28 pages • 56 minutes read
Leo TolstoyWhat Men Live By
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1885A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Clothing
Clothing is used as a symbol within the story to show how well-off characters are. The story’s inciting incident is that Simon and Matryona need a new coat. Michael’s nakedness is a key point of concern in whether they should care for him—if they cannot even clothe themselves, how will they provide for another who needs even more than they do? His lack of clothing is also a visual illustration of how bereft he is—a man without even clothes on his back. Matryona’s initial anger peaks with her demand that Simon “Give [him her] jacket. It is the only one I have, and you must needs take it from me and wear it yourself” (Part 3, paragraph 19). Giving up the clothing, i.e., pragmatic material security, saves not only Michael but also Matryona.
Other depictions of clothing are similarly symbolic. The gentleman wears a fur coat and has German leather for his boots, signs of his excess and selfishness. The twin girls and their adoptive mother are also well-dressed and comfortable, but in this instance, it shows the care the mother has for her young charges. The gentleman’s wealth doesn’t protect him from death, while the twins’ clothing proves that God provides.
The Heart
The heart is used as a motif to reinforce the theme of generosity. Both Matryona and Simon feel their hearts become glad when they help Michael. These feelings are despite the material burden their generosity has caused them; they reflect on their hearts immediately after they worry over their physical circumstances. Matryona’s heart is also described as “ready to break” when she believes Simon has behaved selfishly and drank away all the money needed for a new coat (Part 3, paragraph 7). Once again, the motif of the heart appears in opposition to selfish behavior. Matryona’s heart must soften before she can overcome her reluctance to help Michael, and it does so in recognition of how little he has compared to her.
The other great instance of generosity within the story, the woman’s adoption of the twin girls, is also described with a reference to “heart.” Michael declares that it was “love in the heart of a woman” that saved the girls and left them well provided for (Part 12, paragraph 4), in contrast to the fact that caring for them seemed to offer no material advantage.
Light
Light often surrounds Michael within the story, symbolizing his connection to God. The strength of the light grows as he learns the three truths, going from initially just having his face “lit up” (Part 4, paragraph 6) and become “brighter” (Part 6, paragraph 10) to having “the whole hut […] lighted up […] from the corner where Michael sat” (Part 9, paragraph 5). When Michael is ascending, the light appears again, this time described as “a light shone from Michael” (Part 10, paragraph 2). The light has become internal—Michael is once again holy in and of himself and is not just bathed in light but producing it.
During his final ascent, Michael loses form entirely, becoming just “a column of fire” that “rose from earth to heaven” (Part 12, paragraph 8). This final appearance as something made entirely of light and warmth contrasts directly with his initial appearance as a freezing man in the dark evening. He has learned what he needed to, and with this new understanding has completed his journey back to the “light” of God. This light is both a symbol and a motif—it symbolizes Michael’s connection to God, and as a motif, it portrays the warmth and light of God.
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By Leo Tolstoy
