In the dining room, Mary, Natásha and Pierre discuss Pierre’s wartime experiences.
Summary:
Natásha, Mary and Pierre sit down to eat at the dining room table. Mary says she heard Pierre lost 2 million rubles in Moscow. He said yes, he did. He had to pay to rebuild his Moscow houses and pay Hélène’s debts, but he said he felt three times richer than before. Then they talked a lot about Pierre’s wartime experiences. (This seemed like a good topic to move on to since they had just finished that draining conversation about Natásha and they wanted to get off of that.) So Pierre told them all about what happened to him, starting from when he was arrested. He tried to gloss over the bad parts, but Mary and Natásha got him to talk about it. They talked a little about Hélène, whose death had shocked Pierre. Mary quipped that Pierre was an eligible bachelor now. Pierre blushed and for a long time tried not to look at Natásha. They talked about how Pierre once wanted to kill Napoleon and how he was arrested. When he came to talking about the horrors and sufferings of prison, Pierre’s emotions really began to come out. He felt like Natásha understood him. He tried to skip over the part about seeing the executions, but they wanted him to tell them about that too. Then he got to the subject of Karatáev. Pierre tried to tell them what a wonderful person Platón was. No, you can’t understand what I learned from that illiterate man-that simple fellow, he said. Then he told how Platón got sick and was killed because he couldn’t keep up with the group. Natásha really got it, Pierre’s mental travail, and started to cry. Pierre finished his story. By now it was 3:00 AM. Good night! It is time for bed.” Before leaving, Pierre tells Natásha that sometimes new and good things grow out of tragedy. Mary sees there’s something happening between Pierre and Natásha. Before going to bed, Mary and Natásha talk about how much Pierre has improved from how he used to be.
quote from the chapter:
He told of his adventures as he had never yet recalled them. He now, as it were, saw a new meaning in all he had gone through. Now that he was telling it all to Natásha he experienced that pleasure which a man has when women listen to him-not clever women who when listening either try to remember what they hear to enrich their minds and when opportunity offers to retell it, or who wish to adopt it to some thought of their own and promptly contribute their own clever comments prepared in their little mental workshop-but the pleasure given by real women gifted with a capacity to select and absorb the very best a man shows of himself. Natásha without knowing it was all attention: she did not lose a word, no single quiver in Pierre’s voice, no look, no twitch of a muscle in his face, nor a single gesture. She caught the unfinished word in its flight and took it straight into her open heart, divining the secret meaning of all Pierre’s mental travail.
Princess Mary understood his story and sympathized with him, but she now saw something else that absorbed all her attention. She saw the possibility of love and happiness between Natásha and Pierre, and the first thought of this filled her heart with gladness.
Book 15, Chapter 17
In the dining room, Mary, Natásha and Pierre discuss Pierre’s wartime experiences.
Summary:
Natásha, Mary and Pierre sit down to eat at the dining room table. Mary says she heard Pierre lost 2 million rubles in Moscow. He said yes, he did. He had to pay to rebuild his Moscow houses and pay Hélène’s debts, but he said he felt three times richer than before. Then they talked a lot about Pierre’s wartime experiences. (This seemed like a good topic to move on to since they had just finished that draining conversation about Natásha and they wanted to get off of that.) So Pierre told them all about what happened to him, starting from when he was arrested. He tried to gloss over the bad parts, but Mary and Natásha got him to talk about it. They talked a little about Hélène, whose death had shocked Pierre. Mary quipped that Pierre was an eligible bachelor now. Pierre blushed and for a long time tried not to look at Natásha. They talked about how Pierre once wanted to kill Napoleon and how he was arrested. When he came to talking about the horrors and sufferings of prison, Pierre’s emotions really began to come out. He felt like Natásha understood him. He tried to skip over the part about seeing the executions, but they wanted him to tell them about that too. Then he got to the subject of Karatáev. Pierre tried to tell them what a wonderful person Platón was. No, you can’t understand what I learned from that illiterate man-that simple fellow, he said. Then he told how Platón got sick and was killed because he couldn’t keep up with the group. Natásha really got it, Pierre’s mental travail, and started to cry. Pierre finished his story. By now it was 3:00 AM. Good night! It is time for bed.” Before leaving, Pierre tells Natásha that sometimes new and good things grow out of tragedy. Mary sees there’s something happening between Pierre and Natásha. Before going to bed, Mary and Natásha talk about how much Pierre has improved from how he used to be.
quote from the chapter:
He told of his adventures as he had never yet recalled them. He now, as it were, saw a new meaning in all he had gone through. Now that he was telling it all to Natásha he experienced that pleasure which a man has when women listen to him-not clever women who when listening either try to remember what they hear to enrich their minds and when opportunity offers to retell it, or who wish to adopt it to some thought of their own and promptly contribute their own clever comments prepared in their little mental workshop-but the pleasure given by real women gifted with a capacity to select and absorb the very best a man shows of himself. Natásha without knowing it was all attention: she did not lose a word, no single quiver in Pierre’s voice, no look, no twitch of a muscle in his face, nor a single gesture. She caught the unfinished word in its flight and took it straight into her open heart, divining the secret meaning of all Pierre’s mental travail.
Princess Mary understood his story and sympathized with him, but she now saw something else that absorbed all her attention. She saw the possibility of love and happiness between Natásha and Pierre, and the first thought of this filled her heart with gladness.
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