A Confession · Question
How does A Confession develop the theme of Moral Corruption of Society?
Answer
A Confession by Leo Tolstoy develops Moral Corruption of Society across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The narrative condemns the hypocrisy of the educated and wealthy classes, who praise vice and selfishness while professing morality, and contrasts this with the simple, laborious life of the peasantry.
The narrator describes the immorality and self-serving nature of writers and society, which praises vice and ignores virtue.
The execution reveals the moral failure of society's belief in progress, which cannot justify such a deed.
The narrator condemns the parasitic existence of the rich and leisured, who destroy life in themselves and others.
Evidence in the book
- Chapter II
The narrator describes the immorality and self-serving nature of writers and society, which praises vice and ignores virtue.
- III
The execution reveals the moral failure of society's belief in progress, which cannot justify such a deed.
- Chapter XI
The narrator condemns the parasitic existence of the rich and leisured, who destroy life in themselves and others.
- Chapter XV
The church's justification of war and executions, and its hostile treatment of other Christian groups, contradicting the principle of love.
- Endnotes
The note on the 'Back-to-the-People' movement highlights Tolstoy's perception that upper layers of society are parasitic and prey on the people.
