The story—actually a reworking of a story that one of Tolstoy’s characters, Platon Karataev, tells in War and Peace (Volume 4, Part 3, Chapter 13)—highlights Tolstoy’s increasing interest in religious and spiritual themes as his career progressed. The style is simple and unadorned, imparting its message about justice and forgiveness as a parable.

At the beginning of the story, Aksenov’s hedonistic and materialistic lifestyle—his drinking, his singing, and his pursuit of monetary gain—characterizes him as a shallow individual, an average sinner with little room in his life for God. When Aksenov marries and starts a family, he curbs some of his hedonistic pursuits—chiefly his drinking, which he gives up “except now and then” (117). However, Aksenov’s materialistic pursuits become, if anything, more pronounced. He focuses on his business interests while taking his family for granted. Thus, when Aksenov’s wife expresses her worries and asks him to delay his business trip, Aksenov dismisses her concerns, promising that he will sell all his goods and bring her back some presents.

What brings about Aksenov’s transformation is his harsh awakening to the injustice of human judgment.