The Value of Simple Life

Tolstoy finds meaning not in intellectual or artistic pursuits, but in observing and eventually embracing the humble, laborious, and faith-filled life of ordinary working people.

Working people who produce sustenance for all are portrayed as happy and reasonable, in contrast to the narrator's former life.

The narrator rejects the parasitic life of his circle and turns to the simple laboring folk, whose faith and way of life provide a meaningful answer to life's questions.

The narrator is drawn to the illiterate peasant's faith and the stories of ignorant, stupid men who are saved, valuing simplicity over learned doctrine.