In the first few pages of The Cossacks, Olenin is amazed by the vast, snow-capped mountains that tower over the Caucasus. He often stops to reflect on the beauty of his natural surroundings – parting with his privileged city life in Moscow, Olenin uncovers a new appreciation for his natural environment. In Chapter 33, Olenin’s reflects on his life, past and present, and the natural beauty surrounding him, concluding that “Happiness is being with nature, seeing it, talking with it” (145). Olenin’s love for nature and for Maryana are separate in his mind at first, but by the end, Olenin draws connections between the two. He first compares Maryana to nature in Chapter 33, “she, like nature, is even, calm, and self-contained” (147), and later states that “Perhaps in her I love nature, the personification of all that is beautiful in nature; But I do not have a will of my own, and what loves her is some elemental force passing through me; all of God’s world, all of nature presses this love into my soul and says: “Love” (148). For me, this quote admits that nature is stronger than Olenin, and thus, has control over him and his love for Maryana. Is his love for Maryana imaginary and merely symbolic of his new-found love for nature? Or, has nature had such a positive influence on him that suddenly it is allowing his heart to open up, feel love, and mostly, give love?

Olenin set out on this journey to the Caucasus with the hope of learning to love someone other than himself. Thinking back to the woman that loved Olenin but he did not love in return, we potentially see the opposite at the end of the story: Olenin loving Maryana and her failing to reciprocate. Part of me hoped they would end up together in the end, but ultimately, Olenin has achieved what he set out to do: loving another as he loves himself. Though, I do not entirely agree that Maryana does not love Olenin. There are several instances where her feelings are apparent in tear-filled eyes or simple body language but she refuses to express this in words. For instance, when Olenin admits his feelings in the orchard, Tolstoy writes, “…it seemed to him that she had long known all the things he yearned to tell her … But she doesn’t want to know, doesn’t want to reply” (141). Maybe Olenin and Maryana both struggle to accept the love they have for the other and therefore cannot fathom a life together. Olenin doesn’t think he is worthy of her love and feels that a village man, such as Lukashka, is more fitting for Maryana. Maryana is less open about her insecurities, but could very well be held back by her own self-doubt.