Master and Man

Favourite Quotes

“Whether he is better or worse off there where he awoke after his death, whether he was disappointed or found there what he expected, we shall all soon learn.” - p. 500

Summary

This story/novel is part of the book “Great Short Works of Leo Tolstoy” on pages 453 - 500.

Characters

• Vasili Andreevich Brekhunov = a second Guild merchant, church elder, wealthy man
  • Nikita’s “master”
• Nikita = a 50 year old peasant who works for Vasili. He is a habitual drinker but has made a vow not to drink anymore. Vasili hired him because although he’s a drunkard, he is honest and very cheap
  • he doesn’t live at home most of the time. His wife doesn’t mind either because she’s been living with a cooper who’s been lodging at their house for 20 years. This is mentioned in chapter 1
  • I think “living” means more than just “living”…

Chapter 1

• Vasili plans on buying a grove from a young landowner. The landowner wants 10k rubles, Vasili is offering 7k
• Nikita’s wife has gone straight to Vasili to collect on her husbands wages because previously Nikita, while drunk, ripped up all of his wife’s clothing
• Nikita knows Vasili is cheating him and owes him more money, but Nikita doesn’t bring this up as “he had nowhere to go”
• Vasili sends off Nikita to go prepare his horse for the journey to the landowner. As he’s prepping the horse, Vasili’s son calls out “uncle Nikita!” and Nikita picks him up and takes him along
• Nikita meets up with Vasili, who is drunk currently
• Vasili’s pregnant wife is there to see off her husband on his journey. She begs him to take Nikita with him but he doesn’t want to. Eventually he does succumb to her wishes
• Nikita goes off to grab his coat from the shed. A peasant woman tells him that his boots are not warm enough but he thinks its fine.
  • It’s winter time so it’s snowing
• The two of them, Nikita and his master Vasili, get into the horse and carriage and embark on their journey to the landowner

Chapter 2

• while on their journey, Vasili asks Nikita “did you tell your wife not to give the cooper any vodka?“. This was a joke but he didn’t think it would be unpleasant to Nikita
• Nikita responds “that’s their business. I don’t pry into their affairs. As long as she doesn’t ill-treat out boy - God be with them”
• the journey is not easy. They get lost multiple times, mainly because it’s snowing and the roads are covered with snow
• eventually they arrive at some village

Chapter 3

• in the village some man named Isay gave them directions to the town Vasili and Nikita are trying to go to
• now they are back on the road. After some more riding, Vasili realizes they are again off-road and are lost.
• Nikita decides to let their horse figure it out. They loosen the reigns and allow their horse to take them
  • “a Kirgiz horse is strong but stupid. But this one - just see what he’s doing with his ears! He doesn’t need any telegraph. He can scent a mile off.” p. 468
• they end up back at the same village they were at earlier! They basically rode in a circle
• at the village, they go to an old friends house to heat up. He’s referred to as the old man

Chapter 4

• the house they go to is the house of a wealthy man. Over 20 people live there, including his wife, his 4 sons, his 4 daughter-in-laws, and his grand-children
• Nikita is offered vodka, but he refuses due to his oath
• the old man and his wife insist that Vasili and Nikita stay the night, but Vasili says the business with the landowner is urgent as there are others who are trying to make a deal to buy the grove
• the old man complains that one of his sons wants to break up the household
• the old man’s own servant Petrushka goes with Vasili and Nikita to accompany them up to a certain point, just so they don’t get lost again
• Nikita does not want to go, he wants to stay the night, but he has grown accustomed to obeying and not defying his master’s orders

Chapter 5

• Petrushka leads the way and gets them to the right spot then heads back home
• Nikita and Vasili travel and seem to be going the right way, and then all of a sudden Vasili realizes they are going astray again!
• their horse stops. Nikita goes out to investigate and falls down a ravine. He took him a while, but eventually he gets out
• Nikita and Vasili continue along but are totally lost. They start to somewhat panic. Nikita is exhausted as he’s fell into a ravine multiple times now.
• Nikita’s boot has a hole that he patches up using some straw
• “Vasili no longer gave orders but implicitly did what Nikita told him” - p. 480
  • just last chapter it was stated that Nikita would never give orders and always listen to his master, Vasili. The tables have turned.
• Nikita and Vasili have completely given up. Their horse is exhausted. They are freezing.
• Nikita declares that they shall spend the night where they are, in the middle of the road (or off-road). Vasili is worried they’ll freeze to death. Nikita accepts that they can’t do anything about that.

Chapter 6

• they settle down for the night, Vasili in the sledge and Nikita outside in a hole he dug up and covered with straw
• Vasili is not sleeping, rather he is thinking: “thought ever of the one that constituted the sole aim, meaning, pleasure, and pride of his life - of how much money he had made and might still make, of how much other people he knew had made and possessed, and of how those others had made and were making it, and how he, like then, might still make much more. The purchase of the Goryachkin grove was a matter of immense importance to him. By that one deal he hoped to make perhaps ten thousand rubles” - p. 483
• it’s revealed that Vasili grew up a peasant and that he made all his wealth himself. He takes pride in this and wants to continue to get richer.
• Vasili regrets not spending the night at the old man’s house. He worries that his horse or Nikita might freeze to death and he’ll be held responsible. He regrets bringing Nikita and blames his wife for convincing him to do so.
• Vasili checks his watch, it’s only midnight, the whole night is still left! He comes even more fearful and regretful. It gets even worse when he hears the sounds of a wolf.
• Vasili decides to get on the horse and leave and try to find shelter. He doesn’t bother bringing Nikita, “it’s all the same to him whether he lives or dies. What is his life worth? He won’t grudge his life, but I have something to live for, thank God.” - p. 488-489
• Nikita wakes up because he hears a lot of commotion. At that moment Vasili is on the horse and is leaving.
  • Vasili’s last words to Nikita: “listen to such fools as you! Am I to die like this for nothing?” - p. 489

Chapter 7

• (this chapter takes place as the same time as the previous, but it’s from the POV of Nikita)
• Nikita’s foot has gone numb (earlier it was mentioned his boot has a hole in it)
• Nikita knows there’s a good chance he’ll die tonight, but he isn’t scared. He acknowledges his life has been full of unceasing toil. He also knows that besides serving his master Vasili, he is dependent on the chief master (God) and knows that even after death he will still be serving the chief master and knows he will not be ill-used by Him (unlike Vasili who does screw him over time to time)
• he considers / self-reflects on his sinful life. But says “that’s evidently how God made me.” - p. 490
• Nikita reflects that Vasili must be feeling bad for himself. “it would seem hard to leave a life such as his!” - p. 490
  • i.e. “leave a life” I think is referring to dying.
  • Vasili said in the previous chapter that his life is worth living but Nikita’s life can be forfeit. Even Nikita agrees!
• at that moment he sees Vasili leaving. He yells out for Vasili to at least leave behind the drugget so that he can wrap himself, but Vasili doesn’t hear him
• Nikita becomes fearful, calling out to God, but is immediately comforted knowing he is not alone because God will never abandon him
• he gets inside the sled and can’t warm up. He starts to lose consciousness, he doesn’t know if its death or sleep, but he is prepared for either outcome

Chapter 8

• Vasili is riding with the horse trying to find a village or a hut
• suddenly the horse falls down a ditch and Vasili falls off. The horse takes off running and Vasili is left behind all alone
• Vasili can’t believe this is real. He considers if he’s dreaming. He doesn’t want to leave it all behind - his shops, tavern, house, his son, etc. Vasili begins to pray
• Vasili decide to follow the horses footsteps
• The horse went back to the sled! The ditch Vasili fell into was the same one Nikita fell in earlier. Vasili literally rode around in a circle

Chapter 9

• Nikita wakes up, covered in snow, and says that he is dying
• Vasili starts to rake the snow out of the sled and off of Nikita. He then gets into the sled and gets on top of Nikita to keep him warm.
• Suddenly Vasili gets emotional and tearful. He starts to feel joy for taking care of Nikita
• Nikita, already more lively, says “it’s comfortable, warm!” - p. 496
• Vasili’s arm and legs are getting cold, but he isn’t bothered by it. His only thought was to keep Nikita warm.
• “no fear, we shan’t lose him this time!” he says to himself. He’s boasting about keeping Nikita warm the same way he boats about money-making
• the whole night Vasili slept and just before dawn had visions/dreams:
  • he was laying in bed, unable to move. He was expecting a guest, a police officer. He never comes, but someone else comes instead, but Vasili was expecting him to come. It was the same person who told him to lie down on Nikita to keep him warm. Vasili was glad that that one has finally come for him
  • who’s this person? God of course.
  • Vasili cries out “I’m coming!” - p. 497
• Vasili wakes up at that moment. He tries to move but cannot. He realizes he is dead. He’s surprised, but not at all disturbed. He knows Nikita is still alive and this makes him happy. “Nikita is alive, so I too am alive!” - p. 498
• he reflects on how earlier he was thinking about his money and material things, and it was hard for him to understand how he troubled himself with all that
  • “well, it was because he (Vasili) did not know what the real thing was” - p. 498
  • at this point, after he dies, he’s speaking about himself in the 3rd person
• he again hears the calls of the one who called him before (God) and he exclaims that he’s coming! He’s filled with joy.
• “After that Vasili Andreevich neither saw, heard, nor felt anything more in this world.” - p. 498

Chapter 10

• Nikita wakes up but not before dreaming:
  • he’s pushing cart with his master’s flour. It gets stuck so he gets under it and uses his back to lift it up. But Nikita himself gets stuck under the cart and it’s so heavy. He cannot free himself. The cart feels cold.
• Nikita realizes his master is dead, his cold heavy body on top of him.
  • “May the Kingdom of Heaven be his!” said Nikita - p. 499
• Nikita sees that the horse has also died. The snow was covering the sledge and horse almost fully.
• Nikita loses consciousness, convinced that he is now dying as well
• in the morning some peasants find them and dig them out. Only Nikita survived
• Nikita lays in hospital for 2 months. A few of his toes are cut off.
• Nikita goes on to live another 20 years. He dies at home but not before asking his wife’s forgiveness and forgiving her for the cooper. He was glad he was relieving his son and daughter-in-law of the burden of taking care of him. He was glad he was passing on to the next life.
• “Whether he is better or worse off there where he awoke after his death, whether he was disappointed or found there what he expected, we shall all soon learn.” - p. 500

Analysis

Notes

Chapter 6/7

• the contrast between Vasili and Nikita is very evident
• Vasili is losing his mind and is terrified of dying. He decides to leave on the horse and leave Nikita behind. He puts very little value on Nikita’s life, saying: “it’s all the same to him whether he lives or dies. What is his life worth? He won’t grudge his life, but I have something to live for, thank God.” - p. 488-489
  • Vasili is very arrogant and pompous, thinking he’s “all that” whereas a simple peasant like Nikita deserves less
• Nikita is the complete opposite. He is ready to be embraced by his “chief master” i.e. God. He even seems to feel bad for Vasili, saying: “it would seem hard to leave a life such as his!” - p. 490
  • at least it seems that they are both on the same page: Vasili’s life is worth living whereas Nikita’s life is forfeit

Main Idea of the Book / Key Themes

I think the main idea/theme in this book is about performing selfless acts for others, and the fulfilling and redemptive nature of such acts.

Vasili in chapter 6 comes off extremely selfish, saying that he deserves to live whereas Nikita can die since his life doesn’t matter. He cares more about his business and money-making than he does a human life.

Then, in chapter 9 he realizes the joy he feels in taking care of Nikita, keeping him warm throughout the night. This ends up killing him. It was an act of self-sacrifice. This act brought him joy. He was happy to do it. It brought him meaning.

I would say one message Tolstoy was really trying to convey here was that wealth and materialism can only take you so far, and true meaning in life comes from selflessness and compassion.

This act of self-sacrifice was also ‘accepted’ by God, as represented by the visions/dreams Vasili was getting where he sees God calling out to him. Therefore it was a redemptive act. It redeemed his previous sin of leaving Nikita alone to die.

The idea of self-sacrifice is also present in The Cossacks, another Tolstoy book.

Reflections

Throughout the book I feel as though it was hinted that Nikita should’ve been the one to die. For example:

• very early on as he’s leaving for the journey, his clothing is inadequate and the peasant woman tells him his boots are not warm enough
• while on the journey, his boots rip and there’s a hole in them, allowing cold air to come in (he eventually loses his toes because of this)
• at night, he sleeps outside while Vasili sleeps inside the carriage
• Nikita is fully accepting of the fact he may die due to the cold

If anyone should’ve froze to death, it should’ve been Nikita. I think the fact that Vasili died instead just shows how big his sacrifice was. He saved an already dying man.