Against what is the story "After the Ball" directed? Moral analysis of the work of Leo Tolstoy

It is widely known that Leo Tolstoy was not only an outstanding writer, but also a major thinker. Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the fact that he has equipped such a small amount of work with a certain philosophical "stuffing". This article will be devoted to the answer to the question of what the story "After the Ball" by Leo Tolstoy is directed against.

The answer will involve two levels: the general philosophical and the moral (human), but first (very briefly) the plot.

Events of the work

The narration is conducted on behalf of the main character - Ivan Vasilyevich. He tells one story from his personal, direct experience, which makes one look at the problem of the correlation between the individual and society, as well as self-improvement.

Dotted it looks like this: a long time ago, when still Ivan Vasilievich was a student, he was very fond of attending balls. On one of these holidays he met the girl Varya. She was very beautiful. The hero immediately fell in love with her, he always danced with her, not missing a single dance.

It turned out that the girl came with a papa - Colonel Peter Vladislavovich. Sooner or later, but the deserved military man had to leave the "light" and go off on his own business. At parting, he danced with his daughter, which delighted the most respectable audience.

The protagonist of the story was in the most benevolent mood, which can only be invented, and imbued with the dashing colonel with the best feelings.

Then the ball ended. Everyone went home. And only the young Ivan Vasilievich could not sleep. Of course, he was in love! Therefore, Ivan Vasilyevich went to roam around the city. It was by accident that he came to the house of the colonel and his daughter Vary and saw that on the field near the house a soldier of the desolate Tartar was allowed to run through the formation, beat him mercilessly with sticks. And to ensure that the torture was arranged by all means, the Colonel, who had recently been cute dancing with his daughter, was following.

Ivan Vasilievich was so impressed by this spectacle that his love as a hand took off and, naturally, he did not feel any more sympathy for the colonel.

General philosophical level. Personality and Society

For a long time, probably, since the XVIII century, there are two camps: some people believe that a person forms an environment, and scientists and philosophers, respectively, only need to find a magic formula or create a theory that would allow us to reproduce in its patterns an ideal personality. Others justly believe that the essence of man can not be calculated. He is such as it was created by nature or created by God. There is some basic, irrational, unsystematized element in it. It is he who makes us human. In other words, some act on the side of society, others - individuals.

Tolstoy takes the side of the latter in this work, so one of the possible answers to the question about what the story "After the Ball" is directed against is that it is directed against the universal averaging of man and the suppression of an individual person. It must decide for itself what is good and what is bad, focusing only on its inner moral feeling, given to man by a higher power (nature or God).

A person, in the opinion of Leo Tolstoy, should not dance on the tune of the majority, especially if his (majority) moral values are vile and disgusting.

All the family of the general believes that it is perfectly normal after a touching scene at the ball (dancing with a beautiful daughter) to torment a person. All but the young Ivan Vasilyevich, it does not seem morally low and unworthy. The question is, who is the right person or society? L.N. Tolstoy uniquely answers - the person. This is the concretization of the answer to the question of what the story "After the ball" is directed against.

Moral (human) level. Conscientiousness, double-mindedness, callousness - these are the targets of Leo Tolstoy

The Russian classic is not only asked by the global philosophical questions in this work ("After the Ball"), but it also scours the specific human vices indicated in the subtitle. For Tolstoy, it is not so much important that the colonel arranges torture over a man, but that he finds nothing reprehensible in this.

For the old soldier is absolutely acceptable insensitivity to human suffering and grief. "But how can it be so," Tolstoy asked himself, "that a few hours ago at the ball he was a man and suddenly turned into a beast?" Honestly, it is difficult to answer this question. The protagonist also failed, so he could not sleep until the evening of the next day, even when he got drunk.

The reader will ask himself again and again about what the story "After the ball" is directed against. And he is directed, above all, against such people-werewolves. Tolstoy is haunted by the ruthlessness of the people to his fellow man.

The purpose of the writer

Probably, ideally, Lev Nikolaevich wanted to change the alignment of forces with respect to good and evil in the world, so that people would turn to the light more to be humane and tolerant to each other and not turn into animals even when the situation obliges or allows. As it seems, Tolstoy's story "After the Ball" was written just for this. The minimal goal of the Russian writer, probably, was to make at least one reader a little better.

This is almost all on the topic of the article. It remains only to answer the question about what is characteristic of the story "After the ball." The composition of Leo Nikolayevich is extremely concentrated, if we take into account the ratio of the number of moral dilemmas posed to the main character (and the reader) and the number of letters spent on this task.