The story “Master and Man”, written by Leo Tolstoy, makes me think about how different it was in the early days (1895) compared to nowadays. It makes me feel thankful for what we have now. Especially when Vasili and Nikita are riding on the sledge with the ice-cold air constantly blowing on their faces and their limbs numb. Now we don’t need to worry about that because of our recent inventions. At the end of the story, after the pheasants dug them out of the snow, Nikita is the only one that lived, thanks to Vasili, and he had to go to the hospital for two months.
I think the end of “Master and Man” changes the meaning of the title, even though the story still addresses Vasili as Nikita’s “dead master”. I think this because of the situation they were in could have changed the way Vasili thinks. The amount of time that they both spent in thought in an environment where they both think they are going to die. Vasili had time to think about what he should do. His attempt to find a nearby village only lead him back to the sledge with Nikita. I think once he got back and saw how Nikita was nearly dead made him think fast. He could have been giving his life to save Nikita’s because Vasili may have thought he had more to live for, and at the very end of the story, Nikita changes as well by asking for forgiveness from his wife and taking leave of his son and daughter-in-law.
Overall, I enjoyed reading “Master and Man” and having class discussions about each section which helped clear any confusing parts or moments up.