tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917722747536655397.post6230738299715530289..comments2023-08-02T01:48:35.439-07:00Comments on The Grinnell College Russian Literature Blog: Natasha and AndrewKelly Heroldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13484703304084014289noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917722747536655397.post-9352060991247797302014-03-03T12:01:49.649-08:002014-03-03T12:01:49.649-08:00Even though we have read much further by now and k...Even though we have read much further by now and know that the love between Andrew and Natasha endures, I think that Cynthia's point about Pierre is still relevant. Obviously Pierre is in love with Natasha, and she clearly feels compassion and affection for him as well. I do think it is possible for a person to love two people at the same time, and I think this is the case for Natasha, although perhaps she has a more romantic attraction to Andrew than Pierre. Tolstoy contrasts Natasha's love for two men with Helene's dilemma as a result of having sexual relations with more than one man. I think Tolstoy's message is that there is nothing wrong with loving more than one person, as long as this love is based on genuine appreciation of a person's character rather than physical desire.<br /><br />As for Iulia's point about Andrew hiding his feelings as part of a masculine script, I think it is interesting that Andrew's epiphany towards Natasha occurs when he has been wounded and feminized in the way that he is completely helpless and fragile. Is it only because any pretensions of masculinity have been forcibly stripped from him that he is finally able to recognize his true emotions for her?Alosha Southernhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13365535526950846258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917722747536655397.post-55628400239935210982014-02-23T20:06:08.543-08:002014-02-23T20:06:08.543-08:00While I understand Cynthia's point about what ...While I understand Cynthia's point about what we've seen in both Natasha and Andrew recently - I also think there is a different way to look at this. Natasha's regrets after she finds out the truth about Anatole and her desire to ask for Andrew's forgiveness I believe comes from her respect and remaining love for him. I think it is easy for her as a young girl to be blinded by the desire she had for Anatole and by his presence when she had been waiting for Andrew for so long.<br /><br />When it comes to Andrew - I think he is hiding his true feelings from himself. He is angry, upset and still loves her and he seeks revenge because that is the way he knows how to deal with grief - in a harsh, manly way, similar to his stern father. Pierre's insight in Andrew's apparently careless manner of dealing with things points out that he is only putting on a show for everyone else not to know how affected he is.<br /><br />I agree with Alosha here - I think their love is probably one of the most sincere we encounter in the book. However, I recognize that I may be biased because I know how things will turn out for everyone in the end.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133329259545839100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1917722747536655397.post-6300786842507456582014-02-23T17:20:52.907-08:002014-02-23T17:20:52.907-08:00I do think Natasha's love for Andrew will fade...I do think Natasha's love for Andrew will fade. From what we just read for Monday, I think we've begun to see her love for Andrew fade and her love for Pierre to materialize. What saddens me now, in relation to the complex emotions Andrew felt for Natasha, is how Andrew can close them off so quickly. All that remains of it (and as the war picks up and gets closer to Bald Hills, this feeling pretty much disappears) is the anger towards Anatole and the wish for revenge. How deep can Andrew emotions go? Would his life with Natasha completely changed him? Even his emotions for his son, which were so strong at first, are now hardly relevant. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08143603285595156774noreply@blogger.com