A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life

“Master and Man” is a short story by Leo Tolstoy, written in 1895. Its two main characters are Vasili, a prosperous merchant and landowner, and Nikita, the peasant who works for him. Vasili is self-important and business-minded, while Nikita is good-humored and long-suffering. Vasili often takes advantage of Nikita, skimping on his pay or selling him goods at an inflated rate. He convinces himself, however, that he is not cheating Nikita, but is rather his “benefactor” (205).

One night just after the holidays, Vasili decides to travel to a plot of land that he wishes to buy. Even though it is storming outside, he feels an urgency about traveling that night, so as to buy the land at a reduced rate before competitors can swoop in. His wife insists that Nikita accompany him. After Nikita saddles his beloved horse Mukhorty to a sledge, and the two of them set out in the storm. Vasili’s young son, whom Vasili thinks of as his “heir” (209), rides along on the blades of their sledge until Vasili shoos him off and tells him to go home.

The storm is bad, but Vasili, who is driving the sledge, insists on taking the shortest route to the grove, even though Nikita counsels him that the longer route is safer.