Tolstoy’s short story, “Master and Man,” brings to light an important theme about the power that nature has over people. While the story at first focuses on the relationship between Vasily Andreyevich and the peasant Nikita, it ultimately addresses how nature serves as a master over all people. At the beginning of the story, Vasily Andreyevich clearly is Nikita’s master, as he pays Nikita for his work and is called master (492). The relationship between them is clearly understood, particularly since Vasily Andreyevich claims that they “are dealing straightforwardly. You work for me, and I stand by you” (491). This is a typical master and servant relationship, as the servant is expected to perform what the master desires; in addition, another instance of this relationship can be seen in reference to the snowstorm.

Vasily Andreyevich entire motivation for traveling during the storm is to get a favorable price on a plot of forest. The irony of this situation is that in trying to control natural resources, nature fights back and become the main characters’ master. While the storm is raging, Vasily Andreyevich and Nikita reject the offer to stay a night to wait out the storm; instead they press forward for the sake of “business” and the fear that “if you let an hour go, you may not be able to make it up in a year” (506). After being forced to stop their journey because of the storm, they begin to succumb to the masterful power of nature. Nikita articulates his acceptance of nature as the true master when he responds to Vasily Andreyevich question about them freezing by saying “we cannot help it” (513). Both characters are at the whim of nature, as their efforts to progress are constantly stymied to the point that they give up and hope to make it through the night. Neither of the characters have much power to control their fates, as it all depends on what nature desires.

While nature controls the lives of both characters, Vasily Andreyevich’s final action of saving Nikita to some extent calls into question to what extent nature is the true master of man. Interestingly, Nikita is described as saved by being “kept warm beneath his now dead master” (527). The fact that Vasily Andreyevich is described as a master at the end of the story reveals how nature may not be the final authority over all people, as man still has the capacity to act against the power of nature. I am interested to hear everyone’s thoughts about which “master and man” relationship is more significant and whether there are more such relationships in this work.