In her isolation, Natasha has tried to focus her thoughts to"penetrate the mystery which her spiritual vision fastened on." This unsuccessful attempt to duplicate the emotions of Prince Andrey, and thus to remain attached to him, is Tolstoy's way of showing the essential life-affirming qualities of Natasha. She cannot reach the understanding of death that Prince Andrey reached because she is a creature of life, of nature, and of love. Here Tolstoy compares Natasha to a flowering plant whose bloom has been injured; her roots are still intact and she must eventually reflower. Love is Natasha's restorative, and with her exercise of love toward her mother, she is able to bloom once again.
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