What is the story "After the Ball" directed against? Moral analysis of the work of L. N. Tolstoy

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

The answer will involve two levels: general philosophical and 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 you take a fresh look at the problem of the relationship between the individual and society, as well as self-improvement.

Dotted it looks like this: a long time ago, when Ivan Vasilyevich was still 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 danced with her all the time, not missing a single dance.

It turned out that the girl came with her daddy - Colonel Peter Vladislavovich. Sooner or later, but the honored military man had to leave the "light" and leave on his own business. In parting, he danced with his daughter, which delighted the most respectable audience.

The protagonist of the story was in the most benevolent mood that one can imagine, and imbued with the dashing colonel the best feelings.

Then the ball ended. Everyone went home. And only the young Ivan Vasilyevich could not sleep. Why, he was in love! Therefore, Ivan Vasilyevich went to wander around the city. Quite by accident, he came to the house of the colonel and his daughter Varya and saw that in the field next to the house they were letting a deserter Tatar soldier through the ranks, beating him mercilessly with sticks. And the colonel, who recently danced sweetly with his daughter, makes sure that the torture is arranged in accordance with all the rules.

Ivan Vasilievich was so struck by this spectacle that his love vanished as if by magic, and, naturally, he no longer felt a single gram of sympathy for the colonel.

general philosophical level. Personality and society

For a long time, probably since the 18th century, there have been two camps: some people believe that the environment forms a person, and scientists and philosophers, respectively, only need to find a magic formula or create a theory that would allow them to reproduce the ideal personality according to its patterns. Others rightly believe that it is impossible to calculate. He is the way nature created him or God created him. There is some principled, irrational, unsystematic element in it. It is he who makes us human. In other words, some are on the side of society, others are individuals.

Tolstoy in this work takes the side of the latter, therefore one of the possible answers to the question of what the story “After the Ball” is directed against is this: it is directed against the general averaging of a person and the suppression of an individual. She must decide for herself what is good and what is bad, focusing only on her inner moral sense, donated by force (nature or God).

A person, according to L. N. Tolstoy, should not dance to the tune of the majority, especially if his (the majority) are vile and disgusting.

The whole family of the general believes that after a touching scene at the ball (dancing with a beautiful daughter) it is completely normal to torment a person. To everyone, except for the young Ivan Vasilyevich, this does not seem morally low and unworthy. The question is, who is right - the individual or society? L. N. Tolstoy unequivocally answers - personality. Such is the concretization of the answer to the question of what the story “After the Ball” is directed against.

Moral (human) level. Shamelessness, double-mindedness, callousness - these are the targets of L. N. Tolstoy

The Russian classic not only asks global philosophical questions in this work (“After the Ball”), but also castigates specific human vices indicated in the subtitle. For Tolstoy, it is important not so much that the colonel arranges tortures on a person, but that he does not find anything reprehensible in this.

For an old warrior, insensitivity to human suffering and grief is absolutely acceptable. “But how can it be,” Leo Tolstoy asks himself, “that a few hours ago at the ball he was a man and suddenly turned into a beast?” To be honest, it's hard to answer this question. The main character also failed, so he could not fall asleep until the very 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 it is directed, first of all, against such werewolf people. Tolstoy in him pursues human ruthlessness towards his brother.

The Purpose of the Writer

Probably, ideally, Lev Nikolayevich wanted to at least slightly change the balance of power in relation to good and evil in the world, so that people turn to the light more, to be humane and tolerant of each other and not turn into animals even when the situation obliges or allows. It seems that Tolstoy wrote the story "After the Ball" precisely for this purpose. The minimum goal of a Russian writer was probably to make at least one reader a little better.

This is almost everything on the topic of the article. It remains only to answer the question of what is the characteristic of the story “After the Ball”. Lev Nikolaevich's writing 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.