it really says something about the limitations of tolstoy’s view—well, of women, obviously, but of people in general. he makes natasha into such a person, with real flaws and contradictions and desires, and then he has to completely vacate her entire character to make his desired ending work. the reason people react badly to it isn’t just because it’s sexist and insulting, but because it completely breaks her entire character arc (and, honestly, pierre’s).
anyway the more I read it the more I think it all comes down to lack of imagination. the inability to see any future beyond death or marriage. but even that isn’t exactly true, because tolstoy clearly has the imagination, he just refuses to listen to it. his description of natasha in her entire andrei-anatole arc is so real and gorgeous. I didn’t even like natasha that much when I first read wap in high school, and since then I have come to appreciate her character so so much. her impulsiveness! her ambiguity! the way she always wants a million different contradictory things at the same time! and then you get to the end of the book and the impression you are left with is that tolstoy cannot handle those things at all.