"War and Peace"
Who did Andrei see as a hero?
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz is a major event in Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace". As the battle is about to start, Prince Andrei, one of the main characters, thinks that the approaching "day be his Toulon, or his Arcola," references to Napoleon's early victories. Andrei hopes for glory, even thinking to himself, "I shall march forward and sweep everything before me." Later in the battle, however, Andrei falls into enemy hands and even meets his hero, Napoleon. But the previous enthusiasm has been shattered; he no longer thinks much of Napoleon, "so petty did his hero with his paltry vanity and delight in victory appear, compared to that lofty, righteous and kindly sky which he had seen and comprehended." Tolstoy, who is known for his hatred of Napoléon, portrays Austerlitz as an early test for Russia, one which ended badly because the soldiers fought for irrelevant things like glory or renown rather than the higher virtues which would produce, according to Tolstoy, a victory at Borodino during the 1812 invasion.