According to his interest in beginning an examination into the course of history through the"infinitesimal activities" of each participant, Tolstoy conveys to us a sense of the overall pattern of events and then closely details some daily particulars of one"arbitrary unit" — Pierre especially — amidst these events. As we see the"irresistible tide of history" enveloping not only Kutuzov but Pierre as well, we see how Tolstoy draws a favorable comparison between these individuals. Just as Kutuzov submits to the conditions of historical necessity by abandoning Moscow, so does Pierre strive to partake of the"significance of the whole" by abandoning his former life. Submission to destiny is the path of victory for the hero of Russia as well as the hero of the novel.
In contrast to the Kutuzov-Pierre parallel, Tolstoy provides us with the comic relief of Ellen Bezuhov's amorous crisis and the dangerous moral hypocrisy of Rastoptchin. The countess and the governor both share a childish, limited interpretation of moral universals. Both pervert human values to their own uses: Ellen travesties marriage, and Rastoptchin makes a tragic parody of patriotism and historical necessity.
These"infinitesimal" incidents involving Ellen and Rastoptchin, however, perform a useful function both in terms of the novel and in terms of the history within the novel. With Ellen's faithlessness freeing Pierre from his marital ties and Rastoptchin's banishment freeing him from civic ties, Bezuhov is liberated from society into the mainstream of the events to follow. He is now free to follow his destiny toward self-attainment through plunging into the"tide of history."
