Master and Man

Master and servant (Russian Хозяин и работник ) is a story by Leo Tolstoy, published in 1895 in the journal Severny Vestnik (Northern messenger ).

Content

In this short story of the wealthy land owner Vasily Andreyevich Brechunov travels with his humble and obedient servant Nikita together in a snowstorm across the steppe. Vasily is impatient and wants access to the city to buy there before other interested parties a piece of wood. The snow storm had increased in severity and it was necessary to pause, but the Lord always wants to go further in his business acumen. So they lost and threaten soon to die from hypothermia. Aware of this, and the resulting equality class differences are becoming increasingly important.

After the Lord has left its farmers, an attempt to salvage still, he again returns with the knowledge that has addressed Tolstoy repeatedly: the one and true happiness in life is to have lived for others. The Lord places in mind to die, to his servant, to at least keep him warm through the cold night.

" He realized that his end was near, but that did not make him the least bit sad or angry ... Nikita lives, he said to himself ... so I live also. "

Vasili finds in this night of death, Nikita's life, however, can be saved, he loses some of his toes due to frostbite.