Summary
As Napoleon advances toward Moscow, Tolstoy pauses to examine how history gets written and rewritten. The author challenges the idea that great events happen because of one person's will, comparing war to a chess game where every move creates new possibilities and mistakes. Napoleon captures a Russian serf named Lavrushka, expecting to intimidate him and gather intelligence. But Lavrushka, a cunning servant who's been beaten by his own masters, isn't impressed by Napoleon's power. He plays along, telling the Emperor what he wants to hear while secretly mocking him. When Napoleon reveals his identity, expecting awe, Lavrushka pretends to be amazed but remains unimpressed—he knows this is just another master trying to control him. The scene reveals how different classes view power differently. Napoleon sees himself as a world-conquering hero, but to Lavrushka, he's just another boss who can't take away anything that matters. After being released, Lavrushka returns to his regiment and makes up stories about his encounter, because the truth—that he wasn't intimidated—seems too ordinary to tell. This chapter shows how the powerful often live in bubbles of their own making, while ordinary people navigate multiple realities with street-smart survival skills. It also demonstrates how historical 'facts' get distorted by both propaganda and people's need for dramatic stories.
Coming Up in Chapter 198
The story returns to the Russian side as preparations intensify for the massive battle that will determine Moscow's fate. Key characters converge as the decisive confrontation approaches.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
While this was taking place in Petersburg the French had already passed Smolénsk and were drawing nearer and nearer to Moscow. Napoleon’s historian Thiers, like other of his historians, trying to justify his hero says that he was drawn to the walls of Moscow against his will. He is as right as other historians who look for the explanation of historic events in the will of one man; he is as right as the Russian historians who maintain that Napoleon was drawn to Moscow by the skill of the Russian commanders. Here besides the law of retrospection, which regards all the past as a preparation for events that subsequently occur, the law of reciprocity comes in, confusing the whole matter. A good chessplayer having lost a game is sincerely convinced that his loss resulted from a mistake he made and looks for that mistake in the opening, but forgets that at each stage of the game there were similar mistakes and that none of his moves were perfect. He only notices the mistake to which he pays attention, because his opponent took advantage of it. How much more complex than this is the game of war, which occurs under certain limits of time, and where it is not one will that manipulates lifeless objects, but everything results from innumerable conflicts of various wills! After Smolénsk Napoleon sought a battle beyond Dorogobúzh at Vyázma, and then at Tsárevo-Zaymíshche, but it happened that owing to a conjunction of innumerable circumstances the Russians could not give battle till they reached Borodinó, seventy miles from Moscow. From Vyázma Napoleon ordered a direct advance on Moscow. Moscou, la capitale asiatique de ce grand empire, la ville sacrée des peuples d’Alexandre, Moscou avec ses innombrables églises en forme de pagodes chinoises, * this Moscow gave Napoleon’s imagination no rest. On the march from Vyázma to Tsárevo-Zaymíshche he rode his light bay bobtailed ambler accompanied by his Guards, his bodyguard, his pages, and aides-de-camp. Berthier, his chief of staff, dropped behind to question a Russian prisoner captured by the cavalry. Followed by Lelorgne d’Ideville, an interpreter, he overtook Napoleon at a gallop and reined in his horse with an amused expression. * “Moscow, the Asiatic capital of this great empire, the sacred city of Alexander’s people, Moscow with its innumerable churches shaped like Chinese pagodas.” “Well?” asked Napoleon. “One of Plátov’s Cossacks says that Plátov’s corps is joining up with the main army and that Kutúzov has been appointed commander in chief. He is a very shrewd and garrulous fellow.” Napoleon smiled and told them to give the Cossack a horse and bring the man to him. He wished to talk to him himself. Several adjutants galloped off, and an hour later, Lavrúshka, the serf Denísov had handed over to Rostóv, rode up to Napoleon in an orderly’s jacket and on a French cavalry saddle, with a merry, and tipsy face. Napoleon told him to ride by his side and began questioning him. “You are a Cossack?”...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Power Bubbles - When Authority Lives in Fantasy
The more authority someone has, the less they understand the reality of those they control, while those with less power develop sharper survival instincts and clearer assessment of authority.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when authority figures mistake compliance for respect and performance for genuine connection.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when bosses or officials seem to be seeking validation rather than actual feedback—watch how they respond to different types of answers.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Retrospective History
The tendency to look back at events and assume everything that happened was inevitable, leading to that specific outcome. Historians often fall into this trap, making it seem like complex events had simple, predetermined causes.
Modern Usage:
We do this when we say things like 'I knew that relationship wouldn't work' after a breakup, forgetting all the times we thought it was going great.
The Great Man Theory
The idea that major historical events happen because of the decisions and actions of powerful individuals like kings, generals, or presidents. Tolstoy argues this oversimplifies how change actually happens.
Modern Usage:
We see this when people credit or blame a single CEO for a company's success or failure, ignoring all the other factors involved.
Class Consciousness
Awareness of your place in the social hierarchy and how it affects your perspective. Different social classes literally see the same events differently based on their lived experiences.
Modern Usage:
A minimum-wage worker and their millionaire boss will have completely different views on whether the economy is 'doing well.'
Serf
In 19th century Russia, serfs were peasants legally bound to work their master's land. They weren't quite slaves but had very few rights and could be bought and sold with the property.
Modern Usage:
Similar to how some people today feel trapped in jobs with bad bosses because they can't afford to quit and lose health insurance.
Strategic Intelligence
Information gathered about enemy plans, movements, and weaknesses to gain military advantage. Napoleon expected to extract useful information from captured Russians.
Modern Usage:
Like when your boss tries to get information about what other departments are doing by casually questioning employees.
Power Dynamics
The way authority and influence work between people of different social positions. Those in power often don't realize how their authority is actually perceived by those beneath them.
Modern Usage:
A manager might think their team respects them, while the team is just being polite because they need their jobs.
Characters in This Chapter
Napoleon
Antagonist
Appears as the all-powerful Emperor trying to intimidate a Russian peasant for information. His expectation of awe and fear reveals how disconnected he is from ordinary people's reality.
Modern Equivalent:
The celebrity CEO who thinks everyone should be impressed by their success
Lavrushka
Unlikely hero
A captured Russian serf who refuses to be intimidated by Napoleon. He plays along with what the Emperor wants to hear while internally mocking him, showing street-smart survival skills.
Modern Equivalent:
The service worker who stays polite to difficult customers while mentally rolling their eyes
Thiers
Historical commentator
Napoleon's historian who tries to justify the Emperor's actions by claiming he was 'drawn to Moscow against his will.' Represents how history gets rewritten to protect powerful people's reputations.
Modern Equivalent:
The PR spokesperson who spins a company's bad decisions as unavoidable circumstances
Key Quotes & Analysis
"A good chessplayer having lost a game is sincerely convinced that his loss resulted from a mistake he made and looks for that mistake in the opening, but forgets that at each stage of the game there were similar mistakes and that none of his moves were perfect."
Context: Tolstoy explaining why people oversimplify the causes of complex events
This reveals how we naturally want to find simple explanations for complicated failures. We focus on one 'crucial mistake' instead of seeing the whole pattern of imperfect decisions that led to the outcome.
In Today's Words:
When things go wrong, we always think we can pinpoint the exact moment it all fell apart, but really we were making small mistakes the whole time.
"How much more complex than this is the game of war, which occurs under certain limits of time, and where it is not one will that manipulates lifeless objects, but everything results from innumerable conflicts of various wills!"
Context: Tolstoy comparing war to chess to show how much more complicated real conflict is
This challenges the idea that wars are won by brilliant generals making perfect moves. Real war involves thousands of people making independent decisions under pressure, creating chaos no one can fully control.
In Today's Words:
War isn't like chess where one person moves pieces around - it's like trying to coordinate a group project where everyone has their own agenda and nobody's communicating properly.
"You are the Emperor? You are the Emperor who conquered the world?"
Context: Pretending to be amazed when Napoleon reveals his identity
Lavrushka's fake amazement shows his survival instincts - he knows exactly what Napoleon wants to hear. His performance reveals how the powerless often have to act impressed by authority figures to stay safe.
In Today's Words:
Oh wow, you're THE boss? The one everyone talks about? Amazing!
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
Lavrushka, a beaten serf, remains unimpressed by Napoleon's imperial power because he understands that all masters are fundamentally the same
Development
Continues Tolstoy's examination of how different social classes experience and interpret the same events differently
In Your Life:
You might notice how your perspective on workplace authority differs drastically from your manager's view of their own importance.
Identity
In This Chapter
Napoleon's identity depends on others recognizing his greatness, while Lavrushka's identity remains intact regardless of who's trying to intimidate him
Development
Builds on earlier themes about how external validation versus internal strength shapes character
In Your Life:
You might recognize when you're seeking validation from people whose opinion shouldn't define your worth.
Deception
In This Chapter
Lavrushka tells Napoleon what he wants to hear, then makes up dramatic stories for his regiment because truth seems too ordinary
Development
Introduced here as survival strategy and social performance
In Your Life:
You might catch yourself telling different versions of the same story depending on what your audience wants to hear.
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Napoleon expects awe and submission based on his status, while Lavrushka performs the expected reaction without feeling it
Development
Continues exploration of how social roles create scripted interactions that may not reflect genuine feelings
In Your Life:
You might notice when you're going through the motions of respect or enthusiasm because it's socially expected, not because you feel it.
Power
In This Chapter
True power lies not in commanding fear but in maintaining inner freedom—Lavrushka keeps his autonomy while appearing to submit
Development
Develops earlier themes about different types of strength and influence
In Your Life:
You might realize that sometimes the person who appears to have less control actually has more freedom and clearer thinking.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why wasn't Lavrushka intimidated by Napoleon, even though Napoleon was the most powerful man in Europe at the time?
analysis • surface - 2
What does Napoleon's expectation of awe reveal about how power affects someone's understanding of reality?
analysis • medium - 3
Think about your workplace, school, or family. Where do you see people in authority living in bubbles, not understanding what those beneath them really think?
application • medium - 4
When you're dealing with someone who has power over you but doesn't understand your reality, how do you decide when to play along versus when to speak truth?
application • deep - 5
Why do you think Lavrushka made up dramatic stories about meeting Napoleon instead of telling the truth that he wasn't impressed?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map the Power Dynamic
Think of a situation where you've seen someone in authority completely misread the room - maybe a boss, teacher, parent, or politician who thought people agreed with them when they actually didn't. Write down what the authority figure believed was happening versus what was really happening from the perspective of those with less power.
Consider:
- •What information was the person in power not getting, and why?
- •How did people with less power protect themselves while managing the situation?
- •What would have happened if someone had told the complete truth?
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you had to 'play the game' with someone in authority. How did you balance protecting yourself while maintaining your integrity? What did that experience teach you about navigating power?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 198: A Daughter's Final Vigil
What lies ahead teaches us guilt and love can coexist in caregiving relationships, and shows us facing uncomfortable truths about ourselves is part of growth. These patterns appear in literature and life alike.