Summary
Two months after the Battle of Austerlitz, the worst kind of news arrives at Bald Hills: Prince Andrew is missing, presumed dead. General Kutuzov's letter offers only cruel uncertainty - Andrew fell like a hero, but his body wasn't found among the dead or captured. The old prince receives this news alone in his study, and the next morning, Princess Mary knows something terrible has happened just by looking at her father's face. When he finally screams the news - 'Killed!' - she doesn't collapse. Instead, something almost transcendent comes over her, and she comforts her raging, heartbroken father. Meanwhile, Andrew's pregnant wife Lise glows with the mysterious joy of expectant motherhood, completely unaware that her husband may be dead. She feels the baby moving and wants to share her happiness, while Princess Mary kneels beside her, weeping for reasons Lise doesn't understand. The family makes a painful decision: they'll hide the news from Lise until after she gives birth. This chapter shows how the same devastating news hits different people in completely different ways. The old prince immediately assumes the worst and begins planning a memorial. Princess Mary clings to hope and prayer. And Lise, protected by ignorance and pregnancy, lives in a bubble of anticipated joy. Tolstoy captures something profound about how families navigate tragedy - sometimes love means bearing the burden alone.
Coming Up in Chapter 76
As the household struggles to maintain this painful charade, the weight of hidden grief begins to show. Lise grows increasingly suspicious that something is being kept from her, while the family prepares for both a birth and possibly a funeral.
Share it with friends
An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
Two months had elapsed since the news of the battle of Austerlitz and the loss of Prince Andrew had reached Bald Hills, and in spite of the letters sent through the embassy and all the searches made, his body had not been found nor was he on the list of prisoners. What was worst of all for his relations was the fact that there was still a possibility of his having been picked up on the battlefield by the people of the place and that he might now be lying, recovering or dying, alone among strangers and unable to send news of himself. The gazettes from which the old prince first heard of the defeat at Austerlitz stated, as usual very briefly and vaguely, that after brilliant engagements the Russians had had to retreat and had made their withdrawal in perfect order. The old prince understood from this official report that our army had been defeated. A week after the gazette report of the battle of Austerlitz came a letter from Kutúzov informing the prince of the fate that had befallen his son. “Your son,” wrote Kutúzov, “fell before my eyes, a standard in his hand and at the head of a regiment—he fell as a hero, worthy of his father and his fatherland. To the great regret of myself and of the whole army it is still uncertain whether he is alive or not. I comfort myself and you with the hope that your son is alive, for otherwise he would have been mentioned among the officers found on the field of battle, a list of whom has been sent me under flag of truce.” After receiving this news late in the evening, when he was alone in his study, the old prince went for his walk as usual next morning, but he was silent with his steward, the gardener, and the architect, and though he looked very grim he said nothing to anyone. When Princess Mary went to him at the usual hour he was working at his lathe and, as usual, did not look round at her. “Ah, Princess Mary!” he said suddenly in an unnatural voice, throwing down his chisel. (The wheel continued to revolve by its own impetus, and Princess Mary long remembered the dying creak of that wheel, which merged in her memory with what followed.) She approached him, saw his face, and something gave way within her. Her eyes grew dim. By the expression of her father’s face, not sad, not crushed, but angry and working unnaturally, she saw that hanging over her and about to crush her was some terrible misfortune, the worst in life, one she had not yet experienced, irreparable and incomprehensible—the death of one she loved. “Father! Andrew!”—said the ungraceful, awkward princess with such an indescribable charm of sorrow and self-forgetfulness that her father could not bear her look but turned away with a sob. “Bad news! He’s not among the prisoners nor among the killed! Kutúzov writes...” and...
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature
As an Amazon Associate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Protective Burden - When Love Means Carrying Weight Alone
Families instinctively create hierarchies of who can handle difficult truths, distributing emotional weight based on perceived strength rather than actual need.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how families unconsciously assign emotional roles during trauma - who gets protected, who carries the burden, who becomes the bridge between knowledge and ignorance.
Practice This Today
Next time your family faces bad news, notice who gets told first, who's 'protected,' and who becomes the messenger - then decide if these roles serve everyone or need adjusting.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Missing in Action
When a soldier disappears during battle and their fate is unknown - not confirmed dead, not among prisoners. This creates the cruelest kind of uncertainty for families.
Modern Usage:
We still use MIA for military personnel, but also for anyone who suddenly goes silent or disappears from our lives.
Official Gazette
Government newspapers that reported war news with heavy spin to make defeats sound less terrible. They used vague language like 'strategic withdrawal' instead of 'we got crushed.'
Modern Usage:
Like corporate PR speak that makes layoffs sound like 'rightsizing' or politicians calling tax increases 'revenue enhancements.'
Protective Silence
When families decide to hide devastating news from someone who's vulnerable. Here they keep Prince Andrew's fate from his pregnant wife to protect her and the baby.
Modern Usage:
Families still do this - not telling grandma about the divorce until after her surgery, or waiting to share bad news until someone's in a better place.
Compartmentalized Grief
How the same tragedy affects family members completely differently. Each person processes loss in their own way, sometimes seeming to live in separate realities.
Modern Usage:
You see this after any family crisis - one sibling falls apart, another gets angry, another goes into denial.
Maternal Intuition
The idea that pregnant women or mothers have a special sense about danger or loss. Princess Mary notices Lise seems to sense something's wrong despite being kept in the dark.
Modern Usage:
We still talk about mother's intuition - that gut feeling parents get when something's off with their kids.
Bearing the Burden
Taking on emotional pain alone to protect others from it. Princess Mary and her father carry the weight of not knowing about Andrew while pretending everything's normal around Lise.
Modern Usage:
Like being the only one who knows dad lost his job and keeping it quiet so the kids don't worry.
Characters in This Chapter
Old Prince Bolkonsky
Grieving patriarch
Receives the devastating news about his son Andrew and immediately assumes the worst. His military background makes him read between the lines of official reports. He rages and plans a memorial while trying to hide his despair from his pregnant daughter-in-law.
Modern Equivalent:
The family patriarch who always expects the worst and takes charge during crises
Princess Mary
Family caretaker
Becomes the emotional center holding everyone together. She clings to hope about Andrew while comforting her father and protecting Lise from the truth. Shows incredible strength under pressure.
Modern Equivalent:
The family member everyone leans on during emergencies
Lise
Innocent expectant mother
Lives in blissful ignorance of her husband's fate, glowing with pregnancy joy while everyone around her grieves in secret. Represents the protection of innocence during tragedy.
Modern Equivalent:
The family member who gets shielded from bad news because they're going through something delicate
General Kutuzov
Bearer of bad news
Writes the letter that destroys the family's peace. His military report tries to soften the blow by emphasizing Andrew's heroism while admitting they don't know if he's alive or dead.
Modern Equivalent:
The doctor or official who has to deliver devastating news as gently as possible
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Your son fell before my eyes, a standard in his hand and at the head of a regiment—he fell as a hero, worthy of his father and his fatherland."
Context: In his letter to the old prince about Andrew's fate at Austerlitz
This is how military leaders try to soften devastating news - by emphasizing honor and heroism. But for a father, no amount of glory makes up for losing a child.
In Today's Words:
Your son died doing his job like a hero, but I still don't know if he's actually dead.
"Killed!"
Context: When he finally screams the news to Princess Mary after holding it in
One word that shatters everything. The old prince can't bear the uncertainty and chooses to believe the worst rather than live with hope that might be false.
In Today's Words:
He's dead!
"I comfort myself and you with the hope that your son is alive."
Context: Trying to offer hope in his letter about Andrew
The cruelest kind of comfort - hope mixed with uncertainty. Kutuzov means well but gives the family the worst possible gift: endless wondering.
In Today's Words:
I'm hoping he's alive, and you should hope too, but honestly, I have no idea.
Thematic Threads
Family Roles
In This Chapter
Each family member automatically assumes a specific role in handling crisis—the absorber, the bridge, the protected
Development
Building on earlier themes of rigid family structures, now showing how roles intensify under pressure
In Your Life:
Notice how your family assigns roles during stress—are you always the strong one, the protected one, or the messenger?
Information Control
In This Chapter
The family decides who gets what information when, treating truth as something that can be strategically distributed
Development
Introduced here as a new dimension of family power dynamics
In Your Life:
Consider when you've been the gatekeeper of difficult news, or when others have filtered information for your 'protection.'
Grief Processing
In This Chapter
Each character processes potential loss differently—rage, transcendent calm, oblivious joy—showing grief has no universal form
Development
Introduced here, exploring how personality shapes response to loss
In Your Life:
Your way of processing bad news isn't wrong just because it's different from how others handle it.
Protective Love
In This Chapter
Love expresses itself through bearing burdens alone—Princess Mary weeps while Lise celebrates, shielding her from knowledge
Development
Evolved from earlier themes about duty and sacrifice in relationships
In Your Life:
Sometimes the most loving thing is carrying weight alone; sometimes it's insisting on sharing the load.
Timing
In This Chapter
The family believes there's a right time for devastating news—after the birth, when someone is stronger, when circumstances are better
Development
Introduced here as a strategic element in family communication
In Your Life:
You might be waiting for the 'right time' to share or receive difficult truths that actually need to be addressed now.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why does the family decide to hide Prince Andrew's fate from Lise, and what does each family member's reaction tell us about their character?
analysis • surface - 2
How does the family create an informal hierarchy of who can handle devastating news and who needs protection? What factors determine these roles?
analysis • medium - 3
When have you seen families or groups decide who gets told difficult news first and who gets protected? What patterns do you notice?
application • medium - 4
If you were Princess Mary, would you agree to carry this burden alone, or would you insist on sharing the truth immediately? What factors would influence your decision?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about how love sometimes requires carrying painful knowledge alone versus sharing burdens equally?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Family's Crisis Hierarchy
Think about a recent family crisis or stressful situation. Draw a simple diagram showing who handled what information and who was protected from certain details. Then analyze: was this hierarchy helpful or harmful? Who decided these roles, and were they fair?
Consider:
- •Consider both formal roles (parent, eldest child) and informal ones (family mediator, the sensitive one)
- •Notice who volunteers to carry burdens versus who gets assigned them
- •Think about whether protection helped or prevented necessary growth and healing
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you were either protected from difficult news or asked to carry a burden for others. How did it feel, and what would you do differently now?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 76: Birth and Arrival
As the story unfolds, you'll explore families unite during life's most vulnerable moments, while uncovering the way anticipation and fear transform ordinary household routines. These lessons connect the classic to contemporary challenges we all face.