Too Dear
- Leo Tolstoy
A short Introduction
Too Dear! is a story written by Count Leo Tolstoy, a famous Russian writer, master of
realistic fiction and is widely considered one of the world’s greatest novelists.
The story Too Dear! is a parody of one of the modern systems of governance. It ridicules the ways of punishing criminals and dispensing justice in modern states. The story is
narrated in a matter-of fact-tone but with an undercurrent of sarcasm. Leo Tolstoy satirises the thirst for power, exercised by men of the upper class. In addition, it also raises a serious question on capital punishment.
Summary
The king of Monaco ruled a tiny kingdom with a small population of about seven thousand. In that kingdom he was a real kinglet. He had a palace, courtiers, ministers, a bishop, generals and an army too. However, he had very limited sources of income to run his kingdom: a tax on tobacco, wine and spirits and a poll-tax. These sources were insufficient. So, he found a new source of special income; a gaming house where people played roulette. This was the only place in the whole of Europe where people would come to play. Whether they would win or lose, the Prince gained by it. It is like, ‘You can’t earn stone palaces by honest labour’. This statement is true with reference to the context the king of Monaco lived in. He knew it very well that gambling is a dirty business. He also understood that levying taxes on drink and tobacco for revenue is not a good idea. But, he had to resort to it for the survival and sustenance of his kingdom.
All is well in the kingdom of Monaco until a man commits a murder. The king had never had to deal with the murder. The judges tried the case and awarded the death sentence to the criminal. The King runs into considerable trouble trying to carry out the sentence. Monaco had neither a guillotine nor an executioner, so they requested the government of France for the same. France agreed to send the requirements for the sum of 16,000 francs. This would require imposing more tax on people. So, the king requested help from the king of Italy who agreed to provide the requirements at the cost of 12000 francs. As the King couldn't afford the expenses, the death sentence was altered to imprisonment for life.
Life imprisonment however presented its own set of problems. There needed to be a guard to watch the criminal and provide him with food. At the end of a year the king noticed a new item of expenditure which was to keep the criminal. The cost came to be 600 francs, which would still require an increase of taxes. It was decided that the guard should be dismissed, at the risk of losing the prisoner. On dismissing the guard they thought the prisoner would run away. However, he did not try to escape and continued to stay in the prison. He said that they had ruined his character by their sentence and that people would turn their backs on him. Besides, he had got out of the way of working. They had treated him very badly. So, he did not want to run away.
It was then agreed to offer him a pension of 600 francs. He was ready to accept on condition that he would be paid regularly. He left the King’s dominions after receiving one third of his annuity. Later, he emigrated and settled just across the frontier. He bought a bit of land and started market gardening. He always went to receive his pension at the proper time. After receiving his money he would go to the gaming house and stake two or three francs. Sometimes he won and at times lost. However, he lived peaceably. In the concluding paragraph the narrator comments that it is good that the prisoner did not commit his crime in a country where they do not mind the expense to get a man’s head off or to keep him in prison for life.
Conclusion
Tolstoy seems to question the very conviction of the rulers and the system of law and governance instituted by them. The writer puns on the title “Too Dear!” which means either too kind or too expensive, or of great value. He leaves it to the reader to decide whether Too Dear! refers to executing the criminal or saving the criminal’s life.
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