An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1262 words)
t was long since Rostóv had felt such enjoyment from music as he
did that day. But no sooner had Natásha finished her barcarolle than
reality again presented itself. He got up without saying a word and went
downstairs to his own room. A quarter of an hour later the old count
came in from his club, cheerful and contented. Nicholas, hearing him
drive up, went to meet him.
“Well—had a good time?” said the old count, smiling gaily and
proudly at his son.
Nicholas tried to say “Yes,” but could not: and he nearly burst into
sobs. The count was lighting his pipe and did not notice his son’s
condition.
“Ah, it can’t be avoided!” thought Nicholas, for the first and
last time. And suddenly, in the most casual tone, which made him feel
ashamed of himself, he said, as if merely asking his father to let him
have the carriage to drive to town:
“Papa, I have come on a matter of business. I was nearly forgetting. I
need some money.”
“Dear me!” said his father, who was in a specially good humor. “I
told you it would not be enough. How much?”
“Very much,” said Nicholas flushing, and with a stupid careless
smile, for which he was long unable to forgive himself, “I have lost a
little, I mean a good deal, a great deal—forty three thousand.”
“What! To whom?... Nonsense!” cried the count, suddenly reddening
with an apoplectic flush over neck and nape as old people do.
“I promised to pay tomorrow,” said Nicholas.
“Well!...” said the old count, spreading out his arms and sinking
helplessly on the sofa.
“It can’t be helped! It happens to everyone!” said the son, with
a bold, free, and easy tone, while in his soul he regarded himself as a
worthless scoundrel whose whole life could not atone for his crime. He
longed to kiss his father’s hands and kneel to beg his forgiveness,
but said, in a careless and even rude voice, that it happens to
everyone!
The old count cast down his eyes on hearing his son’s words and began
bustlingly searching for something.
“Yes, yes,” he muttered, “it will be difficult, I fear, difficult
to raise... happens to everybody! Yes, who has not done it?”
And with a furtive glance at his son’s face, the count went out of the
room.... Nicholas had been prepared for resistance, but had not at all
expected this.
“Papa! Pa-pa!” he called after him, sobbing, “forgive me!” And
seizing his father’s hand, he pressed it to his lips and burst into
tears.
While father and son were having their explanation, the mother and
daughter were having one not less important. Natásha came running to
her mother, quite excited.
“Mamma!... Mamma!... He has made me...”
“Made what?”
“Made, made me an offer, Mamma! Mamma!” she exclaimed.
The countess did not believe her ears. Denísov had proposed. To whom?
To this chit of a girl, Natásha, who not so long ago was playing with
dolls and who was still having lessons.
“Don’t, Natásha! What nonsense!” she said, hoping it was a joke.
“Nonsense, indeed! I am telling you the fact,” said Natásha
indignantly. “I come to ask you what to do, and you call it
‘nonsense!’”
The countess shrugged her shoulders.
“If it is true that Monsieur Denísov has made you a proposal, tell
him he is a fool, that’s all!”
“No, he’s not a fool!” replied Natásha indignantly and seriously.
“Well then, what do you want? You’re all in love nowadays. Well,
if you are in love, marry him!” said the countess, with a laugh of
annoyance. “Good luck to you!”
“No, Mamma, I’m not in love with him, I suppose I’m not in love
with him.”
“Well then, tell him so.”
“Mamma, are you cross? Don’t be cross, dear! Is it my fault?”
“No, but what is it, my dear? Do you want me to go and tell him?”
said the countess smiling.
“No, I will do it myself, only tell me what to say. It’s all very
well for you,” said Natásha, with a responsive smile. “You should
have seen how he said it! I know he did not mean to say it, but it came
out accidently.”
“Well, all the same, you must refuse him.”
“No, I mustn’t. I am so sorry for him! He’s so nice.”
“Well then, accept his offer. It’s high time for you to be
married,” answered the countess sharply and sarcastically.
“No, Mamma, but I’m so sorry for him. I don’t know how I’m to
say it.”
“And there’s nothing for you to say. I shall speak to him myself,”
said the countess, indignant that they should have dared to treat this
little Natásha as grown up.
“No, not on any account! I will tell him myself, and you’ll listen
at the door,” and Natásha ran across the drawing room to the dancing
hall, where Denísov was sitting on the same chair by the clavichord
with his face in his hands.
He jumped up at the sound of her light step.
“Nataly,” he said, moving with rapid steps toward her, “decide my
fate. It is in your hands.”
“Vasíli Dmítrich, I’m so sorry for you!... No, but you are so
nice... but it won’t do...not that... but as a friend, I shall always
love you.”
Denísov bent over her hand and she heard strange sounds she did not
understand. She kissed his rough curly black head. At this instant, they
heard the quick rustle of the countess’ dress. She came up to them.
“Vasíli Dmítrich, I thank you for the honor,” she said, with an
embarrassed voice, though it sounded severe to Denísov—“but my
daughter is so young, and I thought that, as my son’s friend, you
would have addressed yourself first to me. In that case you would not
have obliged me to give this refusal.”
“Countess...” said Denísov, with downcast eyes and a guilty face.
He tried to say more, but faltered.
Natásha could not remain calm, seeing him in such a plight. She began
to sob aloud.
“Countess, I have done w’ong,” Denísov went on in an unsteady
voice, “but believe me, I so adore your daughter and all your family
that I would give my life twice over...” He looked at the countess,
and seeing her severe face said: “Well, good-by, Countess,” and
kissing her hand, he left the room with quick resolute strides, without
looking at Natásha.
Next day Rostóv saw Denísov off. He did not wish to stay another
day in Moscow. All Denísov’s Moscow friends gave him a farewell
entertainment at the gypsies’, with the result that he had no
recollection of how he was put in the sleigh or of the first three
stages of his journey.
After Denísov’s departure, Rostóv spent another fortnight in Moscow,
without going out of the house, waiting for the money his father could
not at once raise, and he spent most of his time in the girls’ room.
Sónya was more tender and devoted to him than ever. It was as if she
wanted to show him that his losses were an achievement that made her
love him all the more, but Nicholas now considered himself unworthy of
her.
He filled the girls’ albums with verses and music, and having at last
sent Dólokhov the whole forty-three thousand rubles and received his
receipt, he left at the end of November, without taking leave of any of
his acquaintances, to overtake his regiment which was already in Poland.
BOOK FIVE: 1806 - 07
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
The Shame Spiral - When Kindness Cuts Deeper Than Anger
When unexpected kindness or understanding forces us to confront our behavior more painfully than punishment would.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when kindness becomes its own form of psychological pressure and why mercy sometimes hurts more than punishment.
Practice This Today
Next time someone responds to your mistake with unexpected understanding instead of anger, notice how it makes you feel—and use that discomfort as motivation for real change, not just damage control.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Papa, I have come on a matter of business. I was nearly forgetting. I need some money."
Context: Nicholas tries to sound casual while confessing his gambling debt
The forced casualness reveals how terrified Nicholas is. He's trying to minimize something catastrophic, which makes it sound even worse. The phrase 'nearly forgetting' about a debt that could ruin his family shows how shame distorts our thinking.
In Today's Words:
Hey Dad, by the way, I need to borrow some cash - no big deal.
"Very much... I have lost a little, I mean a good deal, a great deal—forty three thousand."
Context: Nicholas finally reveals the amount he owes
His stammering progression from 'a little' to 'forty three thousand' shows him unable to lie anymore. The verbal fumbling captures exactly how people confess terrible news - starting small and building up courage.
In Today's Words:
Well, it's not that bad... actually it's pretty bad... okay it's really, really bad.
"Ah, it can't be avoided!"
Context: Nicholas steels himself before confessing
This moment of resignation shows Nicholas finally accepting he has to face consequences. It's both mature acceptance and desperate rationalization - he's telling himself he has no choice to make the conversation easier.
In Today's Words:
Well, here goes nothing - I have to do this.
"It happens to everyone."
Context: The father's response to learning about the debt
The count's quiet acceptance is more devastating than anger would be. By normalizing Nicholas's failure, he shows both unconditional love and deep disappointment. This response makes Nicholas feel worse, not better.
In Today's Words:
These things happen, son.
Thematic Threads
Shame
In This Chapter
Nicholas's shame deepens when met with understanding rather than anger, while Natasha feels terrible about rejecting kind Denisov
Development
Evolving from earlier pride and bravado to genuine self-awareness and moral discomfort
In Your Life:
You might feel this when someone responds to your mistake with patience instead of the anger you expected and prepared for.
Family Loyalty
In This Chapter
The count quietly accepts financial ruin to protect his son, while the family rallies around both Nicholas's debt and Natasha's romantic troubles
Development
Deepening from surface social bonds to real sacrifice and understanding
In Your Life:
You see this when family members absorb your problems without complaint, making you feel both grateful and guilty.
Coming of Age
In This Chapter
Both Nicholas and Natasha face adult consequences—financial responsibility and marriage proposals—that force them beyond childhood
Development
Accelerating from social games to real stakes with lasting impact
In Your Life:
You experience this when your choices start affecting other people in ways you can't take back.
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Denisov follows proper courtship protocol while the countess enforces rules about permission and age-appropriate suitors
Development
Continuing tension between personal desires and social forms
In Your Life:
You encounter this when trying to balance what you want with what others expect from your relationships or career choices.
Unspoken Communication
In This Chapter
Nicholas and his father communicate volumes through silences and facial expressions, while Natasha must navigate rejecting Denisov gently
Development
Growing sophistication in reading between the lines of family dynamics
In Your Life:
You use this when the most important conversations happen through what isn't said rather than what is.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why does Nicholas feel worse when his father responds with understanding instead of anger about the gambling debt?
analysis • surface - 2
What does the father's quiet acceptance of 'it happens to everyone' reveal about how he's handling his own disappointment?
analysis • medium - 3
Think about times when someone's kindness after your mistake felt worse than punishment would have. Why does understanding sometimes hurt more than anger?
application • medium - 4
How do you think Nicholas should handle the two weeks of waiting at home? What would help him move from shame to actual change?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter suggest about the relationship between guilt, shame, and personal growth?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Recognition Trap
Think of a time when you expected someone to be angry with you, but they responded with understanding or kindness instead. Write down what you expected to happen, what actually happened, and how their grace made you feel. Then identify what their response revealed about your impact on them that anger might have hidden.
Consider:
- •Notice whether their kindness made you want to change more or less than punishment would have
- •Consider what their understanding cost them emotionally
- •Think about how you can honor their grace through your future actions
Journaling Prompt
Write about how you want to respond when someone shows you unexpected mercy. What would it look like to let their kindness motivate real change rather than just deeper shame?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 85: The Stripped Screw of Existence
The story shifts to a new phase as we enter 1806-07, with Napoleon's influence spreading across Europe and the Russian nobility about to face even greater challenges than gambling debts and awkward proposals.
