War and Peace

“To be an enthusiast had become her social vocation and, sometimes even when she did not feel like it, she became enthusiastic in order not to disappoint the expectations of those who knew her.”

Aristocrats settle into familiar patterns that repeat endlessly, acting out their roles because they are expected to do so. Some are witty, others are complimentary; some are enthusiastic and some are cynical. Pierre defies the expectations of the high society because he does not know how to operate in it. Unlike the practiced upper classes, he does not care if he disappoints “the expectations” of those who know him.

“Influence in society, however, is capital which has to be economized if it is to last.” 

Prince Vasili is a scheming man and as much of a strategist as the most experienced general. His battlefield is the parties and dinners of the Saint Petersburg social scene. Vasili is primarily concerned with advancing his family’s fortunes and extending their interest, so he views his children as commodities who should marry whoever most is most useful. While he is not a likable man, Vasili has an innate understanding of how society and influence function in 19th-century Russia.

“The dying man lay as lifeless and immovable as before.” 

Pierre’s dying father, Count Bezukhov, is part of the old world that will be swept away by the war with France—“lifeless and immovable” (86). Just as Count Bezukhov’s fortune will transfer to Pierre, the responsibly of managing the country will fall to a new generation.