metaphorically speaking

Sorry, further thoughts on War & Peace. Today my brilliant teacher brought up an interesting concept about the main characters in this book, a little group consisting of Pierre, Andrei, Marya, and Natasha. He noted that they are constantly, often painfully and unexpectedly, undergoing a process of death and rebirth, death and rebirth. Metaphorically speaking. They revive with love and realizations of the good in life, they die with disappointment, heartache, and frustration at the vices of men. My teacher went through the characters, and labeled them according to the life they were living, being classified either as "dead" or "alive". Later I wondered whether I was dead, alive, or experiencing a rebirth. Something to think about.