrew goes through life's motions feeling nothing until Natasha's joy disturbs his equilibrium
Development
Deepened from his earlier disillusionment with society and loss
In Your Life:
You might recognize this in how you've stopped feeling excited about things that once mattered to you
Authentic Joy
In This Chapter
Natasha's pure delight in moonlight and desire to fly represents unguarded happiness
Development
Introduced here as a catalyst for change
In Your Life:
You might see this in someone whose genuine enthusiasm makes you remember what passion feels like
Class Barriers
In This Chapter
Andrew observes Natasha from his window, literally above her but emotionally below her capacity for joy
Development
Continues the theme of social position versus inner life
In Your Life:
You might notice how social or professional roles can create distance from authentic connection
Awakening
In This Chapter
Andrew feels 'turmoil of youthful thoughts' that contradict his cynical worldview
Development
First crack in the armor he's built since earlier disappointments
In Your Life:
You might experience this when something unexpected makes you feel hope you thought was gone
Hidden Observation
In This Chapter
Andrew watches and listens to Natasha without her knowledge, drawn to her authenticity
Development
Introduced here as a way of connecting without vulnerability
In Your Life:
You might find yourself drawn to observe people who seem more alive than you feel
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why does Natasha's happiness disturb Prince Andrew so much when he first sees her?
analysis • surface - 2
What does Andrew's reaction to overhearing Natasha's joy about the moonlit night reveal about his emotional state?
analysis • medium - 3
When have you encountered someone whose genuine enthusiasm or joy made you realize you'd become numb to something in your own life?
application • medium - 4
How might Andrew use this awakening of 'youthful thoughts' to rebuild his connection to life without losing the wisdom his experiences have taught him?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter suggest about how we can help each other rediscover joy without forcing it?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Joy Audit: When Others' Happiness Reveals Your Numbness
Think of someone whose enthusiasm or joy has recently irritated, confused, or surprised you. Write down what they were excited about and your exact reaction. Then dig deeper: what might your reaction reveal about areas where you've gone emotionally numb? What did you once care about that you've stopped noticing?
Consider:
- •Your irritation at others' joy often points to your own unmet needs or abandoned dreams
- •Numbness isn't failure—it's often a protective response to disappointment or overwhelm
- •You don't have to match their energy level, just notice what your reaction teaches you about yourself
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when someone else's authentic happiness forced you to confront how you'd been sleepwalking through part of your life. What did you do with that realization?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 109: The Oak Tree's Second Chance
Andrew's unexpected emotional awakening will have consequences he can't yet imagine. Meanwhile, the Rostov household continues its lively routine, unaware of the profound impact one of their own has had on their brooding guest.
