# Vanity of Worldly Success in A Confession

> Theme guide for A Confession by Leo Tolstoy.

The book critiques the emptiness of ambition, fame, wealth, and artistic acclaim, showing how these pursuits ultimately fail to provide lasting meaning and lead to moral corruption.

## Where it surfaces

- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_confession_se/chapters/i): The narrator's pursuit of perfection devolves into a desire for fame, wealth, and power over others.
- [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_confession_se/chapters/ii): The pursuit of money, fame, and praise among writers is shown as hollow and ultimately meaningless.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_confession_se/chapters/iii): Tolstoy reflects on the emptiness of fame and material gain, questioning the value of being more famous than Shakespeare.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_confession_se/chapters/iv): Despite having wealth, family, and fame, the narrator finds no satisfaction and sees these as mere distractions from the truth of death.
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_confession_se/chapters/vi): Solomon's Ecclesiastes passage and the Buddha's story highlight the emptiness of worldly pleasures, wisdom, and achievements.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_confession_se/themes/vanity_of_worldly_success
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_confession_se/themes