I read three short works by Tolstoy published in one book: Family Happiness, Master and Man, and Alyosha the Pot. I never thought Tolstoy could be so accessible. The writing is beautifully elegant, seemingly simple yet highly nuanced. Tolstoy is one of the best writers of all time because he has his finger on the human spirit and great insight into the fabric of the human being. The stories are masterful.
In Family Happiness, seventeen-year-old Masha falls in love with a thirty-six-year-old man, and they eventually marry. The romance in their lives and their relationship change as the story progresses. There are many ways to interpret the dynamics of their actions and growth. It is truly a timeless tale.
Master and Man may be a parable. Brekhunov, the master, is a provincial innkeeper, church elder, and merchant preoccupied with his business ventures and money. He insists upon a journey that defies common sense, and Nikita, his guide, must abide by his wishes. A third character, a horse named Mukhorty, is the most intuitive creature in the tale. Tolstoy depicts class differences between the men and shows that human beings are driven by similar features, even if their societal standings differ.
Alyosha the Pot is the shortest of the stories yet striking because Tolstoy shows peasants’ relative value in Russian society. Alyosha is an extremely hard worker whose human value is not readily apparent to the family for whom he works. Nevertheless, he is eager to please, and the reader sympathizes with him as he meets his fate.
