Tolstoy Leo. The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories

The Kreutzer Sonata.
Lesson of "The Kreutzer Sonata."
Ivan the Fool.
A Lost Opportunity.
"Polikushka" or, The Lot of a Wicked Court Servant.
The Candle.The Kreutzer Sonata:
During a train ride, Pozdnyshev overhears a conversation concerning marriage, divorce and love. When a woman argues that marriage should not be arranged but based on true love, he asks "what is love?" and points out that, if understood as an exclusive preference for one person, it often passes quickly. Convention dictates that two married people stay together, and initial love can quickly turn into hatred. He then relates how he used to visit prostitutes when he was young, and complains that women's dresses are designed to arouse men's desires. He further states that women will never enjoy equal rights to men as long as men view them as objects of desire, but yet describes their situation as a form of power over men, mentioning how much of society is geared towards their pleasure and well-being and how much sway they have over men's actions.