Nikolai and Maria's falling in love in War and Peace was the most unexpected and surprising episode for me. In the play, the bgm when Maria said keep safe to Nikolai made me unforgettable.
I've seen people compare Nikolay to Anatoly before, and I don't think it's a good idea. Although Maria was both in love with them, they were fundamentally different: Anatoly was hypocritical and dissolute; Nikolai was kind and innocent (like Natasha). That's why Nikolai was so attracted to Maria and Anatoly just thought Maria was horribly ugly. In Toon's words: "Nikola's kindness and innocence are boundless". I also saw the transformation of a boy into a man in Nikolai. The final Nikolai was steady, responsible, and patient. He was completely different from the cowardly and timid man he used to sing with Natasha at the piano.
Then talk about Maria.
I think Maria and Nikolai fell in love both unexpectedly and logically. Maria has a tolerant and loving heart. Her love and compassion for others, and even the cowardice she shows to others, are all manifestations of her religious feelings. This kind of character originates from religion and goes beyond religion, and can arouse the simplest and most sincere emotions in human hearts, and Nicholas, who is kind-hearted in nature, is also deeply attracted by this kind of temperament.
There are many people who sympathize with Sonia, thinking that she silently dedicates love, never asks for anything, but is eventually abandoned. We do not rule out that Maria's wealth is one of the reasons why Nikolai abandoned Sonia, but we should also realize that Maria also has many qualities that Sonia does not have, such as the spiritual qualities I mentioned earlier, so Maria is Loveable.
Tolstoy has a description of Nikolai's psychological activities. In Voronezh, he thought:
"Why am I not free? Why am I so eager to confess my love to Sonia?" He unconsciously compared the two in his mind: one was poor in spirituality and the other was rich, and because of his poverty he valued it all the more. He imagined in his mind what would have happened if he had not been restrained. He would propose to her and she would be his wife? No, he couldn't imagine. He was frightened, and he couldn't think of anything clear. He had already painted a picture of the future for Sonia, and it was all simple and clear. The reason for this is that it was all planned, and he knew all about Sonia; but with Princess Maria, he could not imagine his future life, because he did not know her, but loved her.
"He doesn't know her, he just loves her."
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