In the Rostov family, Natasha has married Pierre. The old Count has died. Nicholas struggles and suffers under the tremendous burden of his father’s debts, while trying to preserve as best he can a few small comforts for his grieving mother. Sonya and Nicholas are no longer close.
First Epilogue Chapter 5
In the Rostov family, Natasha has married Pierre. The old Count has died. Nicholas struggles to pay off his late father’s impossibly large debts, while trying to preserve as best he can a few small comforts for his grieving mother. Sonya is still living with the family and doing what she can to help out, but she and Nicholas are no longer close. Nicholas struggles and suffers under the tremendous burden of his father’s debts.
Summary:
Natásha’s wedding to Bezúkhov, which took place in 1813, was the last happy event in the Rostóv family. Count Ilyá Rostóv died that same year and, as always happens, after the father’s death the family group broke up. Before his death, the old Count had been beaten down by the many successive tragedies the family had had to endure. After Natásha’s marriage the old Count’s illness and depression completely overcame him. Before dying, he apologized to his family for leading them to financial ruin. Still, everyone who had known the old Count remembered him with great respect. Nicholas, returning from the army to sort out his father’s affairs, decided to assume the debts out of respect for his father’s memory. The creditors began to pressure Nicholas for payment, and the family’s financial situation seemed hopeless. Nicholas was allowed no respite and no peace. The family estate sold for half its value. Nicholas, the Countess and Sonya moved into a small rented house. Nicholas borrowed some money from Pierre to pay off the most pressing debts, but the remaining debts remained an unbearable burden. At the same time, Nicholas tried his best to maintain his debilitated mother in comfort insofar as possible, which meant additional expense to buy some small luxuries for her. Sonya remained with the family, and while she was a help in some ways, her former affinity with Nicholas was a thing of the past. Natásha and Pierre were living in Petersburg at the time and had no clear idea of Nicholas’ circumstances, which indeed Nicholas always endeavored to conceal from the world. Nicholas’ position became worse and worse. The idea of putting something aside out of his salary proved a dream. The thought of marrying some rich woman as a way out of his financial difficulties was repugnant to him. A gloomy mood hung constantly over Nicholas.
quote from the chapter:
Nicholas’ position became worse and worse. The idea of putting something aside out of his salary proved a dream. Not only did he not save anything, but to comply with his mother’s demands he even incurred some small debts. He could see no way out of this situation. The idea of marrying some rich woman, which was suggested to him by his female relations, was repugnant to him. The other way out—his mother’s death—never entered his head. He wished for nothing and hoped for nothing, and deep in his heart experienced a gloomy and stern satisfaction in an uncomplaining endurance of his position. He tried to avoid his old acquaintances with their commiseration and offensive offers of assistance; he avoided all distraction and recreation, and even at home did nothing but play cards with his mother, pace silently up and down the room, and smoke one pipe after another. He seemed carefully to cherish within himself the gloomy mood which alone enabled him to endure his position.
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