Tolstoy’s Short Stories
What Men Live By and Ivan, the Fool represent the best of Tolstoy’s short works.
What Men Live By reflects the writer’s perspective views on religion. Through the experience of the Angel
Michael in the human world, the short story describes how people should live their lives. Here, Tolstoy gives an answer: people should live by love.
Ivan the Fool (1885) is written in the form of a folk tale. Foolish, but honest Ivan rises to success, thanks to his dedication to hard-work. In this story, Tolstoy describes the perfect human aspects of “Ivan, the Fool, ” in a lucid and simple manner.
Tolstoy’s short stories are a joy to read, because they allow readers to sincerely reflect on their lives, as his stories easily and beautifully depict issues such as duty and responsibility for love, friendship, and sanctity of labor through ordinary people living their daily lives.
