Let's try to answer the question of what a person is alive. Leo Tolstoy thought a lot on this topic. She is somehow affected in all his works. But the most immediate result of the author’s thoughts was the story “How are people alive”. This work tells how a divine angel came to earth in search of the meaning of human existence. He is trying to find out what a person is alive. Leo Tolstoy through this hero carries out his ideas. Let us first describe the summary of the work, and then analyze it.
The story that happened to the shoemaker
The story begins with the fact that the poor shoemaker living with his wife in a hired house, having secured money for work, went to the village for a sheepskin coat. He really needed this coat, since the winter was harsh, and the couple had a quilted jacket for two. However, circumstances were such that he did not buy a sheepskin, but only drank vodka for 20 kopecks and went back. On the way, the shoemaker argued that he needed a drink to warm him up, and his wife would now scold him for coming back drunk, without money and a sheepskin. At the church, he noticed a naked man sitting curled up, but walked past, afraid that he had died. However, conscience tortured the shoemaker for leaving the unfortunate man on the street to freeze. He returned and noticed that this man was alive, pleasant in face, without abrasions and beatings. Semyon (the name of the main character) asked the stranger what he was doing here and where he was coming from. He said that he was alien, God punished him. Semyon then gave the unfortunate boots, padded jacket and took this man to his home.
Matrena's behavior
The wife of the shoemaker (Matrena) thought, having finished her household chores, that it is not worth serving the last place of bread to the table, it is better to leave it for later. The travelers meanwhile returned. Matrona, having seen her husband without a sheepskin and drunk, began to scold him for everything that she could remember, in particular for the fact that he had brought a stranger when they had nothing to eat.
She wanted to leave home, tearing off her quilted jacket from her husband, but he rebuked the woman that she had forgotten God. Matrena came to her senses and looked at the companion Semyon, silently sitting on the edge of the shop.
The woman became ashamed, began to set the table, even served the men bread. The woman of the wanderer fed, after which she sheltered for the night and gave him clothes. He smiled and looked at her so that the woman's heart leaped. Subsequently, she regretted both the clothes given, and the last bread, but this bright glance was remembered to her, and let Matren be greedy.
Mikhaila remains an apprentice in the house
Mikhail, a wanderer, began to live in a man’s house, learned to work and became an apprentice. He was very quiet, joyless and wordless, all looked up and worked. He only smiled once, when the woman first gathered them on the table. So the masters worked out that wealth appeared in the house.
The story of the master
We continue to describe the work “How are people alive” (Tolstoy). The composition is composed of the following further events. Once a rich gentleman came to the shoemaker in a troika and brought very expensive leather to his boots. He kept telling us that it was necessary to sew so that there was no demolition, and also that they were certainly ready on time. Michael looked carefully behind the gentleman's back, as if peering at something, and then suddenly smiled, brightened his face and said that they would be ripened just in time. The master left, and Mikhail sewed and made barefoot from his material, not boots. When Semyon saw this, he almost lost his feelings of horror, was about to rebuke the master, when suddenly a knock came at the door. It was the servant of the master who came running to inform him that he had died the day before, and now he needed barefoot, not boots. They were immediately filed by Michael.
An elderly tradeswoman talks about herself
He lived in cares and labor for six years in a shoemaker's house. Once, a merchant woman came to them with two daughters, one of whom was lame. The woman told her story that these girls were not her relatives, but adopted. They lived with their husband for 6 years in the peasantry, and they had a small son. At the same time, two girls were born to the neighbors, but soon their father died, and then their mother was buried, so the woman decided to take the orphans to her. Her boy died, and only two of these girls remained. Michael looked at them and smiled.
Angel talks about who he really is
Once this worker took off his apron and told why he smiled only three times in 6 years. He told Semyon that he was an angel in heaven, and once God sent him to take the soul of a young woman. Mikhail flew to her and sees that he has two newborn girls. The woman asked to leave her alive to take care of the children. The angel took pity and returned without a soul to heaven. The Lord scolded him, ordered him to take away the soul from this woman, and ordered the angel to go to earth to understand what is in people, what is not given to them, and how a person lives.
Leo Tolstoy continues the story of Michael. The hero says that he ended up at the church where the shoemaker found him. When Matrena began to curse, Mikhail felt that this woman was going to die of anger, but she recovered herself, and the angel smiled, since he saw a god in her and realized that there was love in people.
When he looked at the rich gentleman, he saw a mortal angel behind him and realized what people were not given to know. And when he saw a woman who brought up orphans, he understood the third truth - people live by love. God forgave the angel, his wings grew, and he ascended into heaven.
Brief analysis
So, what is a person alive? Leo Tolstoy believes that people are alive with love. This story depicts primarily this feeling. The shoemaker takes a beggar, a woman - two orphans. This beggar is an angel, and the girls are the best daughters for this woman. Tolstoy depicts not only external actions in the story “How are people alive”, the souls of people are analyzed - what happens in them. Extraordinary feats and sacrifices are not committed in the work. And the characters of the story "How are people alive" (Tolstoy), the brief content of which is presented in this article, have nothing heroic. Semyon is a simple fellow, although kind, loving sometimes to drink, like all representatives of his profession. Matrena is a talkative, businesslike, a bit grumpy, curious woman - like everyone else. The merchant woman is also only gentle and good-natured differs from the other heroes of the story "How are people alive" (Tolstoy).
A brief summary of the work, its analysis allows us to say that it makes us a little better. Opens many eyes for us. It makes you think, carries in itself eternal ideas - good, love for one's neighbor, compassion - the story "How are people alive" (Tolstoy). The analysis of the work was carried out by us briefly - we highlighted only the main points. You can supplement it yourself by including quotes and your own thoughts.