The Russian Writer - Leo Tolstoy Case

Leo Tolstoy

The Russian writer Leo Tolstoy was skilled in his profession. He wrote about a plethora of themes ranging from childhood to the horrors of war. The style in which Tolstoy wrote changed from an analytical style to an emotive style immediately following a conversion. He would also incorporate many techniques to reveal certain aspects of a story to the reader. One theme that Tolstoy wrote extensively about was war. He based many of his war-themed novels on his own experience fighting alongside his brother in an artillery unit at Caucasus (Sisk 142). One of his earlier wartime stories was “The Raid” in which he displayed national pride, a reverence for brave soldiers, and distaste for restraint and cowardice. It was during this time Tolstoy stated that war was “an inevitable aspect of human existence.” This view, however, would change later in his life. Around the time when Tolstoy wrote his anti-war story “The Wood Feeling,” Tolstoy reneged on his previous statement and said that war was “an unjust and evil thing” (Gamouche). Tolstoy also stated this in his “Christianity and Patriotism” essay:

And hundreds of thousands of simple kindly folk, torn from their wives, mothers, and children, and with murderous weapons in their hands, will trudge wherever they may be driven, stifling the despair in their souls by songs, debauchery, and vodka. They will march, freeze, suffer from hunger, and fall ill. Some will die of disease, and some will at last come to where men will kill them by the thousands (Tolstoy, “Christianity and Patriotism”)

Largely due to his conflicting views on the subject, Tolstoy’s war novels display a medley of perspectives such as idealism, religion, and realistic observations. This mixed aroma of idealism and realism in his war themed novels can be seen in Tolstoy’s short story “The Morning After the Ball,” in which the main character, who is entranced by a beautiful night at a ball, seems to forget that there is a war going on until soldiers carries his lover’s father away (Sisk, 90). Tolstoy brought his own unique insight unto death in his novels and short stories. Eric Ormsby, senior research associate at The Institute of Ismaili Studies states that Leo Tolstoy’s insights on death were “Not why one must die, but why must I, with my cherished name, my individual history, my irreplaceable memories, the whole distinctive fragrance of my unrepeatable personality-why must I with my inextinguishable self, why must I die?” (Ormsby). We see this theme in The Death of Ivan Illyich as Ivan approaches his personal end of life. Tolstoy also sees death as a chance for a reassessment of our values. In The Death of Ivan Illyich, Ivan looks down upon his life as a mere joke and realizes all of the mistakes he has made in his life.