War and Peace · Chapter
Chapter XIV explained
The Countess Rostova, tired from receiving visitors, has a private conversation with her old friend Princess Anna Mikháylovna.
What happens
The Countess Rostova, tired from receiving visitors, has a private conversation with her old friend Princess Anna Mikháylovna. The two women discuss financial struggles and Anna Mikháylovna's desperate attempts to secure a future for her son Boris, including plans to visit the wealthy, dying Count Bezukhov. Meanwhile, the younger Rostovs—Natasha, Nikolai, Sonya, and Boris—are caught in a tender, secretive moment of youthful romance, which the cold and disapproving eldest daughter Vera disrupts.
Themes in this chapter
Family and Legacy
Anna Mikháylovna's entire focus is on securing a legacy (money and position) for her son Boris from his godfather, Count Bezukhov, highlighting a mother's sacrificial drive for her child's future.
Social Class and Privilege
The struggle to maintain privilege is central: the Rostovs' dwindling means, Anna Mikháylovna's poverty as a widow, and the desperate need to court a wealthy, dying count to access his fortune.
Youth and Innocence
Vividly depicted in the secretive, happy romance between the two young couples (Natasha/Boris, Nikolai/Sonya), which is scornfully contrasted with Vera's cold, adult-like propriety.
Characters to notice
- Countess Natálya Ilyínichna Rostóva
Shown in a happy, affectionate, and defensive mood with Boris. Accuses Vera of having no heart, highlighting her passionate nature.
- Count Nikoláy Ilyítch Rostóv
Copying verses for Sonya, caught in a youthful romantic moment. Defends the group against Vera's accusations before leading them away.
- Prince Borís Drubetskóy
Present with Natasha, described as a 'diplomat' by her. His mother, Anna Mikháylovna, is actively scheming to secure his financial future from Count Bezukhov.
- Sófya Alexándrovna
Sitting close to Nikolai as he writes verses for her, sharing in the guilty, happy atmosphere of young love.
- Anna Pávlovna
Not present in this chapter. The 'Princess Anna Mikháylovna' is a different character (Drubetskaya).
- Prince Vasíli Sergéevich Kurágin
Mentioned by Anna Mikháylovna as the influential figure who helped secure Boris's commission, described as kind and amiable.
- Count Pyotr Kirílych Bezúkhov
Mentioned indirectly as the illegitimate son of the dying Count Kirill Bezukhov. The Count Rostov invites him to dinner.
Key passages
“"Ah, my love," answered Anna Mikháylovna, "God grant you never know what it is to be left a widow without means and with a son you love to distraction! One learns many things then."”
Anna Mikháylovna explains that desperate circumstances (widowhood and poverty) force one to learn how to navigate the world and beg from the powerful.
Highlights the pragmatic education of necessity and the maternal drive behind social maneuvering.
“"How often have I asked you not to take my things?" she said. "You have a room of your own," and she took the inkstand from Nikoláy.”
Vera scolds the younger group for their behavior and confiscates the inkstand, asserting her sense of order and propriety.
Demonstrates Vera's role as a disapproving, outsider figure who disrupts youthful innocence with cold practicality.
“"I often think, though, perhaps it’s a sin," said the princess, "that here lives Count Kiríl Vladímirovich Bezúkhov so rich, all alone... and what is his life worth? It’s a burden to him, and Borís’s life is only just beginning."”
Anna Mikháylovna justifies her plan to ask for Bezukhov's money by comparing the burden of his lonely, rich old age to the promise of Boris's young life.
A rationalization for seeking inheritance, blending moral calculation with maternal ambition.
