Summary
In this tender nighttime scene, sixteen-year-old Natasha bursts into her mother's bedroom for one of their cherished late-night talks. The countess, caught mid-prayer and worried about her own mortality, welcomes her daughter into bed for an intimate conversation about Boris, a young man who's been paying attention to Natasha. What unfolds is a perfect snapshot of the gap between generations—Natasha sees people in vivid colors and speaks in metaphors her mother can't grasp, while the countess tries to protect her daughter from a romance that can't lead anywhere. Natasha describes Boris as 'narrow, like the dining-room clock' and 'gray, light gray,' while calling Bezukhov 'blue, dark-blue and red, and square.' Her mother, practical and concerned, points out that Boris is poor, young, and unsuitable for marriage. But Natasha doesn't want marriage—she wants the excitement of being admired 'just so.' The scene captures the universal tension between a parent's protective wisdom and a young person's desire to experience life on their own terms. After Natasha leaves, she lies in bed convinced that no one understands her complexity and intelligence. The next day, the countess quietly speaks to Boris, and he stops visiting—a decisive action that protects her daughter while likely breaking two young hearts. This chapter brilliantly illustrates how love sometimes requires saying no, and how the most important conversations often happen in quiet, unguarded moments.
Coming Up in Chapter 120
With Boris no longer visiting, the Rostov household settles into new rhythms. But major changes are coming that will test every family bond and assumption about their comfortable world.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
One night when the old countess, in nightcap and dressing jacket, without her false curls, and with her poor little knob of hair showing under her white cotton cap, knelt sighing and groaning on a rug and bowing to the ground in prayer, her door creaked and Natásha, also in a dressing jacket with slippers on her bare feet and her hair in curlpapers, ran in. The countess—her prayerful mood dispelled—looked round and frowned. She was finishing her last prayer: “Can it be that this couch will be my grave?” Natásha, flushed and eager, seeing her mother in prayer, suddenly checked her rush, half sat down, and unconsciously put out her tongue as if chiding herself. Seeing that her mother was still praying she ran on tiptoe to the bed and, rapidly slipping one little foot against the other, pushed off her slippers and jumped onto the bed the countess had feared might become her grave. This couch was high, with a feather bed and five pillows each smaller than the one below. Natásha jumped on it, sank into the feather bed, rolled over to the wall, and began snuggling up the bedclothes as she settled down, raising her knees to her chin, kicking out and laughing almost inaudibly, now covering herself up head and all, and now peeping at her mother. The countess finished her prayers and came to the bed with a stern face, but seeing that Natásha’s head was covered, she smiled in her kind, weak way. “Now then, now then!” said she. “Mamma, can we have a talk? Yes?” said Natásha. “Now, just one on your throat and another... that’ll do!” And seizing her mother round the neck, she kissed her on the throat. In her behavior to her mother Natásha seemed rough, but she was so sensitive and tactful that however she clasped her mother she always managed to do it without hurting her or making her feel uncomfortable or displeased. “Well, what is it tonight?” said the mother, having arranged her pillows and waited until Natásha, after turning over a couple of times, had settled down beside her under the quilt, spread out her arms, and assumed a serious expression. These visits of Natásha’s at night before the count returned from his club were one of the greatest pleasures of both mother, and daughter. “What is it tonight?—But I have to tell you...” Natásha put her hand on her mother’s mouth. “About Borís... I know,” she said seriously; “that’s what I have come about. Don’t say it—I know. No, do tell me!” and she removed her hand. “Tell me, Mamma! He’s nice?” “Natásha, you are sixteen. At your age I was married. You say Borís is nice. He is very nice, and I love him like a son. But what then?... What are you thinking about? You have quite turned his head, I can see that....” As she said this the countess looked round at her daughter. Natásha was lying looking steadily straight before...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Protective Love - When Saying No Is the Greatest Yes
True protection sometimes requires causing short-term pain to prevent long-term damage, making the protector appear cruel while actually demonstrating the deepest form of care.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to distinguish between controlling behavior and genuine protection by examining motives and long-term consequences.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone says no to something you want—ask yourself if they might see dangers you're missing before getting defensive.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Arranged marriage expectations
In 19th century Russia, marriages were typically arranged by families based on social status and financial compatibility rather than love. Parents had the responsibility to guide their children toward 'suitable' matches.
Modern Usage:
We still see this in families who pressure kids to date 'the right kind of person' or worry about partners who 'aren't good enough.'
Coming of age rituals
The transition from childhood to adulthood involved learning social expectations through intimate conversations with parents, especially mother-daughter talks about romance and marriage.
Modern Usage:
Today this happens through 'the talk' about dating, sex, and relationships - still awkward, still necessary.
Synesthesia in character description
Natasha describes people using colors and shapes rather than personality traits, showing how young people often perceive others through emotional impressions rather than logical analysis.
Modern Usage:
When we say someone gives us 'good vibes' or 'bad energy' - we're describing people through feelings rather than facts.
Protective intervention
The countess quietly speaks to Boris to end his visits without confronting Natasha directly, handling the situation through adult channels rather than dramatic confrontation.
Modern Usage:
Like parents who quietly talk to their kid's friend's parents instead of making a big scene - handling problems behind the scenes.
Generational communication gap
Natasha and her mother speak different emotional languages - one poetic and feeling-based, the other practical and protective, creating misunderstanding despite love.
Modern Usage:
Every generation thinks the older one 'doesn't get it' and the younger one is naive - the eternal parent-teen divide.
Adolescent self-perception
Natasha believes she's uniquely complex and misunderstood, a common teenage feeling of being more sophisticated than adults recognize.
Modern Usage:
Every teenager who thinks 'nobody understands me' and believes they're deeper than their parents realize.
Characters in This Chapter
Natasha
Young protagonist experiencing first romance
At sixteen, she's caught between childhood and womanhood, seeking excitement and attention from Boris while not fully understanding adult implications. Her poetic way of describing people shows her emotional intelligence.
Modern Equivalent:
The high school junior who's mature in some ways but still needs guidance
The Countess
Protective mother figure
She balances love for her daughter with practical wisdom, understanding that Boris can't offer Natasha a secure future. She acts decisively but quietly to protect Natasha from heartbreak.
Modern Equivalent:
The mom who has to be the bad guy to protect her kid from a relationship that won't work
Boris
Unsuitable romantic interest
Though not present in this scene, he represents the young man with good intentions but no prospects - someone who could break Natasha's heart through circumstances rather than cruelty.
Modern Equivalent:
The nice guy who can't provide stability - good person, wrong timing
Bezukhov
Contrasting romantic possibility
Natasha describes him in vivid colors, suggesting he makes a stronger impression on her than the 'gray' Boris, foreshadowing future romantic developments.
Modern Equivalent:
The friend who might be more than a friend but nobody's figured it out yet
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Boris is narrow, like the dining-room clock... gray, light gray"
Context: Describing Boris to her mother during their bedtime conversation
This shows how Natasha perceives people through emotional impressions rather than practical considerations. Her synesthetic description reveals Boris feels limiting and colorless to her, even though she enjoys his attention.
In Today's Words:
He's boring and predictable, but I like that he likes me
"Can it be that this couch will be my grave?"
Context: Her prayer before Natasha interrupts
This reveals the countess's awareness of her mortality and vulnerability, making her protective instincts toward Natasha even more poignant. She knows her time to guide her daughter is limited.
In Today's Words:
Am I going to die before I've prepared my daughter for life?
"Nobody understands me... I am so strange, so intelligent, so sweet"
Context: Her thoughts as she lies in bed after the conversation
This perfectly captures adolescent self-perception - the conviction of being uniquely complex and misunderstood. It shows Natasha's emotional maturity exists alongside typical teenage self-absorption.
In Today's Words:
I'm way more complicated than anyone realizes, and nobody gets how special I am
Thematic Threads
Generational Wisdom
In This Chapter
The countess sees dangers that Natasha, in her youth and inexperience, cannot perceive about Boris's unsuitability
Development
Building on earlier themes of experience versus innocence throughout the novel
In Your Life:
You might find yourself either dismissing older people's warnings or struggling to get younger people to hear your hard-earned insights.
Class Consciousness
In This Chapter
Boris's poverty makes him unsuitable despite his personal qualities, showing how economic reality shapes romantic possibilities
Development
Continues the novel's exploration of how social position determines life choices
In Your Life:
You face similar calculations about whether financial compatibility matters as much as emotional connection in relationships.
Communication Gaps
In This Chapter
Natasha's colorful metaphors about people being 'narrow like clocks' or 'blue and square' completely baffle her practical mother
Development
Explores how different personalities process and express the same experiences
In Your Life:
You might struggle to explain your intuitive insights to more literal-minded people, or vice versa.
Sacrifice
In This Chapter
The countess accepts being seen as the villain to protect her daughter's future happiness
Development
Introduced here as a theme of parental love requiring difficult choices
In Your Life:
You may need to make unpopular decisions that serve someone else's long-term good over their immediate wants.
Self-Knowledge
In This Chapter
Natasha believes no one understands her complexity, showing the universal teenage conviction of being uniquely misunderstood
Development
Continues exploring how characters see themselves versus how others see them
In Your Life:
You might catch yourself thinking others don't 'get' you, when the real issue is learning to communicate your inner world more clearly.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why does the countess decide to speak to Boris instead of just talking to Natasha again?
analysis • surface - 2
What does Natasha mean when she says she wants Boris to admire her 'just so'—and why is this dangerous?
analysis • medium - 3
Think of a time when someone said 'no' to protect you from something you wanted. How did you feel then versus how you feel about it now?
application • medium - 4
When is it your responsibility to intervene in someone else's choices, even if they'll be angry at you?
application • deep - 5
What's the difference between being protective and being controlling—and how can you tell which one you're doing?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Protection Network
Draw three circles representing different areas of your life (work, family, finances, health, etc.). In each circle, identify one person who has the courage to tell you hard truths—and one person you feel responsible for protecting. Write down one specific situation where you might need to be the 'bad guy' to help someone you care about.
Consider:
- •Consider whether the people who challenge you are actually looking out for your best interests
- •Think about whether your protective instincts come from love or from your own fears and need for control
- •Ask yourself if you're avoiding difficult conversations that could prevent bigger problems later
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when someone's 'no' saved you from a mistake you couldn't see coming. What did they understand that you didn't? How can you develop that same protective wisdom for others?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 120: Getting Ready for the Grand Ball
In the next chapter, you'll discover anticipation and preparation can create both excitement and anxiety, and learn the way social rituals reveal what a society values most. These insights reveal timeless patterns that resonate in our own lives and relationships.