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Title: The Forged Coupon and Other
Stories
Series: (The Russians)
Author:
Leo Tolstoy
Translator: Unknown
Rating:
3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Classic
Pages:
189
Words: 58K
Publish: 1911
Moralistic tales from Tolstoy near the end of his life (several of the stories were published posthumously).
While I enjoyed reading about the domino effect (for good and bad) in The Forged Coupon, the rest of the stories were so typically Russian (emotional outbursts from someone with the maturity of a 16 year old) that I couldn’t enjoy them. A big part of that is Tolstoy supposedly using the Bible to bolster his arguments. The problem was that he was only using the parts he wanted (the Gospels) and pretty much ignored the entire foundation of the Old Testament and all of the rest of the New Testament. The Bible has a lot to say about government, governance, how people are to react to authority and also such subjects as nationally waged wars and the death penalty. It also addresses how employers are supposed to treat their employees, how employees are supposed to act towards their employers, how people are to treat one another.
All subjects that can be gone into deeply and yet succinctly if needed. Yet Tolstoy, a mature man in his 80’s (I believe he was that old. He was nearing the end of his life anyway), acts like a stupid, dimwitted teenager and allows his emotions to sweep aside everything and dictate his decisions. His distaste of the Orthodox Church and the Corrupt Government shape his decisions as much as any rationale thinking does and I can’t stand that.
Sigh. This is what happens when you decide to read the complete works of someone who wrote fiction, non-fiction and a mix. Things get messy.
★★★☆☆
From Wikipedia and Bookiepedia
The Forged Coupon
The story is divided into two parts. In Part I, schoolboy Mitya is in desperate need of money to repay a debt, but his father angrily denies him assistance. Dejected, under the instigation of a friend Makhin, Mitya simply changes a 2.50 rouble bond coupon to read 12.50 roubles, but this one evil deed sets off a chain of events that affects the lives of dozens of others, when his one falsehood indirectly causes a man to murder a woman at the end of Part I, and then seek redemption through religion in Part II.
Having written the novella in his dying years, after his excommunication, Tolstoy relishes the chance to unveil the "pseudo-piety and hypocrisy of organized religion." Yet, he maintains an unwavering belief in man's capacity to find truth, so the story remains hopeful, especially in Part II, which shows that good works can affect another as in a domino effect, just as evil does in Part I.[2] The novella has also been translated with the title "The Counterfeit Note" and "The Forged Banknote."
After the Ball
Ivan Vasilievich is telling a story to his friends. The tale opens with Ivan Vasilievich pining after the beautiful Varenka B., daughter of Colonel B. Ivan recounts to his friends the events of the night, during which he danced with Varenka and witnessed the colonel dance with her. He notes how deeply he fell in love with Varenka and grew to admire her father during the course of the night.
Later that night after the ball, Ivan Vasilievich is unable to sleep due to his infatuation with Varenka, so he leaves his home to go on a walk. As he wanders the street towards Varenka's home, he witnesses the running of a gauntlet by a Tartar who has deserted the military. Colonel B. oversees the flogging of the Tatar. Upon recognizing the face of Varenka's father, Ivan Vasilievich feels sick. The colonel pretends as if he did not see Ivan. While Ivan does not think the deed evil, Ivan is confused by the soldiers' unwavering adherence to military rules and tries to understand the brutality that he witnessed. He is unable to understand, and his love for Varenka dissipates. Ultimately, Ivan Vasilievich eschews his planned course of life, ultimately refusing to marry or enter the civil or military services.
Alyosha the Pot
As a young child, Alyosha lived in a village and was nicknamed "the Pot" after he broke a milk pot. At 19, his father sends him to live with a merchant's family working as a yard-keeper (дворник). As the family begins to assign him nearly all of the housework and errands, he does everything without complaint. Alyosha's father collected his salary, but Alyosha got to keep the occasional tip. Alyosha spoke very little, was not educated, and did not know formal prayers—instead, he "prayed with his hands", crossing himself. After a year and a half, Alyosha began to feel that the cook, Ustinia, took pity on him. "He felt for the first time in his life that he--not his services, but he himself--was necessary to another human being".[3] Alyosha falls in love with Ustinia and eventually asks her to marry him, but the merchant dislikes the idea and Alyosha's father forbids the marriage. Alyosha agrees and ceases to discuss marriage with Ustinia. For the first and only time in the story, Alyosha breaks his lighthearted, laughing demeanor and cries.
Later during Lent, Alyosha falls while he clears snow from the roof. On the third day, he died quietly, having calmly accepted his impending death. "He lay in wonderment, then stretched himself, and died."
My Dream (also known as What I Saw in My Dream)
An aristocrat has thrown off his daughter, who ran away and had a child out of wedlock. His pride won’t allow him to forgive her and she refuses to come back to the empty life she had before. Reconciliation occurs when they see each other at her rented room.
There are no guilty people
An unfinished diatribe against the death penalty, supposedly based on Biblical Principles.
The Young Tzar / Tsar
In which the Tsar of Russia has a dream where Jesus tells him he is responsible for everything happening in Russia and to be a good man.
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