Palamuru University Sem 3 (from 2022-23)
Too dear!
Leo Tolstoy
The Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) is considered one of the greatest writers in literary history. His novels, novellas, short tales, and essays contain themes like love, war, spirituality, and social justice. His most well-known works are "War and Peace," "Anna Karenina," and "The Death of Ivan Ilyich.” Tolstoy’s influence was great in the literary world. Tolstoy influenced M.K. Gandhi, Anton Chekhov, Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, and James Joyce. Twenty-three Tales is a popular compilation of short stories by Tolstoy. The present story, Too Dear!, is the 20th chapter in the compilation.
Leo Tolstoy's satirical story "Too Dear!" ridicules the legal system and the idea of the death penalty. The story takes place in a small kingdom named 'Monaco', situated on the Mediterranean Sea's shore near the borders of France and Italy. It is a tiny kingdom with 7,000 people and a mere army of sixty men, ruled by a kinglet. There are taxes on tobacco, wine, and spirit, as well as a poll tax.
The gaming playhouse is the primary source of the king's special revenue. The gaming playhouse owner pays a large sum of money out of his profits to the kinglet. Germany banned gaming houses due to the significant harm they were causing to its citizens. Those who are interested in gambling games go to Monaco. Though the king knows it is a dirty business, he has to do it to maintain his courtiers, ministers, generals, and army.
A man commits murder in this tiny country—a crime never recorded before. The judges, prosecutors, and barristers argue, ultimately delivering a judgment to cut off the criminal's head in accordance with the law. The king confirms the execution. They have neither a guillotine for cutting heads off nor an executioner. The ministers write letters to the French and Italian governments, requesting a machine and an expert to cut off the criminal's head. The French government replies that it would cost 16000 francs, whereas the Italian government agrees to 12000 francs, including travel expenses. The king believes that the population would pay more than 2 francs per head. The king requests the general assign a soldier to sever the criminal's head, but the soldiers decline, claiming they lack the necessary training for such an execution. To reduce the financial burden, the King establishes a committee to provide recommendations on the prisoner's case. The committee decides to change the death sentence to life imprisonment. The committee has sentenced the man to life in prison. There is no strong permanent prison; however, they find a place to house the murderer, assign a guard to keep watch, and arrange for him to receive his food from the palace kitchen. A year passes, and the king notices an expenditure of 600 francs a year, i.e., a criminal's expenditure, in the accounts. The king believes that the criminal's expenses are too high. Ministers suggest dismissing the guard, thereby enabling his escape. But he goes out to the king’s kitchen to fetch his own dinner and returns to the prison to stay inside. The prisoner declines to leave, stating that the sentence has damaged his reputation. The prisoner stands by his decision not to flee, citing the government's failure to carry out the execution. The government sentences him to life imprisonment and dispatches a guard to fetch food, but the guard withdraws after some time. The king agrees to pay a sum of 600 francs to get rid of him. The matter is settled. In advance, the prisoner receives one-third of the annuity and leaves the king's dominions.
With the advance amount, he buys a bit of land, starts gardening, and lives comfortably. He always goes at the proper time to draw his pension. He lives a good and peaceful life.
The themes of the story are governance, justice, morality, and the thirst for power. The writer sarcastically points out the failure of governance and justice.
The title 'Too dear' refers to something that is costly or high in price, but it also signifies something of great value. In this particular story, the cost of executing the criminal is prohibitively high. It is also significant that human life is of great value. In the story, the King's decisions are driven by cost. Because of the prisoner's excessive expenditure, the king's decisions are based on practical considerations.
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