Childhood, Boyhood, Youth: Analysis of Major Characters
"Childhood, Boyhood, Youth" is a semiautobiographical novel that chronicles the life of Nikolai Petrovich Irtenev, a young boy from a wealthy Russian family, as he navigates his formative years. The story unfolds in three parts, reflecting Nikolai's evolution from childhood through adolescence to his time at Moscow University. Throughout his journey, Nikolai is portrayed with a complex array of traits: he is self-centered yet philosophical, ambitious yet irresponsible, and both shy and bold. His character embodies the struggle for moral equilibrium, a central theme that resonates with the author’s own life experiences.
The novel also introduces a cast of significant characters, including Nikolai's older brother Vladimir, who contrasts with Nikolai's emotional depth through his practicality and decisiveness. Their father, Piotr, presents a more aloof and morally ambiguous figure, while their mother, Natalya, embodies tenderness and inspires Nikolai with her loving memory. Other notable figures include Dmitri, a friend who challenges Nikolai's moral compass, and Karl Ivanych, the boys' tutor, who influences their intellectual development. Together, these characters enrich the narrative, exploring themes of love, loss, and the quest for identity during the tumultuous period of growing up.
Childhood, Boyhood, Youth: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Leo Tolstoy
First published: Detstvo, 1852; Otrochestvo, 1854; Yunost, 1857 (English translation, 1886)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Petrovsk and Moscow, Russia
Plot: Bildungsroman
Time: Early nineteenth century
Nikolai Petrovich Irtenev (nee-koh-LAY peh-TROH-vich eer-TEH-nev), a ten-year-old child of a well-to-do Russian family. In this semiautobiographical novel in three parts, he grows into an adolescent and a student at Moscow University. In his formative years, he shows some constant traits: He is self-centered, insecure, sensitive, capricious, and outspoken, with a tendency to philosophize. He also displays some contradictions, depending on circumstances: He is often devious, yet strives for forthrightness; he is stubborn, yet submissive; loving, yet sometimes fickle or even cruel; ambitious, yet at times irresponsible; shy, yet capable of resolute acts; and both confident and self-pitying. His obsessive self-doubts concerning his looks often prevent him from engaging in normal relationships. He is given to daydreaming, and his artistic talent is expressed through his sharp observations as the narrator of the novel. Nikolai's most important character trait is his burning desire to achieve a moral equilibrium that would allow him to orient himself properly in the bewildering period of growing up. He reflects the author's lifelong struggle for moral perfection.
Vladimir Petrovich (vlad-DEE-mihr), Nikolai's older brother, who often is his exact opposite. He has a happy, big-hearted disposition. He is more sensible and practical, much more decisive, less emotional, conscious of his rights, and understanding and forgiving of his brother's youthful outbursts. His relationship to Nikolai is more akin to tolerance than a close emotional tie, and he makes sure that his brother always understands his subordinate position.
Piotr Aleksandrovich (PYOH-tr a-lek-SAN-droh-vich), the boys' father, a Russian country gentleman. He loves his family while remaining aloof from it. He loves his wife but accepts her early death with a remarkable resignation that allows him to remarry soon thereafter. His two chief passions are cards and women. It is questionable whether he has any moral convictions or even whether he needs them. He bears his privileged status as a birthright and always uses connections to get ahead.
Natalya Nikolayevna (nah-TAH-lyah nee-koh-LAH-ehvnah), Piotr's wife, an exceptionally good-hearted woman with a beautiful smile that stays with her son Nikolai for the rest of his life as a sign of incomparable loveliness and a source of inspiration. Her tender sensitivity is accentuated by her early death, which lends her an aura of sublime tragedy. She is “an angel from heaven” to those around her. She accepts her fate stoically as God's holy will, although not without questioning its fairness, because she had so much love and happiness to give.
Dmitri Nekhlyudov (DMEE-trih nek-LYEW-dov), Nikolai's friend, who satisfies Nikolai's need for a companion during his young manhood. Through him, Nikolai hones and tests his own notions of moral righteousness, especially through Dmitri's refusal to smoke, drink, play cards, or womanize. Dmitri also displays eccentricity in his attachment to an older and homely woman of unusual spiritual capacity that should help him overcome his hot temper and innate wickedness.
Grandmother, a dignified matron of the family, especially after her daughter's death. Nikolai is attached to her and loves her like his own mother. She is especially good at upholding the family's dignified reputation in society.
Natalya Savishna (sa-VEE-shnah), a woman who lived with the Petrovich family for sixty years and whose entire life has been one of pure unselfish love and self-sacrifice. A simple-hearted and affectionate creature, she dies soon after Nikolai's mother, without regrets or fear, steadfast in her faith and having fulfilled the Gospel commandments. She had a powerful and beneficial influence on Nikolai's mind and on the development of his sensibility.
Karl Ivanych Mauer (ee-VAH-nich MAH-ew-uhr), the tutor of Nikolai and Vladimir. A descendant of German immigrants, he uses his knowledge to instruct the Petrovich children in the basics of science and humanities. Despite his being a sad, lonely, and self-pitying figure and at times a strict disciplinarian, he was liked by Nikolai and left an early imprint on his pupil.