20. book 1 chapter 20 and 21. “…it all ends in death”

War and Peace novel discussion. Moscow 1805. In Chapters 20 and 21 we focus on the complex of human emotion and motivation in the context of the death of Count Bezukhov. We discuss the relationship between Pierre and his father noting Pierre’s almost indifferent behavior to him providing more context for our understanding of Pierre. We also see competing motives in characters like Prince Vasili, the elder princess, and Anna Mikhaylovna. These people are not simply good or bad, selfish or kind, rather they portray the complex mix of being human. Tolstoy excels at showing how contradictory emotions, values, and desires can exist simultaneously, making his characters feel deeply realistic and multidimensional.