Ilyas

by Leo Tolstoy

"Ilyás" is a short story by Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. In this tale contrasting opulence with happiness, Tolstoy shows readers once again how dedicated he is to the Christian religion and how strongly he believes in it. The story is set up so, at the end, we are taught the moral that it is better to be happy than rich, as evidenced by Ilyas’s contentedness as a servant and his displeasure as the wealthiest man in the area...

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, Russia, Russian Literature

6 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1885

About the author

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (Russian: Лев Николаевич Толстой; most appropriately used Liev Tolstoy; commonly Leo Tolstoy in Anglophone countries) was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist fiction. Many consider Tolstoy to have been one of the world's greatest novelists. Tolstoy is equally known for his complicated and paradoxical persona and for his extreme moralistic and ascetic views, which he adopted after a moral crisis and spiritual awakening in the 1870s, after which he also became noted as a moral thinker and social reformer.

His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centering on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him in later life to become a fervent Christian anarchist and anarcho-pacifist. His ideas on nonviolent resistance, expressed in such works as The Kingdom of God Is Within You, were to have a profound impact on such pivotal twentieth-century figures as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Reviews

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful short story about how money isn’t the answer to everything.

[Johar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent message : to find happiness one need to find his master and submit the will to that master.
Richness can't bring happiness but it can make one's life busy with anxiety and unsafe feelings.

[Aarsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Working my way through Tolstoy's selected short stories and this one was a charming little story. It reminded me of the the religious parables I learned as a child. Since this focused on working enough to survive and finding meaning from non consumption based happiness, I'll quote someone who summarizes my thoughts on this very point:

"We don’t attain lasting happiness by grasping at things or by running from discomfort. So long as our material needs and safety are met, there’s no one-more-thing that’s gonna make [us] happy. We already possess everything we need to be alive in the present in any moment."

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story, showing us how riches don't necessarily bring happiness.

[l_i_s_a_p_h · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many layers to this little story....when Ilyas grew rich and spoiled his children, his troubles began. When he was poor, they worked together. You can only serve one master. Will it be money or God?

[Niklas Zenius Jespersen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Selvom historien er godt fortalt og godt skrevet, så er jeg ikke så begejstret. Den form for kristen socialisme den udtrykker finder jeg dybt reaktionært. Ja, den kritiserer materialisme og rigdom og er sympatisk overfor arbejdende folk, men den udtrykker samtidig også en opfattelse af at materiel rigdom ikke er vigtigt og at man er mere lykkelig som arbejder end rigmand, hvilket i praksis, modsat Tolstoys intention, bevirker en opfattelse af at der ikke er grund til at gøre oprør imod den sociale ulighed fordi vi er bedre stillet med vores lod som arbejdere og undergivne. Den udtrykker også en opfattelse af at man ikke bliver lykkelig af penge, som kun folk med penge (og Tolstoy kom af rigdom) kan udtrykke. For ja, man bliver ikke lykkelig af at havde penge, men det hjælper fandeme på det og man kan blive særdeles ulykkelig af materiel mangel.

[Theo Milos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A message from Tolstoy to not just chase money but more importantly happiness. Ilyas, the main character, is initially rich but toward the end he find himself and his family poor. They start to work for the neighbors. Even though they lost everything they owned their happiness and love increased.

“I speak the truth and do not jest. For half a century we sought for happiness, and as long as we were rich we never found it. Now that we have nothing left, and have taken service as laborers, we have found such happiness that we want nothing better”

“Now, when my husband and I wake in the morning, we always have a loving word for one another and we live peacefully, having nothing to quarrel about. We have no care but how best to serve our master”

[Efe Akarsu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ilyas left me unconvinced. The idea that “happiness lies in tranquility” isn’t silly in itself, but the way it’s portrayed feels simplistic. Tolstoy tries to fit life into rigid patterns, but it is far bigger and more complex than a single moral frame. The story suggests that calmness can only be found through simplicity or poverty, which I find unrealistic. Tolstoy often forces life into strict moral frameworks, but that isn't what reality is. Why can't we have a peaceful life when we are wealthy? We shape our circumstances, and happiness depends on how we think and how we live. With the right perspective, a man can be happy at any stage of life.

[Joyce T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not completely sure if this story was inspired by the Bible, but it does show some similarity to the story of Lazarus and the rich man.

[CH0MSKY H0NK · Rating 5 out of 5]

I experienced this in my own life, only when you stop chasing happiness and running from anxieties do you achieve your goals. Also could be an analogy for a better world someday