Crimson Thistle
The first symbol introduced in Hadji Murat is that of a prickly red thistle flower. The narrator plucks the thistle out of the ground and notes the difficulty of this act, saying that he nearly destroyed the flower by trying to pick it. It is out of place among the "delicate blossoms" of the narrator's bouquet. The narrator comes across several other thistles, blackened and bent, but still standing. The thistle is a direct symbol of Hadji Murat, who has been hurt, twisted, beaten, and betrayed, but is still proudly standing tall. The thistle appears several times, trampled, twisted, and dirtied, but refuses to be destroyed in the same way that Hadji refuses to surrender.
Mountains
The Caucasus mountains symbolize the barrier between the worlds of the Russian officers and Hadji. The people of the mountains are depicted as wholly loyal, traditional, and welcoming, living under difficult natural conditions. The opposing worlds of the elite Russians, who drink tea from fine china and maintain large estates, and the Chechens, who are poor and live far more simply, is explored at length in the novel. The value of the war differs greatly to these groups; the Russians fight simply to maintain political control of the Caucasus mountain region while the Chechens believe they are fighting a jihad against tyrannical occupation. This vast difference is depicted by the massive mountain range that separates these two groups of people.
French language
French is a common motif in Hadji Murat, existing to highlight the class differences inherent in the conflict as well as the opposing worlds of Hadji Murat and his trusted commander, Vorontsov. It is Vorontsov who is typically depicted speaking French with his wife, displaying a kind of highbrow Western refinement that strongly contrasts with Hadji. The use of French speech also highlights the split in Russian society during the mid-19th century; during this time, wealthier Russians were becoming modernized and Westernized as the rest of Europe was in the throes of the Industrial Revolution. However, during this time, many peasant Russians or subsets of the Russian empire (like Hadji's Chechen people) were still living a nearly medieval lifestyle, with low literacy and industrialization. Vorontsov and his friends speaking French highlights the degree to which the aristocracy had been Westernized and living in a seemingly completely different time than the Chechens and poorer Russians in the story.
Hadji's Limp
Hadji Murat is depicted as having a slight limp from a traumatic incident during his youth. Although much of his physical appearance is described in the novel as being strange, his limp is mentioned several times throughout the novel, symbolizing his lifelong struggle. Hadji has both physical and emotional scars from his time both as a warrior and as a young man defending his family. His limp specifically symbolizes the way he constantly carries his personal history around, always seeking vengeance for the death of his family members. It is often the first thing people notice about Hadji in the novel, suggesting that his limp contradicts his ruthless warrior mythology and reveals his more human side.
Decapitation
Though gruesome, this manner of execution comes up several times throughout the story and is a good symbol for the savagery of war on both sides of the conflict. Shamil threatens Hadji's son and wives with decapitation in order to entice him back to the Chechen side, and Hadji himself is eventually decapitated by the Russians at the end of the story. It is also mentioned in passing as a punishment for a Chechen thief. The horrible and inhumane nature of beheading--which is undertaken not just by the "savage" Chechens, but by the civilized Russians as well, is a potent symbol of brutality present in all humans, regardless of their religion or race. War seemingly brings out this brutality in heinous ways; the Russians parading Hadji's decapitated head around is one of them, as is Shamil using decapitation as a political tactic. Tolstoy's intended symbolism is to elevate neither side above the other in the gruesome business of war.
