Summary
The Rostov family prepares to flee Moscow with a convoy of wounded soldiers, but they carry a devastating secret. Prince Andrew—Natasha's former fiancé who she betrayed—lies dying in one of the carriages traveling with them. Sonya discovers this first and tells the Countess, and both women are consumed not with sympathy for Andrew, but with terror about what will happen when Natasha finds out. They know their impulsive, emotional daughter well enough to fear the psychological damage this revelation could cause. The family performs their traditional departure prayers, with Natasha sensing something is wrong but unable to get answers. As their carriage procession moves through the chaotic streets of evacuating Moscow, Natasha spots Pierre Bezukhov disguised as a coachman. Their brief, awkward reunion reveals Pierre's emotional turmoil—he's staying in Moscow for reasons he can't or won't explain, clearly wrestling with some momentous decision. Natasha, still unaware that her former love is dying just carriages away, radiates the same warm energy that has always enchanted Pierre. The chapter captures the cruel irony of proximity—how the people who most need to connect often miss each other by mere feet or moments. It shows how families sometimes protect each other through silence, even when that silence becomes its own kind of burden. The scene demonstrates how crisis strips away social pretenses, revealing both our deepest loyalties and our most vulnerable truths.
Coming Up in Chapter 247
As the Rostov convoy continues its journey away from Moscow, the secret about Prince Andrew's presence grows heavier. Meanwhile, Pierre's mysterious mission in the abandoned city is about to take a dramatic turn.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
Before two o’clock in the afternoon the Rostóvs’ four carriages, packed full and with the horses harnessed, stood at the front door. One by one the carts with the wounded had moved out of the yard. The calèche in which Prince Andrew was being taken attracted Sónya’s attention as it passed the front porch. With the help of a maid she was arranging a seat for the countess in the huge high coach that stood at the entrance. “Whose calèche is that?” she inquired, leaning out of the carriage window. “Why, didn’t you know, Miss?” replied the maid. “The wounded prince: he spent the night in our house and is going with us.” “But who is it? What’s his name?” “It’s our intended that was—Prince Bolkónski himself! They say he is dying,” replied the maid with a sigh. Sónya jumped out of the coach and ran to the countess. The countess, tired out and already dressed in shawl and bonnet for her journey, was pacing up and down the drawing room, waiting for the household to assemble for the usual silent prayer with closed doors before starting. Natásha was not in the room. “Mamma,” said Sónya, “Prince Andrew is here, mortally wounded. He is going with us.” The countess opened her eyes in dismay and, seizing Sónya’s arm, glanced around. “Natásha?” she murmured. At that moment this news had only one significance for both of them. They knew their Natásha, and alarm as to what would happen if she heard this news stifled all sympathy for the man they both liked. “Natásha does not know yet, but he is going with us,” said Sónya. “You say he is dying?” Sónya nodded. The countess put her arms around Sónya and began to cry. “The ways of God are past finding out!” she thought, feeling that the Almighty Hand, hitherto unseen, was becoming manifest in all that was now taking place. “Well, Mamma? Everything is ready. What’s the matter?” asked Natásha, as with animated face she ran into the room. “Nothing,” answered the countess. “If everything is ready let us start.” And the countess bent over her reticule to hide her agitated face. Sónya embraced Natásha and kissed her. Natásha looked at her inquiringly. “What is it? What has happened?” “Nothing... No...” “Is it something very bad for me? What is it?” persisted Natásha with her quick intuition. Sónya sighed and made no reply. The count, Pétya, Madame Schoss, Mávra Kuzmínichna, and Vasílich came into the drawing room and, having closed the doors, they all sat down and remained for some moments silently seated without looking at one another. The count was the first to rise, and with a loud sigh crossed himself before the icon. All the others did the same. Then the count embraced Mávra Kuzmínichna and Vasílich, who were to remain in Moscow, and while they caught at his hand and kissed his shoulder he patted their backs lightly with some vaguely affectionate and comforting words. The countess went...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Protective Silence
The belief that withholding painful truths demonstrates love, when it often creates distance and prevents genuine connection.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when people withhold painful information believing they're showing love.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when conversations feel incomplete or when people exchange meaningful glances—ask yourself what protective silence might be operating and whether truth would serve better than temporary peace.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Calèche
A light, four-wheeled carriage with a folding hood, often used for transporting the wounded or sick. In this chapter, it's the vehicle carrying the dying Prince Andrew.
Modern Usage:
Like an ambulance or medical transport vehicle today - something that signals serious illness or injury.
Silent prayer before departure
A Russian Orthodox tradition where families gather in silence to pray before a journey, asking for protection and safe travel. Shows the spiritual rituals that bound families together during crisis.
Modern Usage:
Similar to how some families still say grace before meals or have moment of silence before big trips - rituals that center us during uncertainty.
Intended
An old term for fiancé or someone formally engaged to be married. Prince Andrew was Natasha's 'intended' before she broke their engagement through her affair attempt.
Modern Usage:
Like calling someone your 'ex-fiancé' today - it carries the weight of a serious relationship that ended badly.
Evacuation convoy
During Napoleon's invasion, wealthy families fled Moscow in organized groups, often taking wounded soldiers with them. Shows how personal and political crises intertwined.
Modern Usage:
Like hurricane evacuations today where neighbors help each other flee, or how communities respond to natural disasters by sharing resources.
Social disguise
Pierre dressing as a coachman to blend in during the chaos. Upper-class people sometimes disguised themselves during revolutions or invasions to avoid being targeted.
Modern Usage:
Like dressing down in certain neighborhoods, or how celebrities wear disguises - changing appearance to avoid unwanted attention or danger.
Protective silence
When families deliberately withhold information to shield someone from painful truth. The Countess and Sonya hide Andrew's presence from Natasha to protect her emotional state.
Modern Usage:
Like when families don't tell someone about a diagnosis right away, or friends coordinate to keep bad news from someone who's already struggling.
Characters in This Chapter
Sonya
Family mediator
Discovers Prince Andrew in the convoy and immediately understands the emotional danger this poses to Natasha. She becomes the keeper of devastating knowledge, showing her role as the family's emotional intelligence.
Modern Equivalent:
The family member who always spots trouble first and tries to manage everyone's feelings
Countess Rostova
Protective mother
Reacts with immediate alarm when she learns Andrew is with them, her first thought being Natasha's wellbeing rather than Andrew's condition. Shows maternal instinct to shield children from pain.
Modern Equivalent:
The mom who still tries to protect her adult kids from bad news or difficult situations
Prince Andrew
Dying former love
Lies unconscious and dying in the convoy, unaware he's traveling with the woman who broke his heart. His presence creates a crisis of proximity - so close to Natasha yet separated by knowledge and condition.
Modern Equivalent:
The ex who shows up in your life at the worst possible moment when you're not emotionally ready
Natasha
Unknowing emotional center
Senses something is wrong but can't get answers from her family. Her ignorance of Andrew's presence creates dramatic tension - everyone else knows what could destroy her emotionally.
Modern Equivalent:
The person everyone's walking on eggshells around because they don't know the bad news yet
Pierre
Conflicted friend in disguise
Appears disguised as a coachman, staying in dangerous Moscow for mysterious reasons. His brief encounter with Natasha shows his continued emotional attachment and inner turmoil.
Modern Equivalent:
The friend going through a crisis who won't tell you what's really wrong but you can see they're struggling
Key Quotes & Analysis
"They knew their Natasha, and alarm as to what would happen if she should learn this weighed on them both."
Context: After Sonya tells the Countess that Prince Andrew is dying in their convoy
This reveals how well family members know each other's emotional patterns and vulnerabilities. The phrase 'their Natasha' shows both possession and protection - they understand her impulsive, intense nature and fear the psychological damage this news could cause.
In Today's Words:
They knew exactly how Natasha would react, and they were terrified of what this news would do to her.
"It's our intended that was—Prince Bolkónski himself! They say he is dying."
Context: When Sonya asks whose carriage is carrying the wounded man
The maid's casual revelation of devastating news shows how servants often knew family secrets. The phrase 'intended that was' captures the awkwardness of a broken engagement - he's neither family nor stranger.
In Today's Words:
Oh, that's Natasha's ex-fiancé - you know, Prince Andrew. Word is he's not going to make it.
"Natasha looked at Pierre with mournful and welcoming eyes."
Context: When Natasha spots Pierre disguised among the coachmen during the evacuation
This moment captures the complexity of human connection during crisis. Her eyes are both sad (sensing the chaos around them) and welcoming (still drawn to Pierre despite everything). It shows how we reach for familiar faces during upheaval.
In Today's Words:
Natasha looked at Pierre with eyes that said both 'I'm scared' and 'I'm so glad to see you.'
Thematic Threads
Family Loyalty
In This Chapter
The Rostovs protect Natasha through silence about Prince Andrew, believing they're demonstrating love
Development
Evolved from earlier displays of Rostov family solidarity into more complex moral territory
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when family members hide struggles to 'protect' each other from worry
Social Pretense
In This Chapter
Pierre disguises himself as a coachman, hiding his true identity and intentions from Natasha
Development
Continues the theme of characters wearing masks to navigate social expectations
In Your Life:
You see this when people downplay their circumstances or hide their true situations during casual encounters
Missed Connections
In This Chapter
Natasha and Pierre's brief reunion is loaded with unspoken emotions and hidden truths
Development
Builds on the recurring pattern of characters failing to communicate what matters most
In Your Life:
This appears when you run into someone important but circumstances prevent real conversation
Crisis Response
In This Chapter
The family evacuation strips away normal routines, revealing both protective instincts and hidden vulnerabilities
Development
Continues exploring how emergency situations reveal character and force difficult choices
In Your Life:
You might notice this during family emergencies when people's true priorities and coping mechanisms emerge
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why do the Countess and Sonya choose to hide the truth about Prince Andrew from Natasha during their evacuation from Moscow?
analysis • surface - 2
What does the family's protective silence reveal about how they view Natasha's emotional strength and their role as her protectors?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this pattern of 'protective silence' in modern families—parents hiding struggles from children, or adult children concealing problems from aging parents?
application • medium - 4
If you were in the Countess's position, how would you balance protecting someone you love from painful truth versus respecting their right to know and prepare?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter suggest about the difference between protection and control, and how families sometimes confuse the two?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Family's Protective Silences
Think about your own family or close relationships. List three pieces of information that someone is currently withholding 'for your protection,' or three things you're not telling someone else 'to spare their feelings.' For each situation, write whether this silence helps or hurts the relationship long-term.
Consider:
- •Consider whether the silence protects the other person or protects you from their reaction
- •Think about whether this information will become harder to share over time
- •Ask yourself if you're preventing them from making informed decisions about their own life
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when someone's 'protective silence' actually made a situation worse for you, or when you discovered that withholding information hurt rather than helped someone you cared about.
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 247: Pierre's Great Escape
The coming pages reveal to recognize when you need to step away from overwhelming situations, and teach us sometimes avoiding problems temporarily helps you think more clearly. These discoveries help us navigate similar situations in our own lives.