After the immature"first loves" of Pierre and Marya, Tolstoy describes the hero-worship of Nikolay for his emperor. The review also provides the author with a vehicle to contrast Rostov's self-abnegation with Prince Andrey's assertive egotism. When Nikolay retells the story of the Schöngraben campaign as he would have liked it to happen, Tolstoy contrasts them again. He shows how someone like Rostov, who acted unconsciously during the battle, has no objective view of it, whereas Prince Andrey, who never forgot himself for a moment during the fighting, knows the facts of the action. We are convinced of the sincerity of each man; both views are truthful. Through the experience of Captain Tushin, however, we must conclude that unselfconscious soldiers, who, like Nikolay, accept anonymity, contribute more heroism to their cause than self-aware men like Bolkonsky.
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