War and Peace

Natasha married Pierre Bezukhov in 1813. It was the Rostovs’ last happy family event; the Count died in the same year, and at that point, the family broke up. The events of the previous year—the burning of Moscow, Prince Andrei’s death and Natasha’s sorrow, Petya’s death and the Countess’s grief—seemed too much for the Count. Even as he helped prepare for Natasha’s wedding, it was clear that he was not his old self. On his deathbed, he sobbed and asked his wife’s forgiveness for ruining her property.

When the Count dies, Nikolai is with the Russian troops in Paris. He immediately resigns and returns to Moscow, where he, along with everyone else, is shocked to learn the extent of the Count’s debts—their sum twice that of the Rostovs’ property. Though many urge Nikolai to renounce his inheritance so he won’t be saddled with the debts, he refuses to shame his father’s memory and commits to paying everything off. None of Nikolai’s plans to repay the debts work out, so after accepting 30,000 from his brother-in-law Pierre, he takes a civil service post to pay off the rest. He moves into a small apartment with his mother and Sonya.

Natasha and Pierre don’t realize how bad Nikolai’s situation is. He not only has to support the Countess and Sonya on a small salary, but to do so in such a way that his mother doesn’t notice how poor they are—she’s never lived without luxury. Sonya runs the household and conspires with Nikolai in deceiving her aunt. Nikolai appreciates Sonya and feels he can never repay his debt of gratitude, yet he cannot love her. He sees no hope for his situation—he refuses to take friends’ advice by marrying a wealthy heiress—and simply endures it as stoically as possible.

That winter, when Princess Marya hears how Nikolai is sacrificing for his mother, she feels confirmed in her love for him. When Marya visits, however, Nikolai is cold and standoffish. When he returns the visit, he initially rebuffs her sympathy, but when she leaves the room in tears, Nikolai calls to her. They exchange a meaningful glance which suddenly makes the impossible become possible.

In 1814, Nikolai and Princess Marya get married, and Countess Rostov and Sonya join the couple at Bald Hills. The marriage allows Nikolai to repay his father’s debts and to pay back Pierre as well. By 1820, he’s negotiating to buy back his father’s beloved Otradnoe estate. In the meantime, he becomes a passionate and successful farmer. He also develops a deep, instinctive understanding of the muzhiks and how to manage them effectively. Though he doesn’t see himself as especially virtuous, Nikolai gains the peasants’ affection and loyalty.