Rostov is in love with Alexander. I wonder how pervasive this was to all the Russians. After Alexander meets Rostov face to face (Volume I Part Three Chapter X), he falls in love with him. “He was indeed in love with the tsar, and the with the glory of Russian arms and with the hope of future triumph. And he was not the only one who experienced that feeling in those memorable days . . .” Denisov, who I think in German, feels the same way toward Alexander.
On the surrounding pages, Tolstoy talks about how Alexander sees the dead and wounded. He’s sickened and “the news spread[s] that he [is] unwell.” Everyone, even on the battlefield, is put on hold until Alexander is well enough to continue. Prince Andrei wonders if he is willing to die so that that man can continue to live the life that he lives and have what he’s accustomed to.
As I read all of this adoration, I was thinking how different our attitude is toward our sovereign. If I met Bush (or Clinton or McCain or the other Clinton or anyone that high profile) I would probably tell the story until I died because it would be such a major event in my life. But for now, the general attitude for the president is not one of adoration. We don’t believe that they deserve special treatment or a special lifestyle. Remember the conflict when Obama allegedly made comments about the unwashed masses. We didn’t like that very much, did we.
We don’t fight wars for them but for ourselves. We fight so that we can live in freedom and enjoy peace and prosperity. We don’t fight so that our aristocracy can live well (at least not consciously). We are a people of the people.
The people of this book (and I realize that all of the main characters are aristocarcy) do what they do in order to maintain an aristocracy. Even the lower classes acknowledge the superiority and the superior rights of the rich.
We teach that every life is as valuable as every other life. I don’t think that anyone really believes that–not really. I mean, if you had to choose to save a random someone over your family members or over someone famous, who would you choose? Who would people expect you to choose. But we preach that we’re all equal.
These Russians don’t believe that at all.
