Jan 19| War & Peace - Book 1, Chapter 19
Links
Discussion Prompts via /u/seven-of-9
- The beginning of the chapter seems pretty focused on the surprise Pierre experiences at seeing tradesmen and servants while entering through the back stairs. This is punctuated by the line "Pierre had never been in this part of the house; he had not even suspected the existence of these rooms." Why do you think Anna Mikhailovna led Pierre into the house this way instead of through the front door? Do you think the story will spend more time focused on the common people or are we only going to see the world through the lens of the aristocrats?
- Pierre struggles to finish a sentence while asking for the status of his benefactor, Count Bezukhov. What kind of relationship is implied by his hesitance to call his own father his father instead of just The Count?
- Some sources talk about W&P being a novel that explores and explains Tolstoy's views on Determinism. Pierre seems to adopt a strong sense of determinism throughout the chapter, letting the people and events around him fully dictate his own actions. Do you have any personal beliefs about Determinism vs. Free Will? How do those beliefs shape your view of Pierre so far?
Final line of today's chapter:
Pierre went in at the door, stepping on the soft carpet, and noticed that the strange lady, the aide-de-camp, and some of the servants, all followed him in, as if there were now no further need for permission to enter that room.