Tolstoy’s Pacifism By Colm McKeogh

with its masterful descriptions of the sheer sensual pleasure of living and the tolerance and charity evident in the sympathetic depictions of his characters. His writing made a great impact with its freshness and descriptive power, and the simplicity and sharpness of his images. He vowed to use the right word every time, however crude, repetitious, or unliterary: “I never saw lips of coral but I have seen them the color of brick; nor turquoise eyes, but I have seen them the color of laundry bluing.” ²⁰ But his novels were famed for their penetrating psychology and vivid description of the individual characters, none of whom was wholly good and none wholly bad. Yet he was never a man of letters so much as a seeker of the truth. His primary concerns were not those of literature or the art of writing; his goal was always the discovery of the truth in order that it be proclaimed and put into action. What stood between Tolstoy and happiness were the very perceptions and sensitivities that made him a great artist. Our usual perceptions of time and distance save us from horror at the imminence of our deaths and at the harmful consequences of our acts. But perceptions can alter, and sometimes we see starkly the brevity of our lives and the suffering that our individual and collective acts can inflict on others, however remote the consequences from the causes. Tolstoy could not but see it all in horrifying detail.