Hadji Murat, Tolstoy's second book with the Caucasus as its setting can be considered a work of historical fiction that is a beautiful tale of resistance, and a window into not only the Caucasian War of the mid-nineteenth century, but also the culture of the Russian Empire during this period. As a work of fiction the reader must be wary of depictions of actual persons such as Tsar Nicholas I, whom Tolstoy was not enamored with, to say the least, but many insights about the period and its people can be gleaned from the story. The novel is one of great contrasts between Chechens and Russians and also of what life was like during this time.
Tolstoy's emphasizes deeply with the Chechen people as he details their suffering at the hands of
Many of his characters, be they low or high-born provide examples of certain aspects of Russian life.
Tolstoy paints a vivid literary picture of the lifestyle that many Russian nobles led during the mid-nineteenth century. His nobles are educated in Western fashion, with numerous instances where they speak French instead of Russian. When Prince Semyon Mikhailovich Vorontsov speaks to a Russian soldier soon after meeting Hadji Murat he speaks the words slowly, and with an English accent (Tolstoy pp30). Count Tolstoy was in prime position to experience this aspect of Russian nobility, and it naturally appears in his novel. One of the nobility's favorite pastimes, gambling, is evident in the character of Butler, who has on several occasions gambled in excess of his means, further emphasizing the lifestyle that nobles often led.
Details about the life of the peasantry can also be gleaned from Tolstoy's work even though the chapter about the peasant family is only a few pages long. The patriarchal system in which the father was the absolute head of the household is clearly evident in the domineering character of Petrukha Avdeyev's father. This family is also indicative of the lack of education present among the peasantry. Petrukha's mother needed to dictate her letter to him to someone who could write, and when his father wanted to know what the letter contained he had to find someone to read it for him. Literacy among the peasantry was