Ivan the Fool Page #2

"Ivan the Fool" is a novella by Leo Tolstoy that examines the themes of wisdom, folly, and the nature of happiness. The story follows the life of Ivan, a simple and good-hearted peasant who is often regarded as foolish by those around him. Despite his lack of worldly wisdom, Ivan possesses a profound understanding of what truly matters in life—love, kindness, and contentment. Throughout the narrative, Tolstoy contrasts Ivan's humble perspective with the greed and pretentiousness of others, ultimately suggesting that genuine wisdom may reside in sincerity and simplicity rather than in societal conventions. Through a blend of humor and moral reflection, Tolstoy invites readers to reconsider their definitions of intelligence and success.

								


He concluded with: “Come, brothers, and help me, for if we do not
conquer him our whole enterprise will be a failure. If the Fool is
permitted successfully to conduct his farming, they will have no need,
for he will support his brothers.”

CHAPTER III.

Ivan having succeeded in plowing all but a small portion of his land,
he returned the next day to finish it. The pain in his stomach
continued, but he felt that he must go on with his work. He tried to
start his plow, but it would not move; it seemed to have struck a hard
root. It was the small devil in the ground who had wound his feet
around the plowshares and held them.

“This is strange,” thought Ivan. “There were never any roots here
before, and this is surely one.”

Ivan put his hand in the ground, and, feeling something soft, grasped
and pulled it out. It was like a root in appearance, but seemed to
possess life. Holding it up he saw that it was a little devil.
Disgusted, he exclaimed, “See the nasty thing,” and he proceeded to
strike it a blow, intending to kill it, when the young devil cried out:

“Do not kill me, and I will grant your every wish.”

“What can you do for me?”

“Tell me what it is you most wish for,” the little devil replied.

Ivan, peasant-fashion, scratched the back of his head as he thought,
and finally he said:

“I am dreadfully sick at my stomach. Can you cure me?”

“I can,” the little devil said.

“Then do so.”

The little devil bent toward the earth and began searching for roots,
and when he found them he gave them to Ivan, saying: “If you will
swallow some of these you will be immediately cured of whatsoever
disease you are afflicted with.”

Ivan did as directed, and obtained instant relief.

“I beg of you to let me go now,” the little devil pleaded; “I will pass
into the earth, never to return.”

“Very well; you may go, and God bless you;” and as Ivan pronounced the
name of God, the small devil disappeared into the earth like a flash,
and only a slight opening in the ground remained.

Ivan placed in his hat what roots he had left, and proceeded to plow.
Soon finishing his work, he turned his plow over and returned home.

When he reached the house he found his brother Simeon and his wife
seated at the supper-table. His estate had been confiscated, and he
himself had barely escaped execution by making his way out of prison,
and having nothing to live upon had come back to his father for
support.

Turning to Ivan he said: “I came to ask you to care for us until I can
find something to do.”

“Very well,” Ivan replied; “you may remain with us.”

Just as Ivan was about to sit down to the table Simeon’s wife made a
wry face, indicating that she did not like the smell of Ivan’s
sheep-skin coat; and turning to her husband she said, “I shall not sit
at the table with a moujik [peasant] who smells like that.”

Simeon the soldier turned to his brother and said: “My lady objects to
the smell of your clothes. You may eat in the porch.”

Ivan said: “Very well, it is all the same to me. I will soon have to go
and feed my horse any way.”

Ivan took some bread in one hand, and his kaftan (coat) in the other,
and left the room.

CHAPTER IV.

The small devil finished with Simeon that night, and according to
agreement went to the assistance of his comrade who had charge of Ivan,
that he might help to conquer the Fool. He went to the field and
searched everywhere, but could find nothing but the hole through which
the small devil had disappeared.

“Well, this is strange,” he said; “something must have happened to my
companion, and I will have to take his place and continue the work he
began. The Fool is through with his plowing, so I must look about me
for some other means of compassing his destruction. I must overflow his
meadow and prevent him from cutting the grass.”

The little devil accordingly overflowed the meadow with muddy water,
and, when Ivan went at dawn next morning with his scythe set and
sharpened and tried to mow the grass, he found that it resisted all his
efforts and would not yield to the implement as usual.

Many times Ivan tried to cut the grass, but always without success. At
last, becoming weary of the effort, he decided to return home and have
his scythe again sharpened, and also to procure a quantity of bread,
saying: “I will come back here and will not leave until I have mown all
the meadow, even if it should take a whole week.”

Hearing this, the little devil became thoughtful, saying: “That Ivan is
a koolak [hard case], and I must think of some other way of
conquering him.”

Ivan soon returned with his sharpened scythe and started to mow.

The small devil hid himself in the grass, and as the point of the
scythe came down he buried it in the earth and made it almost
impossible for Ivan to move the implement. He, however, succeeded in
mowing all but one small spot in the swamp, where again the small devil
hid himself, saying: “Even if he should cut my hands I will prevent him
from accomplishing his work.”

When Ivan came to the swamp he found that the grass was not very thick.
Still, the scythe would not work, which made him so angry that he
worked with all his might, and one blow more powerful than the others
cut off a portion of the small devil’s tail, who had hidden himself
there.

Despite the little devil’s efforts he succeeded in finishing his work,
when he returned home and ordered his sister to gather up the grass
while he went to another field to cut rye. But the devil preceded him
there, and fixed the rye in such a manner that it was almost impossible
for Ivan to cut it; however, after continuous hard labor he succeeded,
and when he was through with the rye he said to himself: “Now I will
start to mow oats.”

On hearing this, the little devil thought to himself: “I could not
prevent him from mowing the rye, but I will surely stop him from mowing
the oats when the morning comes.”

Early next day, when the devil came to the field, he found that the
oats had been already mowed. Ivan did it during the night, so as to
avoid the loss that might have resulted from the grain being too ripe
and dry. Seeing that Ivan again had escaped him, the little devil
became greatly enraged, saying:

“He cut me all over and made me tired, that fool. I did not meet such
misfortune even on the battle-field. He does not even sleep;” and the
devil began to swear. “I cannot follow him,” he continued. “I will go
now to the heaps and make everything rotten.”

Accordingly he went to a heap of the new-mown grain and began his
fiendish work. After wetting it he built a fire and warmed himself, and
soon was fast asleep.

Ivan harnessed his horse, and, with his sister, went to bring the rye
home from the field.

After lifting a couple of sheaves from the first heap his pitchfork
came into contact with the little devil’s back, which caused the latter
to howl with pain and to jump around in every direction. Ivan
exclaimed:

“See here! What nastiness! You again here?”

“I am another one!” said the little devil. “That was my brother. I am
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