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Happiness In Leo Tolstoy's War And Peace

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In Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, the search for eternal happiness and the answers to life’s questions are a continual struggle for Pierre Bezukhov. He seeks out these answers to make himself a better man. From the beginning, he looks for physical pleasure, wasting away time with his friends, and as it is implied, visiting brothels for his own delight. His high point, and point of change, could have been with his marriage to Helene. However, it is a terrible one, with no love or any other emotions, only making him question life and love more. Pierre seeks out love, for himself and for the world he lives in, on this spiritual journey during the novel.
Pierre begins seeking out religion and other forms of mysticism, becoming a Freemason. Here, he tries to commit himself to a specific order and way of living, which he believes will help him find answers to life. He begins to feel a connection to this group, slowly finding answers that he needs in the causes that they advocate for. …show more content…

“He has sought for meaning and happiness in self-indulgence and sensuality alone, but these have now resulted in only horror of his marriage and the duel and in the emotional emptiness of nihilism, have proved completely valueless (Hagan 989).”
This has not given him anything he desires, which is why he continued on his quest for happiness. He discovers that happiness can only come from within. There is so much more than material possessions. Happiness involves a combination of an appreciation for how good it is to be alive and a belief in God. Those very qualities that were weaknesses of many characters in society become, through the separation of suffering and imprisonment, his strengths. These strengths only push his to seek out the answers he

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