Morality
Leo Tolstoy addresses several problems of contemporary society which deeply bothered him. Morality is one of these. The main character Posdnicheff tells how abnormal and dreadful the place of morality is in the modern world. Although neatly dressed and showing polite manners, a person is simply rotten inside. When looking at a woman each man, who had already experienced physical closeness with a woman, sees nothing but an object of pleasure. The author does not give the solution of the problem, since it required complete reconsideration of values which is beyond possible.
The rights of a woman
The theme which is so popular nowadays has attracted many writers centuries ago as well, as this problem existed at each time period, and the end of the 19th century was not an exception. But the author does not bring the problem as an already formed one, he rather draws attention to its existence and mocks how this problem is treated. Women really had started getting education and as a result started being significant taking important positions, but still each man continued looking at a woman with a secret desire of obtaining her. No rights for women could be seriously perceived as long as men did not look at women as equal to men themselves. The author ironically says that it looks like cannibals fatten their captives and at the same time tell that it is for the captives’ benefit.
Marriage and love
The very possibility of a marriage being based on love, or at least the fact that such marriages exist, is excluded in the worldview of the main character. He deeply believes that it is all lies, that true love can never be reached since a person has already experienced physical pleasures of life. Possibly, only purity even before marriage can lead to building the strong institution of a family based on mutual love.
