An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1153 words)
ne of the doctors came out of the tent in a bloodstained apron,
holding a cigar between the thumb and little finger of one of his small
bloodstained hands, so as not to smear it. He raised his head and looked
about him, but above the level of the wounded men. He evidently wanted a
little respite. After turning his head from right to left for some time,
he sighed and looked down.
“All right, immediately,” he replied to a dresser who pointed Prince
Andrew out to him, and he told them to carry him into the tent.
Murmurs arose among the wounded who were waiting.
“It seems that even in the next world only the gentry are to have a
chance!” remarked one.
Prince Andrew was carried in and laid on a table that had only just been
cleared and which a dresser was washing down. Prince Andrew could not
make out distinctly what was in that tent. The pitiful groans from all
sides and the torturing pain in his thigh, stomach, and back distracted
him. All he saw about him merged into a general impression of naked,
bleeding human bodies that seemed to fill the whole of the low tent, as
a few weeks previously, on that hot August day, such bodies had filled
the dirty pond beside the Smolénsk road. Yes, it was the same flesh,
the same chair à canon, the sight of which had even then filled him with
horror, as by a presentiment.
There were three operating tables in the tent. Two were occupied, and
on the third they placed Prince Andrew. For a little while he was left
alone and involuntarily witnessed what was taking place on the other two
tables. On the nearest one sat a Tartar, probably a Cossack, judging by
the uniform thrown down beside him. Four soldiers were holding him, and
a spectacled doctor was cutting into his muscular brown back.
“Ooh, ooh, ooh!” grunted the Tartar, and suddenly lifting up his swarthy
snub-nosed face with its high cheekbones, and baring his white teeth,
he began to wriggle and twitch his body and utter piercing, ringing,
and prolonged yells. On the other table, round which many people were
crowding, a tall well-fed man lay on his back with his head thrown back.
His curly hair, its color, and the shape of his head seemed strangely
familiar to Prince Andrew. Several dressers were pressing on his chest
to hold him down. One large, white, plump leg twitched rapidly all
the time with a feverish tremor. The man was sobbing and choking
convulsively. Two doctors—one of whom was pale and trembling—were
silently doing something to this man’s other, gory leg. When he had
finished with the Tartar, whom they covered with an overcoat, the
spectacled doctor came up to Prince Andrew, wiping his hands.
He glanced at Prince Andrew’s face and quickly turned away.
“Undress him! What are you waiting for?” he cried angrily to the
dressers.
His very first, remotest recollections of childhood came back to Prince
Andrew’s mind when the dresser with sleeves rolled up began hastily to
undo the buttons of his clothes and undressed him. The doctor bent
down over the wound, felt it, and sighed deeply. Then he made a sign to
someone, and the torturing pain in his abdomen caused Prince Andrew to
lose consciousness. When he came to himself the splintered portions of
his thighbone had been extracted, the torn flesh cut away, and the
wound bandaged. Water was being sprinkled on his face. As soon as Prince
Andrew opened his eyes, the doctor bent over, kissed him silently on the
lips, and hurried away.
After the sufferings he had been enduring, Prince Andrew enjoyed a
blissful feeling such as he had not experienced for a long time. All the
best and happiest moments of his life—especially his earliest childhood,
when he used to be undressed and put to bed, and when leaning over him
his nurse sang him to sleep and he, burying his head in the pillow,
felt happy in the mere consciousness of life—returned to his memory, not
merely as something past but as something present.
The doctors were busily engaged with the wounded man the shape of whose
head seemed familiar to Prince Andrew: they were lifting him up and
trying to quiet him.
“Show it to me.... Oh, ooh... Oh! Oh, ooh!” his frightened moans could
be heard, subdued by suffering and broken by sobs.
Hearing those moans Prince Andrew wanted to weep. Whether because he
was dying without glory, or because he was sorry to part with life,
or because of those memories of a childhood that could not return, or
because he was suffering and others were suffering and that man near him
was groaning so piteously—he felt like weeping childlike, kindly, and
almost happy tears.
The wounded man was shown his amputated leg stained with clotted blood
and with the boot still on.
“Oh! Oh, ooh!” he sobbed, like a woman.
The doctor who had been standing beside him, preventing Prince Andrew
from seeing his face, moved away.
“My God! What is this? Why is he here?” said Prince Andrew to himself.
In the miserable, sobbing, enfeebled man whose leg had just been
amputated, he recognized Anatole Kurágin. Men were supporting him in
their arms and offering him a glass of water, but his trembling, swollen
lips could not grasp its rim. Anatole was sobbing painfully. “Yes, it is
he! Yes, that man is somehow closely and painfully connected with me,”
thought Prince Andrew, not yet clearly grasping what he saw before him.
“What is the connection of that man with my childhood and life?” he
asked himself without finding an answer. And suddenly a new unexpected
memory from that realm of pure and loving childhood presented itself to
him. He remembered Natásha as he had seen her for the first time at the
ball in 1810, with her slender neck and arms and with a frightened happy
face ready for rapture, and love and tenderness for her, stronger
and more vivid than ever, awoke in his soul. He now remembered the
connection that existed between himself and this man who was dimly
gazing at him through tears that filled his swollen eyes. He remembered
everything, and ecstatic pity and love for that man overflowed his happy
heart.
Prince Andrew could no longer restrain himself and wept tender loving
tears for his fellow men, for himself, and for his own and their errors.
“Compassion, love of our brothers, for those who love us and for those
who hate us, love of our enemies; yes, that love which God preached on
earth and which Princess Mary taught me and I did not understand—that is
what made me sorry to part with life, that is what remained for me had I
lived. But now it is too late. I know it!”
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
Extreme vulnerability dissolves artificial social boundaries and reveals our common humanity, creating unexpected compassion between former enemies.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how extreme vulnerability dissolves artificial barriers and reveals the common fears and hopes that connect all people.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone who usually irritates you shows genuine vulnerability—and observe how your feelings toward them shift in that moment.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"It seems that even in the next world only the gentry are to have a chance!"
Context: Said when Prince Andrew is moved ahead in line for surgery
This bitter observation shows how class privilege persists even in life-and-death situations. The common soldiers recognize that wealth and status still determine who gets help first, even when everyone is equally broken and suffering.
In Today's Words:
Even when we're all dying, the rich still get better treatment.
"Yes, it was the same flesh, the same chair à canon"
Context: As Andrew observes the wounded bodies around him
Andrew realizes that all soldiers, regardless of rank, are just 'cannon fodder' - human material consumed by war. This recognition of shared vulnerability begins his transformation from seeing people as enemies or allies to seeing them simply as fellow humans.
In Today's Words:
We're all just meat for the grinder.
"All right, immediately"
Context: Responding to the dresser pointing out Prince Andrew
The doctor's weary, automatic response shows how medical professionals must compartmentalize emotion to function in crisis. His bloodstained hands and need for a smoke break reveal the toll of constantly witnessing human suffering.
In Today's Words:
Yeah, yeah, I'll get to him next.
Thematic Threads
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
Andrew feels compassion for his former enemy Anatole when both are wounded and vulnerable
Development
Evolved from Andrew's earlier coldness and desire for revenge to this moment of universal love
In Your Life:
You might find yourself caring for someone you previously disliked when you both face a shared crisis or loss.
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Andrew's near-death experience transforms his understanding of what truly matters in life
Development
Culmination of Andrew's journey from pride and social ambition to spiritual awakening
In Your Life:
Major life disruptions often force you to reevaluate your priorities and let go of petty concerns.
Class
In This Chapter
In the field hospital, social rank becomes meaningless as all wounded soldiers face the same fate
Development
Continues the theme of war as a great equalizer that strips away social pretenses
In Your Life:
You notice how crisis situations reveal that status symbols matter far less than basic human decency.
Identity
In This Chapter
Andrew's sense of self dissolves under trauma, revealing a deeper identity based on love rather than grievance
Development
Represents the final transformation of Andrew's character from wounded pride to transcendent understanding
In Your Life:
Extreme stress or illness can strip away the roles you play, showing you who you really are underneath.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What changes in Andrew's feelings toward Anatole when he sees him wounded in the field hospital?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does shared suffering make Andrew's old grudge against Anatole suddenly feel meaningless?
analysis • medium - 3
Where have you seen people put aside their differences when facing a crisis together?
application • medium - 4
How could you apply Andrew's realization about compassion to a current conflict in your own life?
application • deep - 5
What does this scene teach us about the difference between surface-level conflicts and deeper human connection?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Grudge Patterns
Think of someone who has hurt or annoyed you recently. Write down what specifically bothers you about them, then imagine encountering this person in a vulnerable moment—sick, scared, or struggling. Notice how your feelings shift when you picture them as fragile rather than threatening. This exercise reveals how much of our anger protects our ego rather than addressing real harm.
Consider:
- •Focus on how the person's vulnerability changes your perspective, not whether they 'deserve' compassion
- •Notice which conflicts feel petty when viewed through the lens of shared human fragility
- •Consider how your own defensive reactions might be masking deeper fears or insecurities
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when crisis or difficulty helped you see past a conflict with someone. What did you learn about the difference between protecting your pride and protecting what actually matters?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 228: When Power Confronts Its Own Horror
As Prince Andrew grapples with his newfound understanding of love and forgiveness, his fate hangs in the balance. Meanwhile, the larger war continues to rage, and other characters face their own moments of reckoning.
