4. Why did Tolstoy lose faith with his own class and identify himself with the Russian peasants? Write a succinct short paragraph that explains this curious turn of events in his life.

Leo Tolstoy, suffered great loss in his 82 years of life (1830-1910). This was due to the death of 2 of his children and the extreme poverty that occurred within Russia deriving from the profound gap between the rich and the poor. Tolstoy examines the deepest questions concerning the meaning of life throughout his writings which led to Tolstoy identifying himself with the Russian peasants.  Tolstoy understood the great ecstasy’s and dismal experiences of life, which manifested themselves within his tumultuous marriage, growing suffering through illness and his torn between doing what one truly loves versus what one is expected to love.  As a result of his dramatic lifestyle, whereby he raised13 children, lived life as part of the aristocracy and followed his desire to live amongst the peasant, Tolstoy opted to live alongside the peasants.

His fondness for a simple life is demonstrated within his characterisations of the peasant characters within, Master and Man and The Death of Ivan Illych. Tolstoy enables his character Nikita to convey poetic lines about the transient nature of the human life, where the peasant is connected to his environment around him and values others above himself. This is seen when Nikita puts a blanket on the horse to stop it from freezing and speaks to the horse with words of encouragement. In comparison to his master, Vassily, who whips the horse into trot despite -20degree weather and the horse being tired.

Tolstoy through his writings demonstrates his wish to live a simple and humble life like the peasants, where he is freed from any external expectations or materialisation in favour of a more spiritual, harmonious life.