A Party of Leaves

Day 123 of A Year of War And Peace

The life of a leaf relies on the weather. The budding warmth of spring gives birth to a new generation of leaves and the heat of summer sustains them. Autumn’s chill withers them away.

Those attending the party in today’s chapter are fragile leaves, relying on external causes to either sustain them or wither them away.

We open with Pierre noticing Natasha. She doesn’t look her normal self. She’s more plain than pretty. Something is off in her face. It’s only after Prince Andrei speaks with her that she brightens up again.

As Pierre watches the Prince Andrei speak with Natasha he can’t help but be overcome by a sensation of simultaneous joy and pain.

The hosts of the party are equally reliant on others for their sense of well-being. Vera wants the party to have some romantic intrigue so she attempts to steer Prince Andrei into speaking about Natasha. Berg, for his part, feels as if no party in complete without at least one politically charged argument. So, naturally, he enlists Pierre to debate the most recent controversies coming out of Spain.

I always find it difficult to write about scenes like this. On the one hand it’s great to find these characters in such fun circumstances. Who doesn’t love a party? On the other hand, it pains me to see them starting down a road where their only source of happiness lies outside their sphere of control. They are opening themselves up for the inevitable hurt that comes with such an alignment.

DAILY MEDITATION