Platon Karataev
A peasant soldier
BOOK 4
Book 4, Part 1
Chapter 12
Pierre is pardoned and joins the prisoners of war. After the executions, he feels the universe is meaningless. But he meets the peasant Platon Karataev, who offers him potatoes with salt. ‘Pierre thought he had never eaten anything that tasted better.’ Platon is sad to learn that Pierre has no one, and he tells Pierre how he became a soldier. He prays to the saints of horses and falls asleep. Pierre remains awake, with something stirring in his soul.
Chapter 13
In this chapter, we are given a portrait of Platon Karataev, the little falcon. As round as a potato and just as earthy, his head is full of folk-saying that he uses only in their meaningful context. He never thinks before he speaks and loves and lives ‘affectionately with everything life’ brings him in contact with. Pierre spends four weeks in this shed with 28 other men, but his overriding memory of this time is of Platon Karataev.
Book 4, Part 2
Chapter 11
Platon gives a Frenchman a shirt he has sewn, and the chastened soldier lets him keep the scraps to make foot wrappings.
Chapter 12
Platon makes shoes for Pierre.
Book 4, Part 3
Chapter 12
Pierre is reunited with Platon and the grey-blue dog. Karataev falls ill and Pierre keeps his distance, although he does not know why.
Chapter 13
Pierre walks, counting his steps, thinking of the tale Platon told the previous day. It was the story of a rich merchant who had been wrongly punished for a murder he did not commit. Many years later, imprisoned in Siberia, he meets the real murderer who begs forgiveness. The miscarriage of injustice is brought to the attention of the Tsar, who frees the merchant. But before this can be done, ‘God had already forgiven him’ for the merchant had died. Pierre is moved less by the story and more by the manner in which Platon tells it.
Chapter 14
Pierre sees Platon, leaning against a birch tree. The man seems to want to talk to Pierre, but Pierre walks away. Behind him, Platon is shot and killed. The blue-grey dog howls.