Chapter 100
When Good Intentions Go Wrong
In April the troops were enlivened by news of the Emperor’s arrival, but Rostóv had no chance of being present at the review he held at Bartenstein, as the Pávlograds were at the outposts far beyond that place. They were bivouacking. Denísov and Rostóv were living in an earth hut, dug out for them by the soldiers and roofed with branches and turf. The hut was made in the following manner, which had then come into vogue. A trench was dug three and a half feet wide, four feet eight inches deep, and eight feet long. At one end of…
Public-domain chapter text, formatted for reading.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map the Power Dynamic
Draw a simple diagram showing all the players in Denisov's situation and their relationships to each other. Include his soldiers, the supply wagons, Telyianin, the regimental commander, and headquarters. Use arrows to show who has power over whom, and mark where the real decision-making authority lies. Then identify the moment when Denisov could have achieved his goal (fed his men) without destroying his career.
Consider:
- •Power doesn't always flow through official channels - sometimes the clerk has more real influence than the officer
- •The person offering you a 'quiet way out' usually knows something about how the system really works
- •Your emotional reaction to injustice can blind you to practical solutions
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you let your anger at unfairness override your strategic thinking. What would you do differently now that you understand power dynamics better?
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature
Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats
You Might Also Like
Lessons from War and Peace
Theme-by-theme analyses that connect this book to modern life skills.
Building Authentic Relationships
Watch Natasha's first dance, Anatole's playbook, and the epilogue marriage that includes reproach.
8 chapters·Explore AnalysisEmbracing Simplicity
Start with a tavern in the rain, then Karataev, Nicholas at the plow, and the domestic language after the war.
6 chapters·Explore AnalysisFacing Mortality
Stay with Andrei under the Austerlitz sky, then at Yaroslavl, when pride finally has no work left.
6 chapters·Explore AnalysisFinding Meaning in Chaos
Follow Pierre from the salon and the inheritance through Borodino to Karataev's prison circle, and see purpose arrive when the systems fail.
6 chapters·Explore AnalysisQuestioning Success
Put Pierre's fortune and Hélène's match next to Napoleon in occupied Moscow, and ask what the triumph was for.
6 chapters·Explore AnalysisUnderstanding Free Will vs Fate
Sit with Tolstoy at Borodino and in the Second Epilogue, and watch the great-man story come apart.
6 chapters·Explore Analysis
Deep diving the literary elements.