Conception of Love in the Kreutzer SonataPerhaps Tolstoy's short story, "The Kreutzer Sonata," really captures an accurate conception of love, although very negative. To better understand what is highlighted in this story, we must look into it, and especially take an interest in the character of Pozdnychev. Pozdnyshev has just spent several years in prison for the murder of his unfaithful wife, as we learn early on. in history. His story is sordid, as it recounts his past life, before his marriage, meeting his wife, their marriage, their appalling relationship up to the murder itself and the court. What is interesting about his story is his unique perception of love, marriage and society in general. The first important element that he highlights, which clearly establishes his state of mind, concerns the motive which pushed him to kill his son. woman, and the understanding he has of this act. “'At the trial, they asked me why and how I had killed her. Fools! They thought I had killed her with a knife on October 5th. It wasn't then that I killed her, but much earlier. Just as they are all killing, all, all...'” He does not consider his killing blow to be murder, but only as the end result of the path they have been following from the beginning. It was inevitable. The passion that had driven them to marriage could not last. It's gone, it's gone and they have nothing more to say. Their only connection was physical contact, sexuality. They only found their reason for being in their “pig connection.” Podznychev adds a second element, opening the door to the social practices of his time, particularly those of young men in the prime of life. He himself did not marry...... middle of paper......it was considered natural at a certain point. Hawthorne's short story does the same thing, this time critiquing a different set of social values ​​associated with love. Tolstoy's unique elaboration on the subject offers us a new option. The eccentric Pozdnychev presents everything in a dark setting. Again, these protests come from an observation of society, not an understanding of love as a concept. What Pozdnychev strives for is a change in mentality, the improvement of his fellow men. Love should be exalted, poetic and sensual, but it is not. If this is not the case, it is because society and the State have made it so, by legalizing prostitution, by encouraging young men to debauchery. In fact, a new approach is being introduced, the idea that social conventions dictate the nature of love as we understand it. , that everything depends on the point of view of a person or group.