Part 10, Chapters 1-7 Summary

Tolstoy poses the idea that the war was not caused by Napoleon or Alexander or any of the thousands of men involved, but rather that it was fate carrying the course of human history along, and that all the men involved were just playing their parts. Old Bolkonsky blames Maria for the quarrel he had with Andrew before Andrew left again for war. He refuses to speak with her for a week. Andrew sends a letter asking for his father's forgiveness, and Old Bolkonsky immediately grants his forgiveness. Old Bolkonsky is becoming so much trouble. He refuses to sleep in his room. So his servant Tihon has to move his bedstead every day to the room the old prince wants to sleep in that night. One of Bolkonsky's serfs, Alpatitch, is given a message from Bolkonsky to deliver to...