Good Essay About Hadji Murat

Hadji Murat is a fictional novel written by a Russian named Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy also known as Leo Tolstoy and was published in 1912 in Russia. It is a story of a young man called Hadji Murat who betrayed by his fellow Caucasian, Shamil, goes to seek the help of the Russian soldiers so as to revenge against Shamil. This quest does not end well for him.
The Russian empire functioned under a strict emperor that was guarded by soldiers. They had enemies from Chechens and who were with them. There were a lot of terrorist activities at the time and soldiers were assigned to protect the country from their enemies. There were also feuds between Christian Russia and Muslim Chechnya. The novel depicts Chechen grievances and tribal dysfunctions. Murat was a Chechnyan and he together with others were not terrorists, and were only trying to protect and defend their homeland against the Russian invaders who wanted to annex the Caucasus so as to be able to connect their empire to Georgia.
The Russians are also careful with whom they trust; when Murat approached them for help, they did not trust him and even ended up killing him. This was because they thought he could be a spy for Shamil their enemy. It is also clear that the Russians are prepared for war at any time. This is shown by the fact that they have built a fortress, for example, the fortress of Vozdizhenskaya, where Murat met with the Russians after his lieutenants managed to get in contact with them. He also ended up joining the soldiers hoping that they would eventually trust and agree to help him defeat his worst enemy Shamil. However, before Murat’s meeting with the Russians, there was a small skirmish which occurred outside the fortress between the Russians and the Chechen, and a young man was shot as a result. This event clearly shows that the Russian Empire is at war and it generally appears that the type of government in Russia then was military rule. This is because there is no mention of the president or king, only soldiers.
Therefore, the functioning of the Russian Empire as depicted in the novel is that of military rule and that they are war with the Chechens, where their greatest enemy is Shamil, a Caucasian separatist. However, the mention of Prince Mikhail Vorontsov shows that it was a country ruled by a king but the prince himself was a field marshal.
Imperial subjects’ lives such as that of Hadji Murat and his lieutenants were not easy while under the protection and the rule of the Russians. This is because, although he manages to gain friendship with some of the Russians who welcome him, he is also not trusted. Some of them think that he is spying, which was not the case. As a result, when Murat asks for the Russians help to go and save his family and defeat Shamil, he discovers that the Russians did not trust him, and flees together with his lieutenants. He knew he could not go back to Shamil because he would end up being killed either way. However, this does not end well for them. The old man tells them away while they were hiding, and the Russians surround them and shootings begin between the Russian soldiers and Murat together with his lieutenants. As a result, Murat and his lieutenants end up being killed.
While at the fortress, Murat was able to befriend the Prince, his wife and the prince even gave him a watch as a present. He was also able to win over the goodwill of the soldiers stationed at that fortress. The Russians also learn Murat’s story as written down by the governor general and find him as the perfect person to get to Shamil, their enemy. It is not easy for them, and the prince’s plans for Murat to get to Shamil are ruined by another prince who is jealous of him and who believes that Hadji Murat is a spy. As a result, the attack is ordered against the Chechens and Murat has to remain in the fortress. From the example of Hadji Murat as an empirical subject under the Russian Empire, it is clear that life was not easy for them. They were not trusted and had to look out for their lives.
The Russians governed the local people with goodwill and interacted well with them. However, they could not tolerate any kind of betrayal. They were merciless people, and soldiers would kill anyone who was their enemy instantly. There is a probability that the Russian local people lived in fear; of the war or of their own leaders. It can be assumed that it is for the same reason that the old man who saw Murat and his lieutenants hiding, gave them away to the soldiers.
Tolstoy, Leo. Hadji Murat. Russia: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2012. Print.