Pierre, overwhelmed by it all, backslides and abruptly changes his way of life.
Summary:
After Prince Andrew’s engagement to Natásha, a major change came over Pierre. He lost interest in the life he had been living, and slid back into his bachelor habits, the carefree life of a wealthy consumer. It wasn’t that Pierre’s beliefs in Freemasonry changed. He still believed in the masonic teachings as much as ever. But any energy he had for that kind of life just evaporated. He slid back into his old habits. He ceased keeping a diary, avoided the company of the Brothers, began going to the club again, drank a great deal, and came once more in touch with the bachelor sets, leading such a life that the Countess Hélène thought it necessary to speak severely to him about it. Pierre felt that she was right, and to avoid compromising her went away to Moscow. He felt really at home in Moscow. There he was affable with everyone, generous to a fault, liked to drink and socialize. He was the life of the party. People liked him even more than before. But he was not now the same person he had been in Petersburg before the engagement of Andrew and Natásha. The internal change he had undergone was profound, and probably not for the good.
quote from the chapter:
He had the unfortunate capacity many men, especially Russians, have of seeing and believing in the possibility of goodness and truth, but of seeing the evil and falsehood of life too clearly to be able to take a serious part in it. Every sphere of work was connected, in his eyes, with evil and deception. Whatever he tried to be, whatever he engaged in, the evil and falsehood of it repulsed him and blocked every path of activity. Yet he had to live and to find occupation. It was too dreadful to be under the burden of these insoluble problems, so he abandoned himself to any distraction in order to forget them. He frequented every kind of society, drank much, bought pictures, engaged in building, and above all-read.
Book 8, Chapter 1
Pierre, overwhelmed by it all, backslides and abruptly changes his way of life.
Summary:
After Prince Andrew’s engagement to Natásha, a major change came over Pierre. He lost interest in the life he had been living, and slid back into his bachelor habits, the carefree life of a wealthy consumer. It wasn’t that Pierre’s beliefs in Freemasonry changed. He still believed in the masonic teachings as much as ever. But any energy he had for that kind of life just evaporated. He slid back into his old habits. He ceased keeping a diary, avoided the company of the Brothers, began going to the club again, drank a great deal, and came once more in touch with the bachelor sets, leading such a life that the Countess Hélène thought it necessary to speak severely to him about it. Pierre felt that she was right, and to avoid compromising her went away to Moscow. He felt really at home in Moscow. There he was affable with everyone, generous to a fault, liked to drink and socialize. He was the life of the party. People liked him even more than before. But he was not now the same person he had been in Petersburg before the engagement of Andrew and Natásha. The internal change he had undergone was profound, and probably not for the good.
quote from the chapter:
He had the unfortunate capacity many men, especially Russians, have of seeing and believing in the possibility of goodness and truth, but of seeing the evil and falsehood of life too clearly to be able to take a serious part in it. Every sphere of work was connected, in his eyes, with evil and deception. Whatever he tried to be, whatever he engaged in, the evil and falsehood of it repulsed him and blocked every path of activity. Yet he had to live and to find occupation. It was too dreadful to be under the burden of these insoluble problems, so he abandoned himself to any distraction in order to forget them. He frequented every kind of society, drank much, bought pictures, engaged in building, and above all-read.
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