The Light Shines in Darkness

"The Light Shines in Darkness" by Leo Tolstoy is a late 1800s stageplay focused on Nicholas Ivánovich Sarýntsov, a person who shakes up long-held traditions and family duties with his extreme views on owning things and his interpretation of Christian teachings. The story looks at what is right and wrong, what we owe to our families, and the inner battle between what someone believes and what society expects. The play begins at a home in the country, where the Sarýntsov family and friends talk about Nicholas's strange new ideas, developed after he went through some tough times and got sick. His family worries because Nicholas wants to give away all their money and land as a way of showing Christian love. These radical ideas cause problems for his wife and kids, causing a major conflict as Nicholas's beliefs crash against his duty to his family.