An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1147 words)
orning came with its cares and bustle. Everyone got up and began
to move about and talk, dressmakers came again. Márya Dmítrievna
appeared, and they were called to breakfast. Natásha kept looking
uneasily at everybody with wide-open eyes, as if wishing to intercept
every glance directed toward her, and tried to appear the same as usual.
After breakfast, which was her best time, Márya Dmítrievna sat down in
her armchair and called Natásha and the count to her.
“Well, friends, I have now thought the whole matter over and this is
my advice,” she began. “Yesterday, as you know, I went to see Prince
Bolkónski. Well, I had a talk with him.... He took it into his head to
begin shouting, but I am not one to be shouted down. I said what I had
to say!”
“Well, and he?” asked the count.
“He? He’s crazy... he did not want to listen. But what’s the use
of talking? As it is we have worn the poor girl out,” said Márya
Dmítrievna. “My advice to you is finish your business and go back
home to Otrádnoe... and wait there.”
“Oh, no!” exclaimed Natásha.
“Yes, go back,” said Márya Dmítrievna, “and wait there. If your
betrothed comes here now—there will be no avoiding a quarrel; but
alone with the old man he will talk things over and then come on to
you.”
Count Rostóv approved of this suggestion, appreciating its
reasonableness. If the old man came round it would be all the better to
visit him in Moscow or at Bald Hills later on; and if not, the wedding,
against his wishes, could only be arranged at Otrádnoe.
“That is perfectly true. And I am sorry I went to see him and took
her,” said the old count.
“No, why be sorry? Being here, you had to pay your respects. But if he
won’t—that’s his affair,” said Márya Dmítrievna, looking for
something in her reticule. “Besides, the trousseau is ready, so there
is nothing to wait for; and what is not ready I’ll send after you.
Though I don’t like letting you go, it is the best way. So go, with
God’s blessing!”
Having found what she was looking for in the reticule she handed it to
Natásha. It was a letter from Princess Mary.
“She has written to you. How she torments herself, poor thing! She’s
afraid you might think that she does not like you.”
“But she doesn’t like me,” said Natásha.
“Don’t talk nonsense!” cried Márya Dmítrievna.
“I shan’t believe anyone, I know she doesn’t like me,” replied
Natásha boldly as she took the letter, and her face expressed a cold
and angry resolution that caused Márya Dmítrievna to look at her more
intently and to frown.
“Don’t answer like that, my good girl!” she said. “What I say is
true! Write an answer!”
Natásha did not reply and went to her own room to read Princess
Mary’s letter.
Princess Mary wrote that she was in despair at the misunderstanding that
had occurred between them. Whatever her father’s feelings might be,
she begged Natásha to believe that she could not help loving her as
the one chosen by her brother, for whose happiness she was ready to
sacrifice everything.
“Do not think, however,” she wrote, “that my father is
ill-disposed toward you. He is an invalid and an old man who must be
forgiven; but he is good and magnanimous and will love her who makes his
son happy.” Princess Mary went on to ask Natásha to fix a time when
she could see her again.
After reading the letter Natásha sat down at the writing table
to answer it. “Dear Princess,” she wrote in French quickly and
mechanically, and then paused. What more could she write after all that
had happened the evening before? “Yes, yes! All that has happened, and
now all is changed,” she thought as she sat with the letter she had
begun before her. “Must I break off with him? Must I really? That’s
awful...” and to escape from these dreadful thoughts she went to
Sónya and began sorting patterns with her.
After dinner Natásha went to her room and again took up Princess
Mary’s letter. “Can it be that it is all over?” she thought.
“Can it be that all this has happened so quickly and has destroyed all
that went before?” She recalled her love for Prince Andrew in all its
former strength, and at the same time felt that she loved Kurágin. She
vividly pictured herself as Prince Andrew’s wife, and the scenes of
happiness with him she had so often repeated in her imagination, and
at the same time, aglow with excitement, recalled every detail of
yesterday’s interview with Anatole.
“Why could that not be as well?” she sometimes asked herself in
complete bewilderment. “Only so could I be completely happy; but now I
have to choose, and I can’t be happy without either of them. Only,”
she thought, “to tell Prince Andrew what has happened or to hide
it from him are both equally impossible. But with that one nothing is
spoiled. But am I really to abandon forever the joy of Prince Andrew’s
love, in which I have lived so long?”
“Please, Miss!” whispered a maid entering the room with a mysterious
air. “A man told me to give you this—” and she handed Natásha a
letter.
“Only, for Christ’s sake...” the girl went on, as Natásha,
without thinking, mechanically broke the seal and read a love letter
from Anatole, of which, without taking in a word, she understood only
that it was a letter from him—from the man she loved. Yes, she loved
him, or else how could that have happened which had happened? And how
could she have a love letter from him in her hand?
With trembling hands Natásha held that passionate love letter which
Dólokhov had composed for Anatole, and as she read it she found in it
an echo of all that she herself imagined she was feeling.
“Since yesterday evening my fate has been sealed; to be loved by you
or to die. There is no other way for me,” the letter began. Then he
went on to say that he knew her parents would not give her to him—for
this there were secret reasons he could reveal only to her—but that if
she loved him she need only say the word yes, and no human power could
hinder their bliss. Love would conquer all. He would steal her away and
carry her off to the ends of the earth.
“Yes, yes! I love him!” thought Natásha, reading the letter for the
twentieth time and finding some peculiarly deep meaning in each word of
it.
That evening Márya Dmítrievna was going to the Akhárovs’ and
proposed to take the girls with her. Natásha, pleading a headache,
remained at home.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
When intense emotions override rational judgment, making us vulnerable to manipulation and poor decisions that feel right in the moment.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when someone exploits your vulnerable state by offering exactly what you desperately want to hear.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone's promises seem perfectly tailored to your current struggles—that's often manipulation, not genuine care.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"My advice to you is finish your business and go back home to Otradnoe... and wait there."
Context: She's giving practical counsel after the disastrous meeting with Prince Andrew's father
This shows wisdom in knowing when to retreat rather than force a confrontation. Sometimes the best strategy is creating space for emotions to cool and clearer thinking to emerge.
In Today's Words:
Pack up and go home - let things settle down before you make any big decisions.
"If your betrothed comes here now—there will be no avoiding a quarrel; but alone with the old man he will talk things over and then come on to you."
Context: Explaining why distance is better than confrontation right now
She understands that some conversations need to happen without an audience. Pride and emotion make people say things they don't mean when others are watching.
In Today's Words:
If he shows up now, you'll just fight - but if he deals with his dad privately first, he can come to you with a clear head.
"As it is we have worn the poor girl out."
Context: Recognizing that Natasha is emotionally exhausted from all the family drama
This shows genuine compassion and recognition that emotional stress takes a real toll. It acknowledges that Natasha is suffering from all the conflict around her.
In Today's Words:
Look, we've put this girl through enough already.
Thematic Threads
Manipulation
In This Chapter
Anatole's calculated love letter, written by Dolokhov, specifically targets Natasha's emotional vulnerability with romantic promises
Development
Evolved from earlier subtle manipulation to direct emotional exploitation
In Your Life:
You might see this when someone love-bombs you right after a breakup or promises easy solutions during financial stress.
Vulnerability
In This Chapter
Natasha's emotional turmoil from the broken engagement makes her defenseless against Anatole's false promises
Development
Built from her sheltered upbringing and inexperience with real consequences
In Your Life:
You're most vulnerable to bad decisions when you're already hurt, stressed, or desperate for change.
Wisdom
In This Chapter
Marya Dmitrievna provides practical counsel to step back and let emotions settle rather than forcing immediate resolution
Development
Continues her role as the voice of practical experience versus emotional reaction
In Your Life:
You might need this when family members push you to make quick decisions during crisis moments.
Fantasy
In This Chapter
Natasha convinces herself she loves Anatole by repeatedly reading his letter, turning manipulation into romantic fantasy
Development
Escalated from romantic daydreams to dangerous self-deception
In Your Life:
You might see this when you keep rereading texts from someone who's clearly bad for you, convincing yourself they've changed.
Class
In This Chapter
The secret letter delivery through servants shows how the wealthy manipulate social systems for personal gain
Development
Continues theme of how class privilege enables destructive behavior
In Your Life:
You might encounter this when people with more resources or connections use those advantages to pressure or manipulate you.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What two very different letters does Natasha receive, and how does she react to each one?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Natasha become more convinced she loves Anatole the more she reads his letter, even though she barely knows him?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today falling for smooth talkers who promise exactly what they want to hear during difficult times?
application • medium - 4
What warning signs should Natasha have noticed about Anatole's letter, and how can you spot similar manipulation in your own life?
application • deep - 5
Why do we sometimes ignore good advice from people who genuinely care about us while listening to people who are clearly using us?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Decode the Manipulation Playbook
Reread Anatole's letter and Princess Mary's letter as if you were Natasha's best friend. Make two lists: what makes each letter appealing or convincing, and what red flags or green flags you notice. Then think about a time someone tried to influence you during a vulnerable moment—what techniques did they use?
Consider:
- •Notice how Anatole's letter focuses on grand emotions while Princess Mary's focuses on practical care
- •Pay attention to timing—why is Natasha more susceptible to Anatole's message right now?
- •Consider what each letter-writer actually wants from Natasha versus what they claim to offer
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you almost made a big decision based on someone's promises during a stressful period. What stopped you, or what did you learn if you went through with it?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 160: When Love Becomes Obsession
As Natasha wrestles with her feelings, the consequences of her secret correspondence begin to unfold. Her internal conflict between two very different kinds of love reaches a critical point that will force her to make a choice.
