When I read Master and Man, and I get to a section where Nikita and Vasili talk or interact with each other, their relationship feels so one-sided; Nikita’s companionship is often neglected by Vasili’s pride. As a character, Nikita can be described as “Valued everywhere for being hardworking, deft, and strong, and above all for his pleasant, kindly character.”, (p. 64). Vasili’s character can be recognized as thoughtful, for when he “had also turned him out more than once, but took him back again, valuing his honesty, love of animals, and above all his cheapness. Vasili Andreyich didn’t give Nikita the eighty rubles such a good worker deserved, but forty, paying it out randomly, either in cash, or more often in kind, in goods from his shop charged at a high rate.”, (p. 64).
With these quotes, the pair can be seen as two different personalities. One is hardworking, loyal, and good company, and the other is neglectful, ungrateful, and sometimes empathetic. This is why I think Nikita and Vasili are like a dog and an old man. Nikita is the dog who always follows the man, always hardworking, and always in a good mood. As well as Vasili, the dog’s owner, or “Master”, who always pushes the dog away when it gets too close, takes the dog’s companionship for granted, and only sees the dog as just an animal, or “servant”.
This story raises questions about who we are and where we are by presenting us with a perspective of less unfortunate poverty, and rich fortune from Nikita and Vasili. Who we are is not to be defined by our class, like judging a book by it’s cover, and where we are is never permanent. This story also raises questions about what we are doing and what we should be doing, by demonstrating the poor and rich. One scrapes for breadcumbs, one owns the bread loaf making factory, but they didn’t choose to be born into this life. That doesn’t mean the poor should be envious and jealous, and it doesn’t mean the rich can be greedy and gluttonous. What we should be doing, no matter what spot we are in life is being grateful, just for life itself, for some people might live in severe or worse conditions, but still work with a smile on their face. Like Nikita, who is a 50 year old peasant, who gets cut of his pay from his Master, but still is kind and enjoying of his presence. With all the flaws in Nikita’s daily life like his financial situation, alcohol problem, and no homeownership, he pushes through and doesn’t let it get to him, not taking anything for granted, like his kids and wife. Overall, this book, or section of a book, was only around 50-60 pages, and while that is short, each page had a new situation and even maybe a lesson to learn from.