TOO DEAR STORY/CHAPTER SHORT & LONG SUMMARY (ENGLISH)
Introduction:
This is a funny little satirical tale by the great Leo Tolstoy. What happens if you sentence a killer to death but your country won’t go to the cost of killing him? This short story explores the greed of the rulers of Monaco’s small country and the impractical steps they take in confronting this issue. Monaco’s ruler doesn’t want to bear the expense of properly guillotining the guy and none of their tiny army of soldiers wants to take on the task of beheading the criminal. It seems that shooting him just isn’t an option? Inefficient bureaucracy at its best!
TOO DEAR SHORT SUMMARY
In Too Dear! by Leo Tolstoy we have the theme of governance, justice, morality and power. Narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator the reader realizes after reading the story that Tolstoy may be exploring the theme of governance. Every time that the King encounters a problem with the prisoner he calls upon his Council of State. Who in turn end up setting up committees and sub-committees in an effort to resolve the issues with the prisoner. This may be important as Tolstoy may be suggesting that the King is unable to govern on his own and is relying on others to govern the Principality of Monaco. It is also noticeable that the most important thing to the King is money. He won’t hang the prisoner because it costs too much money. Then he won’t have a soldier guarding the prisoner because again it costs too much money. Eventually Tolstoy borders on the ridiculous with the prisoner leaving his cell each day and going into the palace to get his own food and then returning to his cell. Still this is too expensive for the King and he offers the prisoner a pension. If anything money overrules the law as far as the King is concerned. It is cheaper for the King to get rid of the prisoner by way of pension than to kill him for the crime he committed (murder).
It is also noticeable that nobody in government questions any of the King’s decisions. His word is law which leaves the reader wondering as to why the King needs a government at all. If he is not going to take the advice of his government ministers. All power is based around the King. If the King likes an idea and it is not going to cost him too much money. Then that is the way the King will go. Everything is driven by cost for the King regardless of what an individual’s crime might be. At no stage in the story does the reader suspect that the King thinks any differently. He has been presented with one of the worst crimes possible and has decided it is cheaper to pension off the prisoner. If anything the prisoner has been rewarded for his actions rather than being punished. Which may leave some readers to suggest that what is happening is bizarre. Which may be the point that Tolstoy is attempting to make. He may be suggesting that the King (and his ministers) are not fit to govern.
It may also be a case that Tolstoy is highlighting the uniqueness of Monaco. Something that is noticeable by not only the treatment of the prisoner but by the fact that Monaco is the only place in Europe that has gaming houses. It is the taxes from the gaming houses that pay for a lot of the King’s endeavors. He is reliant on the taxes from the gaming houses to keep Monaco (and himself too) afloat. Morals do not appear to be an issue for the King. Unlike in the rest of Europe where gaming houses are not allowed due to the problem that they can create. It would appear that the most important thing for the King is not to abide by the laws of Monaco but to ensure that Monaco has enough money to allow the King to live the life he would like to. The King’s main priority is himself and not his subjects. Which may suggest to some that the King is selfish and that his policies are driven by finances rather than by fairness.
The King is not the only one who is acting selfish throughout the story. All his ministers rather than questioning the King’s rulings support the King completely. Most likely because they do not want things to change in Monaco. They in all probability are living comfortable lives as ministers to the King. It is as though they have a thirst for power which blinds them morally. They do after all agree with the King giving the prisoner a pension. Which though ridiculous is nonetheless acceptable in Monaco. Not one minister tackles the King on any of his decisions. As mentioned the King’s word is law regardless of what the courts may say. To an outsider the King’s actions are inappropriate yet nobody in Monaco will challenge the King. If anything the real winner in the story is the prisoner. He gets to leave Monaco and return when his pension is due. With the money he receives he is able to set himself up in business. Yet the same can’t be said for the person that the prisoner killed (or their family). The prisoner has committed a crime and evaded justice all because the King of Monaco does not wish to spend the money on executing the prisoner or feeding him. It is easier and cheaper for the King to give the prisoner a pension even though he is guilty of murder. In all likelihood the King because of the cost involved in executing the prisoner is setting a precedent.
TOO DEAR LONG SUMMARY
“Too Dear!” is a story written by a famous Russian writer count Leo Tolstoy who is considered as a master of realistic fiction and widely regarded as one of the greatest novelists in the world. “Too Dear!” is a satire on one of the modern governance systems. It ridicules the ways in which criminals are punished and justice is dispensed in modern states. The story is narrated in fact-tone but with a sarcasm undercurrent. Leo Tolstoy satirizes the hunger for power that is exerted by upperclassmen, and how it affects society. Moreover, it also raises a major question of capital punishment.
The story starts with the description of the Monaco Kingdom. It was a tiny Kingdom with a small population of around seven thousand, and each would hardly get one acre if the land were to be shared. Like in other countries, it also had a ruler, a palace, ministers, army, etc.
There were only sixty troops in the Army. The king has levied taxes on tobacco, alcohol and poll. In addition to these, he also owned gaming houses, where people play, roulette and were a source of special profits. If a person loses or wins in gambling he must pay a percentage to the keeper who had to give the king a large amount. And the king of Monaco got a decent revenue stream to keep his ministers, courtiers, and officials alive.
According to the speaker, the gambling establishment was flourishing in Monaco as it was the only such gambling establishment left in Europe. Such establishments were
found in Germany but the Germans forbade them as they did much harm for the people. A man would go and try his luck and all his money. Then he would gamble money which did not belong to him and lose it too. In despair, he would drown or shoot himself.
Realizing the ethical perspective, the German sovereigns banned such gambling establishments. But there was no one to speak up against the King of Monaco and thus he held a monopoly of the business. Anyone in Europe, who wanted to gamble, would try his luck by visiting the gambling establishment in Monaco as it was the only such establishment left in Europe. The gamekeeper would get a percentage of the turnover whether people who gambled won or lost and out of his profits, he would pay a large
sum to the King.
The Kingdom of Monaco would have a revenue deficit if it banned gambling establishments. Instead of cutting down on expenses related to the monarchy, the king decided to play with his subject’s lives by allowing the gambling establishment to stay in his tiny Country.
Everything is going well in the Monaco Kingdom until a man commits a murder. The people were peaceful and happy and this had not happened before. Both the lawyers and judges gathered, and a death sentence was given to the murderer after the trial. When they went to inform the king, he confirmed it too. But then, the real problem began. Till the time the man was sentenced to death, the king had never had to deal with the murder. He runs into considerable trouble trying to make the sentence come true. Monaco had neither a guillotine nor an executioner, so they asked for the French government. France has agreed to send the requirements for the sum of the 16,000 francs. That would require to impose more tax on people. So the king asked the king of Italy for help, who agreed to provide the requirements at a cost of 12000 francs. The death penalty was changed to life imprisonment because the King could not bear the expenses.
However, life imprisonment brought forth its own set of problems. There had to be a guard to watch the criminal and give him food. The expense came to be 600 francs, which also would entail tax increases. It was decided to dismiss the guard, to the risk of losing the prisoner.
However, the prisoner did not try to escape and remained in prison. It was then decided by the government to pay an annuity of 600 francs, and he left the domains of the King.
The narrator comments in the concluding paragraph that it is good that the prisoner did not commit his crime in a country where they do not grudge the expense of getting a man’s head off or keeping him in jail for life. The author seems to doubt the rulers’ very belief and about their established system of law and governance.
The author seems to appreciate Monaco’s courage and open-mindedness and recognizes its limitations and allows the prisoner to be released on humanitarian grounds. It’s worth mentioning the author’s puns on the word “Too Dear! “Which either means too expensive or of great value. The author leaves this to the reader to decide if “Too Dear! ” refers to executing the criminal or saving the criminal’s life.
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