Thursday, July 29, 2010

Volume II, Part V, Chapter IV

Marya is completely ignorant that Boris might be paying her any attentions, and ends up sitting with Pierre as he is the last of the guests to leave.  Pierre jokes with her, and also lets her know if Boris’ attention to Julie Karagin. 
She lets it slip that some days she feels she’d marry anyone available, and that she must go away (from the earlier dictum of her father, though she doesn’t mention that).  Pierre turns serious and beings questioning her, but she deflects it.  She asks when the Rostov’s will come and what Pierre thinks of Natasha.
She keeps asking him to tell the whole truth about her, which indicated to Pierre that she wanted to her something against Natasha, but he could not.  Of course, it’s clear she wants to have a reason to dislike Natasha.  Pierre tells her that she’s enchanting--
”I decidedly don’t know what kind of girl she is; I simply cannot analyze her.  She’s enchanting.  But why, I don’t know that’s all one can say about her.

Princess Marya sighed, and the expression on her face said” Yes, that’s what I expected and was afraid of.”
“Is she intelligent?” asked Princess Marya. Pierre pondered.
“I don’t think so,” he said, “although--yes.  She doesn’t deign to be intelligent....Ah,no, she’s enchanting, that’s all.”
Princess Marya again shook her head disapprovingly....

“Ah, I wish so much to love her! Tell her that if you see her before I do.”
Yeah, right. She’s got her mind made up, and is threatened, it’s clear.  You know they would get along, if they would let themselves, but Natasha’s lightness and Marya’s darkness could easily annoy the other beyond any reason. I think Marya thinks she wants to love Natasha, but we’ll see if it comes to pass.

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