An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1651 words)
fter the Emperor had left Moscow, life flowed on there in its usual
course, and its course was so very usual that it was difficult to
remember the recent days of patriotic elation and ardor, hard to believe
that Russia was really in danger and that the members of the English
Club were also sons of the Fatherland ready to sacrifice everything
for it. The one thing that recalled the patriotic fervor everyone had
displayed during the Emperor’s stay was the call for contributions of
men and money, a necessity that as soon as the promises had been made
assumed a legal, official form and became unavoidable.
With the enemy’s approach to Moscow, the Moscovites’ view of their
situation did not grow more serious but on the contrary became even
more frivolous, as always happens with people who see a great danger
approaching. At the approach of danger there are always two voices that
speak with equal power in the human soul: one very reasonably tells a
man to consider the nature of the danger and the means of escaping it;
the other, still more reasonably, says that it is too depressing and
painful to think of the danger, since it is not in man’s power to
foresee everything and avert the general course of events, and it is
therefore better to disregard what is painful till it comes, and to
think about what is pleasant. In solitude a man generally listens to
the first voice, but in society to the second. So it was now with the
inhabitants of Moscow. It was long since people had been as gay in
Moscow as that year.
Rostopchín’s broadsheets, headed by woodcuts of a drink shop, a potman,
and a Moscow burgher called Karpúshka Chigírin, “who—having been a
militiaman and having had rather too much at the pub—heard that Napoleon
wished to come to Moscow, grew angry, abused the French in very bad
language, came out of the drink shop, and, under the sign of the
eagle, began to address the assembled people,” were read and discussed,
together with the latest of Vasíli Lvóvich Púshkin’s bouts rimés.
In the corner room at the Club, members gathered to read these
broadsheets, and some liked the way Karpúshka jeered at the French,
saying: “They will swell up with Russian cabbage, burst with our
buckwheat porridge, and choke themselves with cabbage soup. They are all
dwarfs and one peasant woman will toss three of them with a hayfork.”
Others did not like that tone and said it was stupid and vulgar. It was
said that Rostopchín had expelled all Frenchmen and even all foreigners
from Moscow, and that there had been some spies and agents of Napoleon
among them; but this was told chiefly to introduce Rostopchín’s witty
remark on that occasion. The foreigners were deported to Nízhni by
boat, and Rostopchín had said to them in French: “Rentrez en vous-mêmes;
entrez dans la barque, et n’en faites pas une barque de Charon.” * There
was talk of all the government offices having been already removed from
Moscow, and to this Shinshín’s witticism was added—that for that alone
Moscow ought to be grateful to Napoleon. It was said that Mamónov’s
regiment would cost him eight hundred thousand rubles, and that Bezúkhov
had spent even more on his, but that the best thing about Bezúkhov’s
action was that he himself was going to don a uniform and ride at the
head of his regiment without charging anything for the show.
* “Think it over; get into the barque, and take care not to
make it a barque of Charon.”
“You don’t spare anyone,” said Julie Drubetskáya as she collected
and pressed together a bunch of raveled lint with her thin, beringed
fingers.
Julie was preparing to leave Moscow next day and was giving a farewell
soiree.
“Bezúkhov est ridicule, but he is so kind and good-natured. What
pleasure is there to be so caustique?”
“A forfeit!” cried a young man in militia uniform whom Julie called “mon
chevalier,” and who was going with her to Nízhni.
In Julie’s set, as in many other circles in Moscow, it had been agreed
that they would speak nothing but Russian and that those who made a
slip and spoke French should pay fines to the Committee of Voluntary
Contributions.
“Another forfeit for a Gallicism,” said a Russian writer who was
present. “‘What pleasure is there to be’ is not Russian!”
“You spare no one,” continued Julie to the young man without heeding the
author’s remark.
“For caustique—I am guilty and will pay, and I am prepared to pay again
for the pleasure of telling you the truth. For Gallicisms I won’t be
responsible,” she remarked, turning to the author: “I have neither the
money nor the time, like Prince Galítsyn, to engage a master to teach me
Russian!”
“Ah, here he is!” she added. “Quand on... No, no,” she said to the
militia officer, “you won’t catch me. Speak of the sun and you see its
rays!” and she smiled amiably at Pierre. “We were just talking of you,”
she said with the facility in lying natural to a society woman. “We were
saying that your regiment would be sure to be better than Mamónov’s.”
“Oh, don’t talk to me of my regiment,” replied Pierre, kissing his
hostess’ hand and taking a seat beside her. “I am so sick of it.”
“You will, of course, command it yourself?” said Julie, directing a sly,
sarcastic glance toward the militia officer.
The latter in Pierre’s presence had ceased to be caustic, and his face
expressed perplexity as to what Julie’s smile might mean. In spite of
his absent-mindedness and good nature, Pierre’s personality immediately
checked any attempt to ridicule him to his face.
“No,” said Pierre, with a laughing glance at his big, stout body. “I
should make too good a target for the French, besides I am afraid I
should hardly be able to climb onto a horse.”
Among those whom Julie’s guests happened to choose to gossip about were
the Rostóvs.
“I hear that their affairs are in a very bad way,” said Julie. “And he
is so unreasonable, the count himself I mean. The Razumóvskis wanted
to buy his house and his estate near Moscow, but it drags on and on. He
asks too much.”
“No, I think the sale will come off in a few days,” said someone.
“Though it is madness to buy anything in Moscow now.”
“Why?” asked Julie. “You don’t think Moscow is in danger?”
“Then why are you leaving?”
“I? What a question! I am going because... well, because everyone is
going: and besides—I am not Joan of Arc or an Amazon.”
“Well, of course, of course! Let me have some more strips of linen.”
“If he manages the business properly he will be able to pay off all his
debts,” said the militia officer, speaking of Rostóv.
“A kindly old man but not up to much. And why do they stay on so long in
Moscow? They meant to leave for the country long ago. Natalie is quite
well again now, isn’t she?” Julie asked Pierre with a knowing smile.
“They are waiting for their younger son,” Pierre replied. “He joined
Obolénski’s Cossacks and went to Bélaya Tsérkov where the regiment is
being formed. But now they have had him transferred to my regiment and
are expecting him every day. The count wanted to leave long ago, but the
countess won’t on any account leave Moscow till her son returns.”
“I met them the day before yesterday at the Arkhárovs’. Natalie has
recovered her looks and is brighter. She sang a song. How easily some
people get over everything!”
“Get over what?” inquired Pierre, looking displeased.
Julie smiled.
“You know, Count, such knights as you are only found in Madame de
Souza’s novels.”
“What knights? What do you mean?” demanded Pierre, blushing.
“Oh, come, my dear count! C’est la fable de tout Moscou. Je vous admire,
ma parole d’honneur!” *
* “It is the talk of all Moscow. My word, I admire you!”
“Forfeit, forfeit!” cried the militia officer.
“All right, one can’t talk—how tiresome!”
“What is ‘the talk of all Moscow’?” Pierre asked angrily, rising to his
feet.
“Come now, Count, you know!”
“I don’t know anything about it,” said Pierre.
“I know you were friendly with Natalie, and so... but I was always more
friendly with Véra—that dear Véra.”
“No, madame!” Pierre continued in a tone of displeasure, “I have not
taken on myself the role of Natalie Rostóva’s knight at all, and have
not been to their house for nearly a month. But I cannot understand the
cruelty...”
“Qui s’excuse s’accuse,” * said Julie, smiling and waving the lint
triumphantly, and to have the last word she promptly changed the
subject. “Do you know what I heard today? Poor Mary Bolkónskaya arrived
in Moscow yesterday. Do you know that she has lost her father?”
* “Who excuses himself, accuses himself.”
“Really? Where is she? I should like very much to see her,” said Pierre.
“I spent the evening with her yesterday. She is going to their estate
near Moscow either today or tomorrow morning, with her nephew.”
“Well, and how is she?” asked Pierre.
“She is well, but sad. But do you know who rescued her? It is quite a
romance. Nicholas Rostóv! She was surrounded, and they wanted to kill
her and had wounded some of her people. He rushed in and saved her....”
“Another romance,” said the militia officer. “Really, this general
flight has been arranged to get all the old maids married off. Catiche
is one and Princess Bolkónskaya another.”
“Do you know, I really believe she is un petit peu amoureuse du jeune
homme.” *
* “A little bit in love with the young man.”
“Forfeit, forfeit, forfeit!”
“But how could one say that in Russian?”
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
Groups respond to overwhelming threats by intensifying trivial social activities to avoid confronting difficult realities.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when collective anxiety transforms into performative normalcy and displaced cruelty.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when groups become unusually social or mean during stressful times—it often signals what they're afraid to discuss directly.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"At the approach of danger there are always two voices that speak with equal power in the human soul: one very reasonably tells a man to consider the nature of the danger and the means of escaping it; the other, still more reasonably, says that it is too depressing and painful to think of the danger."
Context: Tolstoy explains why people choose frivolity over facing reality when crisis approaches
This reveals the fundamental human tendency to avoid painful truths through distraction. Tolstoy shows that denial isn't weakness - it's a natural psychological response to overwhelming situations.
In Today's Words:
When something really bad is coming, part of you knows you should prepare, but another part says it's too scary to think about, so why not just ignore it and have fun instead?
"In solitude a man generally listens to the first voice, but in society to the second."
Context: Explaining why people make worse decisions in groups than alone
This captures how peer pressure and group dynamics push people toward denial and distraction rather than honest assessment. Social settings encourage performance over truth.
In Today's Words:
When you're alone, you usually face reality, but when you're with other people, you just go along with pretending everything's fine.
"The conversation did not flag all evening and turned on the three topics of general interest: the latest war news, the gossip of the town, and a mild form of ridicule."
Context: Describing the shallow nature of conversation at Julie's party while Moscow faces invasion
Tolstoy shows how social gatherings during crisis become exercises in avoidance. People discuss war like entertainment, focusing on gossip and mockery rather than genuine concern.
In Today's Words:
All night they talked about three things: what's happening in the war like it's a TV show, who's doing what around town, and making fun of people.
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
The wealthy use social gatherings to maintain their sense of superiority even as their world collapses
Development
Continues the theme of how class creates blindness to reality
In Your Life:
Notice how your social circle might use status symbols or exclusive activities to avoid discussing real problems
Social Performance
In This Chapter
Guests perform gaiety and wit to mask their terror about the approaching army
Development
Introduced here as a group survival mechanism
In Your Life:
Recognize when you're performing normalcy instead of addressing what's actually wrong
Cruelty
In This Chapter
The group bonds through gossip and mockery of absent friends like the Rostovs
Development
Shows how fear transforms into aggression toward safe targets
In Your Life:
Watch for times when you or your group become unusually critical of others during stressful periods
Authenticity
In This Chapter
Pierre feels uncomfortable with the shallow conversation while others embrace it
Development
Pierre's ongoing struggle between genuine feeling and social expectation
In Your Life:
Trust the discomfort you feel when group dynamics don't match the seriousness of the situation
Denial
In This Chapter
The entire party structure serves to avoid discussing the military threat
Development
Collective version of individual denial patterns seen throughout
In Your Life:
Notice when family or workplace gatherings seem designed to avoid discussing obvious problems
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why do Moscow's wealthy elite throw parties and gossip while Napoleon's army approaches their city?
analysis • surface - 2
What psychological purpose does the cruel gossip about the Rostov family serve for the party guests?
analysis • medium - 3
Where have you seen groups become more superficial or gossipy during times of stress or crisis?
application • medium - 4
How would you handle being in Pierre's position - uncomfortable with group cruelty but socially trapped in the situation?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about how people use social performance to avoid facing difficult realities?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Spot the Distraction Pattern
Think of a current situation in your life, workplace, or community where people seem unusually focused on trivial matters or gossip. Map out what serious issue might be lurking underneath that everyone is avoiding. Write down the surface behaviors you observe and the deeper fears that might be driving them.
Consider:
- •Notice when social activity increases during stressful times - it's often a red flag
- •Pay attention to who becomes the target of group criticism - they're usually safe scapegoats for bigger fears
- •Ask yourself: What would happen if this group stopped the performance and faced the real issue directly?
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you participated in group avoidance behavior during a crisis. What were you really afraid of? How might things have gone differently if someone had named the real problem?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 208: Pierre Faces the Coming Storm
The focus shifts to Princess Mary's arrival in Moscow and her emotional reunion with old friends, as the reality of war begins to penetrate even the most protected social circles.
