The opposition between law and grace in the spiritual experience of Pierre Bezukhov in War and peace by L. N. Tolstoy

The problem of understanding Russian literature implies a grasp of the author’s concept of a human being, rooted in the spiritual tradition of Russian culture. Scientific analysis of the artistic refraction of the religious and philosophical opposition between Law and Grace, the divine power that saves from sin, in the formation of the character expands the idea of the semantic depths of the work, which open up new meanings in the “big time”. The idea of War and Peace was conditioned by the challenges of the cultural and historical turning point in the spiritual experience of the Russian people. In assessing events and people, Tolstoy is guided by the Christian tradition of the Russian culture. The previously undisputed assessment of the blessed results of Pierre Bezukhov’s spiritual biography needs to be clarified based on the conclusions and provisions of the Christian basis of Russian literature. Prince Andrey and Bezukhov were not accepted by the high society, but managed to find common ground. However, Bolkonsky’s interest in lawmaking faded after meeting Natasha, and when the war began, he refused Kutuzov’s proposal, felt responsibility for the doomed soldiers, forgave Kuragin in a Christian way and asked for the Gospel before dying, while Bezukhov never became Peter Kirillovich and was focused on self-determination in the subordinate spheres of earthly life, actualizing the importance of human efforts for the transformation of society. Bezukhov had never made a moral choice between Law and Grace, unlike Bolkonsky, who blessed his son. Thus, the title of the book appeals to the eternal Christian opposition of Law, or war, and Grace that is peace.