Summary
Pierre sits stranded at a post station, but his physical journey has stopped because his mental journey has consumed him entirely. After his duel with Dolokhov and confrontation with his wife, he's trapped in an endless loop of unanswerable questions: What is good? What is evil? What's the point of living if we all die anyway? Tolstoy uses the brilliant metaphor of a stripped screw—it keeps turning but can't move forward or back, just spinning uselessly in place. This is Pierre's mind right now. He has wealth, privilege, and options, but none of it matters when you're questioning the very foundation of existence. The postmaster lies to get more money, a poor woman tries to sell him slippers he doesn't need, his servant offers comfort he can't feel. Pierre sees it all as meaningless theater while he grapples with cosmic questions that have no answers. But just as he reaches peak despair—convinced that 'we know nothing' is the height of human wisdom—a mysterious stranger appears. This weathered old man with penetrating eyes and a death's head ring seems to possess something Pierre lacks: calm certainty. The chapter ends with their eyes meeting, suggesting that sometimes our deepest questions find answers not in our own tortured thinking, but in unexpected human connections. Pierre's existential crisis is about to meet its match.
Coming Up in Chapter 86
The mysterious stranger with the death's head ring is about to speak, and his words will challenge everything Pierre thinks he knows about life's meaning. Sometimes wisdom comes from the most unexpected sources.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
After his interview with his wife Pierre left for Petersburg. At the Torzhók post station, either there were no horses or the postmaster would not supply them. Pierre was obliged to wait. Without undressing, he lay down on the leather sofa in front of a round table, put his big feet in their overboots on the table, and began to reflect. “Will you have the portmanteaus brought in? And a bed got ready, and tea?” asked his valet. Pierre gave no answer, for he neither heard nor saw anything. He had begun to think of the last station and was still pondering on the same question—one so important that he took no notice of what went on around him. Not only was he indifferent as to whether he got to Petersburg earlier or later, or whether he secured accommodation at this station, but compared to the thoughts that now occupied him it was a matter of indifference whether he remained there for a few hours or for the rest of his life. The postmaster, his wife, the valet, and a peasant woman selling Torzhók embroidery came into the room offering their services. Without changing his careless attitude, Pierre looked at them over his spectacles unable to understand what they wanted or how they could go on living without having solved the problems that so absorbed him. He had been engrossed by the same thoughts ever since the day he returned from Sokólniki after the duel and had spent that first agonizing, sleepless night. But now, in the solitude of the journey, they seized him with special force. No matter what he thought about, he always returned to these same questions which he could not solve and yet could not cease to ask himself. It was as if the thread of the chief screw which held his life together were stripped, so that the screw could not get in or out, but went on turning uselessly in the same place. The postmaster came in and began obsequiously to beg his excellency to wait only two hours, when, come what might, he would let his excellency have the courier horses. It was plain that he was lying and only wanted to get more money from the traveler. “Is this good or bad?” Pierre asked himself. “It is good for me, bad for another traveler, and for himself it’s unavoidable, because he needs money for food; the man said an officer had once given him a thrashing for letting a private traveler have the courier horses. But the officer thrashed him because he had to get on as quickly as possible. And I,” continued Pierre, “shot Dólokhov because I considered myself injured, and Louis XVI was executed because they considered him a criminal, and a year later they executed those who executed him—also for some reason. What is bad? What is good? What should one love and what hate? What does one live for? And what am I? What is life, and what...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Mental Quicksand
When circular thinking about big questions prevents taking any action in real life.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when deep thinking becomes a mental trap that prevents action and connection.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you're asking 'What's the point of everything?' and try asking 'What's one small thing I can do right now?' instead.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Post station
Government-run stops along Russian roads where travelers could change horses, rest, and get food. Like truck stops today, but mandatory for long-distance travel. The postmaster controlled whether you could continue your journey.
Modern Usage:
Any place where you're stuck waiting on someone else's schedule - the DMV, airport delays, or being on hold with customer service.
Existential crisis
When someone questions the fundamental meaning and purpose of life, usually triggered by trauma or major life changes. Pierre is asking 'What's the point of anything if we all die?' after his duel and marital problems.
Modern Usage:
That 3am spiral when you wonder if your job matters, if you're wasting your life, or what happens after death - especially common during midlife or after losing someone.
Stripped screw metaphor
Tolstoy's brilliant image for a mind stuck in useless thinking. Like a screw that spins but won't go forward or backward, Pierre's thoughts keep turning but get nowhere.
Modern Usage:
Overthinking a problem until you're mentally exhausted but no closer to a solution - like replaying an argument or obsessing over a decision.
Fatalism
The belief that everything is predetermined and human actions don't really matter. Pierre is sliding toward this hopeless worldview as he questions free will and purpose.
Modern Usage:
Saying 'everything happens for a reason' or 'what will be, will be' when facing situations that feel completely out of your control.
Russian Orthodox mysticism
A spiritual tradition emphasizing direct personal experience of God through prayer, suffering, and inner transformation. The mysterious stranger represents this path as an alternative to Pierre's intellectual despair.
Modern Usage:
Any spiritual practice that promises inner peace through personal experience rather than book learning - meditation, prayer groups, or recovery programs.
Class privilege blindness
Pierre has servants, money, and options but can't see how his material comfort affects his philosophical crisis. His existential questions are partly luxury problems.
Modern Usage:
When someone with financial security complains about 'finding their passion' while others worry about paying rent - privilege can create its own kind of emptiness.
Characters in This Chapter
Pierre Bezukhov
Protagonist in crisis
Sits paralyzed at the post station, consumed by questions about life's meaning after his duel and marital confrontation. His wealth and status feel meaningless when facing cosmic questions about existence.
Modern Equivalent:
The successful person having a midlife crisis, questioning everything despite having it all
The postmaster
Minor antagonist
Lies about having no horses to extract more money from wealthy travelers. Represents the petty corruption and everyday deception that disgusts Pierre in his current state.
Modern Equivalent:
The mechanic who finds extra problems with your car, or any service worker padding the bill
The mysterious stranger
Potential mentor figure
An older man with penetrating eyes and a death's head ring who appears just as Pierre reaches peak despair. His calm presence suggests he has answers to Pierre's tormented questions.
Modern Equivalent:
The wise older person you meet at your lowest point - a sponsor, counselor, or stranger who seems to have found peace
Pierre's valet
Loyal servant
Tries to provide comfort and practical care but Pierre can't even hear him. Shows how depression and existential crisis cut us off from people trying to help.
Modern Equivalent:
The friend or family member who keeps checking on you during a breakdown, offering practical help you can't accept
Key Quotes & Analysis
"What is bad? What is good? What should one love and what hate? What does one live for? And what am I? What is life, and what is death? What power governs all?"
Context: Pierre's mind spinning through the fundamental questions that have consumed him since the duel
These are the classic existential questions that hit during major life crises. Pierre's privilege means he has time to ask them, but no framework to answer them. The rapid-fire questioning shows his mental state - desperate and scattered.
In Today's Words:
What's the point of anything? Why do good people suffer? What am I supposed to do with my life? Why are we here if we just die anyway?
"He felt that everything was now going to pieces and that nobody was right."
Context: Pierre's worldview collapsing as he questions all his previous beliefs and assumptions
This captures the terrifying moment when your entire belief system crumbles. Pierre can't trust his old certainties but hasn't found new ones. It's the dark night of the soul that precedes either breakdown or breakthrough.
In Today's Words:
Everything I believed was wrong, and I don't know what to trust anymore.
"We know nothing, we know nothing! And it is clear that we can know nothing!"
Context: Pierre reaching the peak of his philosophical despair, convinced that human knowledge is impossible
This is Pierre hitting rock bottom intellectually. He's concluded that since he can't answer the big questions through thinking, nothing can be known. It's the moment before he's ready to try a different approach - perhaps through faith or experience.
In Today's Words:
I've been overthinking everything and I'm more confused than ever. Maybe some things can't be figured out logically.
Thematic Threads
Identity Crisis
In This Chapter
Pierre questions his entire existence and purpose after his personal disasters
Development
Deepened from earlier chapters where he struggled with his role as wealthy heir
In Your Life:
You might feel this when major life changes make you question who you really are
Class Privilege
In This Chapter
Pierre's wealth isolates him from real consequences while others around him struggle for basics
Development
Consistent theme showing how money creates different realities
In Your Life:
You see this in how different economic levels experience the same problems differently
Human Connection
In This Chapter
The mysterious stranger offers what Pierre's isolation and overthinking cannot—potential wisdom through relationship
Development
Emerging theme suggesting answers come through others, not solo analysis
In Your Life:
You might find clarity through conversation when your own thoughts go in circles
Existential Despair
In This Chapter
Pierre reaches rock bottom believing 'we know nothing' is the height of human wisdom
Development
Peak of his spiritual crisis that's been building through recent chapters
In Your Life:
You might hit this wall when life feels meaningless despite having everything you thought you wanted
Social Performance
In This Chapter
Everyone around Pierre—postmaster, servant, poor woman—performs roles while he sees through the meaninglessness
Development
Continuing examination of how people play expected parts in society
In Your Life:
You recognize this in how everyone maintains facades even when struggling internally
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What physical metaphor does Tolstoy use to describe Pierre's mental state, and why is it so effective?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Pierre's wealth and privilege make his existential crisis worse rather than better?
analysis • medium - 3
When have you seen someone (or yourself) get so stuck in overthinking that they couldn't make basic decisions or move forward?
application • medium - 4
What's the difference between productive self-reflection and the kind of mental spinning Pierre experiences?
application • deep - 5
Why might the mysterious stranger represent a way out of Pierre's paralysis, and what does this suggest about how we actually solve life's big questions?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Break the Overthinking Loop
Think of a decision or situation you've been overthinking lately. Write it down, then set a timer for 3 minutes and write every worry, question, or 'what if' about it. When the timer stops, look at your list and circle the one thing you could actually do today to move forward, even slightly. Don't analyze whether it's the perfect action—just identify one concrete step.
Consider:
- •Notice how many of your worries are about things you can't control
- •Look for questions that have no real answers versus problems that have solutions
- •Pay attention to how the act of writing stops the mental spinning
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you broke out of an overthinking cycle. What finally got you unstuck—was it talking to someone, taking action, or something else? What did you learn about the difference between thinking and ruminating?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 86: A Stranger Offers Salvation
As the story unfolds, you'll explore to recognize when someone is genuinely trying to help versus judge you, while uncovering self-reflection requires looking at your actions, not just your intentions. These lessons connect the classic to contemporary challenges we all face.