Volume II Part Two Chapter XV
Rostov left his family to go to the army. He went on leave from the army and went home to his family for a while. Then he came back to the army. On page 395 Tolstoy describes his feelings: “As Rostov approached the regiment, he experienced a feeling similar to what he had experienced on approaching his house on Pavorskaya. When he saw the first hussar in the unbuttoned uniform of his regiment, he recognized the red-haired Dementyev, saw the red-coated hoarses at the tethering rail, when Lavrushka shouted joyfully to his master; ‘The count’s here!’–and the disheveled Denisov, who had been asleep in bed, came running out of the dugout, embraced him, and the officers gathered around him, Rostov experienced the same feeling as when his mother, father, and sisters had embraced him . . .”
I think that is such an excellent description of a obsequious human experience. Remember when you spent the night with your girlfriends as an 8 year old? It was so much fun but at about 10:00 or 12:00 or 2:00 the next day, you just wanted to go home. Remember your first semester at college or not living with Ma and Pa? You spent all semester waiting to go home at Christmas. Then you spent all Christmas vacation waiting to go home–back to college. Then unpacking your bag in your dingy little apartment was such a relief, getting back to your life.
That paragraph was so powerful to me because I felt that way every time I went home. I feel so excited when I get to Clark Canyon Dam, 20 miles south of Dillon. I feel like I’m already home and can barely stand it until I actually get HOME. Then about YPG, I feel the same way. I get the same anticipation as a kid on Christmas morning. I feel like I’m home and I can’t wait to set foot in my dingy little apartment.
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