Reading Ivan The Fool by Leo Tolstoy one can’t help but wonder about the broader opinions of Tolstoy himself.
Ivan the Fool
Ivan The Fool is an interpretation of a traditional Russian folk tale figure. Ivan is the youngest of three brothers (Tolstoy adds a younger sister too), the 2 older brothers pursue ambitions and leave the family farm to find their fortune ultimately coming to ruin. Ivan by contrast, due to his simple nature, lack of greed and holding no grudge lives a successful life.
In Tolstoy’s tale this is amplified as Ivan is shown to be simple and nearly monosybillic. The younger sister is mute and also stays home on the family farm. Ivan’s family are poor but provided for by the family farm. The eldest 2 brothers, Simeon and Tarras, leave home to make their fortune. Simeon becomes a great soldier, covers himself in glory and marries a noblewoman. Tarras becomes a successful merchant and becomes rich. A turn in luck for each brings them home and they make demands on the family living. Their father refuses but Ivan agrees readily to their demands. The devil, displeased by the brothers not arguing, sends three little devils to sow discontent among the brothers; one for each brother. Although successful in ruining the 2 elder brothers by instilling Simeon with excessive courage and Tarras with greed, Ivan resists the devils machinations by stubborn hard work, he then defeats each devil in turn and is granted powers of his own which he uses purely for the entertainment of the villagers. The brothers realise they can exploit these powers to their own end. Simeon and Tarras eventually each attain a kingdom of their own and to great success. Ivan, upon helping the Tsar, is married to the princess and becomes Tsar himself. Ivan’s kingdom becomes a kind of utopia where everyone lives simply without wealth or war. There is no currency, no army and hard work is valued over other pursuits. The devil then wonders as to the fate of his little devils and finds them failed, attempts himself. He is easily successful with the 2 elder brothers and destroys their kingdoms. However, he cannot, despite multiple schemes, destroy the kingdom of Ivan. Ivan and his people overcome each ploy through their lack of greed, pacifism and common sense.
Tolstoy’s Anarchism
Tolstoy was a Christian Anarchist. He had a strong belief in God and especially in the speeches attributed directly to Jesus. He was a pacifist, vegetarian and anti-hunting (despite being brought up enjoying it). He believed that war was a necessary consequence of governments. He never referred to himself as an anarchist but helped to promote and further the cause. He wrote in support of the ideas of anarchism except revolution. He wrote about pacifism and nonviolent action and was a great influence on Gandhi among many others.
The morals in Ivan the Fool are a little obvious, one might think cliched, but if you look at the tale as a parable for children, which it quite easily could be (it is a fairy tale in essence), then it offers a gentle inspiration and prompt for ideas of greed, pride and the pursuit of power as well as extolling the virtues of forgiveness, humility and hard work.
Darren Ellis is a teacher, creative and owner of Rotten Poetry. He reads classic literature, fantasy, sci-fi, literary fiction and history.
Image: Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism, Peter Marshall