War and Peace

The Bolkonsky estate at Bald Hills is an important symbol of wealth and power. Its importance is elevated as the manor changes hands. At the beginning of the novel, the old Prince Bolkonsky lives at Bald Hills with his daughter Marya. He runs the estate according to a strict routine from which he refuses to depart. This version of Bald Hills is a hateful place of antagonism, where Marya has no way to evade her father’s abuse, where Lisa dies in childbirth after being ignored and denigrated, and where unruly serfs menace Marya instead of letting her flee the war. After Napoleon’s invasion and Prince Bolkonsky’s death, this version of Bald Hills dies.

Marya’s happy marriage to Nikolai is the foundation of a new version of the estate. Unlike his father, Count Rostov, who ran the Rostov family’s assets into the ground, Nikolai commits to using a flourishing Bald Hills to repair the damage to the Rostovs’ finances. Bald Hills becomes a symbol of ideal land management and the need for continuity and care. Nikolai runs the estate like a more enlightened, kinder version of the dead Prince Bolkonsky. His dedication makes up for his father’s failures: Nikolai makes Bald Hills even more profitable, combining modern thinking with traditional ideas.