First of all, in Pierre’s case, his ‘proposal’ (if you can call it that) seems to occur simply because society wills it. He feels mere physical passion for Hélène, and though he knows he does not love her, he courts her (if somewhat absentmindedly), to the point where he feels he must propose. He asks himself: “how did it all happen?...They all expect this so much, they’re so certain it will be, that I simply cannot disappoint them” (War and Peace 211). Pierre’s engagement to Hélene is inevitable because society wills it into being, where in Levin’s case, society works against him. He is rejected by Kitty, who initially seeks a good match in the eyes of society: Vronksy. Though society puts pressure on both Kitty and Levin to each find someone else to marry, they manage to resist, seeming to know that they are destined to be married, and finally manage the engagement on the second time around. This opposition leads me back to my earlier discussion of fate, and Tolstoy’s appreciation for those characters who can tune into God’s greater design for them, rather than that of society.
Not unrelated to society’s role in each engagement is the role of words, which seem to function as false labels for human feelings, and perhaps a way to explain feelings to society. In Pierre’s case, no love, no proposal actually occurs, but Prince Vassily becomes frustrated and says they have just the same, claiming that Pierre and Helene are in love and engaged. Pierre, rather dumbstruck but not willing to object, actually believes Vassily’s words. He then starts to use words in the same false way, thinking,“Something special is said on these occasions” (214) and forces himself to say : “Je vous aime!” (War and Peace 214).
For Kitty and Levin, the engagement is real (it is actually communicated) though achieved with a minimum of words. Levin and Kitty seem afraid of this falseness we saw in Pierre and Vassily’s use of words. They fear that words will get in the way of the feelings they have for each other, as unable to describe what is actually occurring between them. Levin describes a pre-proposal conversation with Kitty as, “laconic and clear, almost wordless, communication of the most complex thoughts” (Anna Karenina 396). They even limit their communication of their most intimate feelings to the first letter of every word, which somehow helps them to better understand each other. Unlike the engagement between Pierre and Hélène, Levin and Kitty have real feelings for each other, but they go unspoken, they are communicated without thoughts.
There is even a moment that is parallel to Prince Vassily’s ‘naming’ of P + H’s engagement, here the moment where Kitty’s mother “put[s] names to things and translate[s] all thoughts and feelings into questions of life. And it seemed equally strange and even painful to [Levin and Kitty] all in the first moment” (405). Levin and Kitty resist this moment of ‘naming’ their engagement for society, when their feelings must have labels for the outside world.
Well, this is somewhat disjointed, but I suppose that is the limitation of words and the beauty of blogs! Stay tuned, more Tolstoy thoughts to follow!
