The Three Questions by Leo Tolstoy Book Review

I have always been someone who loves to read. So, I usually get excited to read any story. Short stories are the most fascinating for me. They are easy to read, they teach us something, also, they are an advisor. The Three Questions is the last short story I read. I read this story in elementary school but I realized it when I finished the story. Also, this time it affected me differently. It made me overthink because I have never worried about being undefeated and these three questions.

First of all, when I read its title and saw its pictures I thought it was about a king and his three sons. The king asks three questions to his sons. The one who gives the most logical answers will take the king's heritage. But I was wrong. It is about a king, yes, but there are no sons. In this story, there are mainly; the king, the hermit, and the wounded man. For me, the main character is the king. He desires to be undefeated. To become invincible he should find answers to his three questions: How can I learn to do the right thing at the right time? Who are the people I most need, and to whom should I, therefore, pay more attention than to the rest? And, what affairs are the most important and need my first attention? When I read these questions first, I stopped reading the story and thinking about them. As it is in the story, the answers would change from person to person.

The hermit may be related to time. Because in real life, we find answers over time. The king could not receive satisfactory answers at first. Then, he went to the hermit. Also, the hermit did not answer the king in the first place. As a reader, I got confused. Later, I realized that the hermit was waiting for the right time. If I were the king, I might not have been so patient. So, being patient was another lesson I learned from this story. Also, I thought the king is a selfish and cruel person because of his requests. But he helped the wounded man and the hermit. At that time, I thought the king might receive the answers because he deserved them. He is a kind person. His helpfulness helped him to receive the answers.

The answers were illuminating for me. Also, the answers were the part I was most curious about. For the first question, the most important time is now. It is the most important one ''because it is the only time when we have any power''. Having read this, I now feel less worried about my future. This understanding could be useful to me because it helps me to appreciate the time we had instead of worrying about it. The answer to the second question is; the most necessary person is the one with whom you are. Previously, I thought a hermit would say something like the mother or children. In contrast to my idea, he answered in a much more brilliant way. It is a response linked to the first one because he says there is a possibility that we may never see another person again. As for the last answer, he said, ''the most important affair is to do good''. He thinks that we have been sent to this life only for this purpose.

In my life, I have looked for some answers all the time. Thanks to this story, I have improved my understanding of life. These are tough questions. According to my inference from the story, we all should wait for some answers. Moreover, we should live in the moment. We should be happy now and with the people around us. Because we can use the power we have, just for now. In my opinion, we should use that power to do a favor to the people around us.