The Three Hermits - Summary and Interpretation

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THE THREE HERMITS

Leo Tolstoy

💂He is a Russian Author

     💂He has mastered so many Languages

     💂His works are more Philosophical in nature

 

Framework

👉Genre - short story

👉This short story was published in the year 1886

 

Characters

👳Bishop

👳👳👳Three Hermits

👳Pilgrims

👳Fisherman

👳Helmsman

 

Setting

👷  The story takes place in Russia;

👷Bishop and Pilgrims are travelling from Archangel to Solovetsk Monastery 

 

Meaning

💬Three Hermits are the people those who are living is isolation and are isolated for religious purposes.

💬Helmsman is a person who drives the ship.

💬Pilgrims are the people who travel to Holy Places.

💬In Solovetsk Monastery – 350 monks are living there.

 

Summary

The short story begins with Bible Verse - Word of God:

“And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them for your father knows what you need before you ask him.”    - Matthew 6:7

                    Here it says that when you are praying, pray with full-fledged mind and heart, and God knows whether you truly admire him and belief him/not.

                   In the Beginning of the story the Bishop and the Pilgrims are travelling from Archangel to Solovetsk Monastery. They are travelling towards Solovetsk Monastery to visit Shrine. Their Journey was very smooth. The Pilgrims were eating in Deck (Upper portion of the Ship). Bishop then comes to the Deck and he sees a group of people standing and talking with fisherman at the Prow (Front part of boat). The Fisherman was pointing out at some distance and he was talking, Bishop was curious to know what the crowd was talking. Bishop felt that he cannot see anything but he sees only the glistening (Water shining with sparkles).     

                The Bishop comes near the fisherman to know what he was talking about, As the Bishop was coming all the people in the boat removed their cap and bowed. Now the crowd was silent and they were very silent. The Bishop says that:

“I am here not to disturb you people, I wanted to know what the fisherman was talking about”

 Suddenly the Helmsman came and said that we were talking about three Hermits. The Bishop asks who are the Hermits and where are they living. The Helmsman pointed towards some distance. And he says that Hermits are the people who are living for the salvation of their souls.

                   Now also Bishop cannot see the boat rather he can see only the Faint Streak (Shimmering), the Bishop says that he cannot see anything. Now the Fisherman explains about the Three Hermits. The Three Hermits are:

Ø Holy Man

Ø And he narrates an incident were one day fisherman was standing in the Island as his boat was struck at that time he sees hut were three people were standing. The Hermits called the Fisherman and they fed the fisherman. Then they mended the boat.

Fisherman narrates the features of three hermits  

 First person:

o   One man was very small and his back was bent.

o   He was wearing a priest Cassock.

o   His beard was white and it was changing into green color.

o   He smiles often and he is more than 100 years old.

Second Person:

o   He was tall

o   He wears a Peasant’s Coat

o   His beard was very broad

o   He was a strong man who helped the fisherman to repair his boat.

o   He was a happy and a kind man.

Third person:

o   He was tall

o   His beard was white as snow

o   His beard was very long as it reached his knees, He wears around his wrist.  

o   He has oversized eyebrows.   

  Then the Bishop asked the fisherman that did the three Hermits speak anything. The fisherman replied that: they did not speak but they spoke through words. As the fisherman was telling about the three Hermits, they were nearing the Island and the Bishop wanted to see the Island now and he asks:

“Is it true that the three Hermits live in this Island for Salvation?”

Helmsmen replies:

          I don’t know whether it is true or not. The Fisherman says that they have seen the Hermits in the Island. I think they may be Spinning yarns (False Information).

                    Then the Bishop says that he wants to go to Island. Helmsman replied that the ship will not go near the Island we have to travel through boat and he requests the Bishop to ask the Captain. Bishop calls the captain; captain says that it would be a risky journey. As the three hermits might create some trouble, then the Bishop replied that he will be praying for the trouble and the time loss.

                             All the pilgrims and the bishop were in the prow. And they grazed at the Island: some gazes the stone and some gazes at the Hut. All were excited to see the three Hermits. Then a person took a telescope and was seeing the Hermits Hut and they he passed the telescope to the Bishop. The Captain says that he has also seen the three Hermits. The Bishop also saw the three Hermits:

                            👍THE TALL ONE

                            👍THE SHORTER ONE

                            👍THE ONE VERY SMALLER AND BENT MEN

                     The Captain says that the ship cannot move and we have to take a boat to travel to the Island. Now the man move towards the Island, then they move towards the three Hermits. After seeing the Bishop the old men bowed, Bishop gave benediction and then the Bishop begins to speak. The Bishop starts to state about his purpose to visit this Island:

“I have heard, he said, ‘that you, godly men, live here saving your own soul and praying to our Lord Christ for your fellow men”. I, an unworthy servant of Christ called by God’s mercy to keep and teach him flock. I wished to see you, servant of God and to do what I can teach you, also. 

They looked at each other and smiled.  Then the Bishop asked them questions:

1.      What are all the things you all do to save souls?

2.    How they serve God.

The Three Hermits replied saying that:

1.      We don’t know to serve God.

2.    We serve each other.

Then the Bishop asks How are you people praying to God?

          Old Man replied saying that:

“Three are ye, three are we, Have mercy upon me”

Bishop then speaks about Holy Trinity – God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Then he talks about the Holy Books and he teacher them the Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name;

Thy kingdom come;

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those

Who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the Kingdom,

And the power, and the glory,

For ever and ever,

Amen.

First one repeated after him as Our Father then the second one repeated as Our Father then the third one repeated as Our Father. The Bishop continuously teaches the prayer and then he goes to the second line of the prayer. The Three Hermits were repeating the prayer and the Bishop sits in the stone to teach them. The three Hermits watched his mouth and uttered the words.

                   They blabbered and the Bishop corrected them, Bishop repeatedly taught the prayer. Middle One learned the prayer quickly. At-last the other two hermits too could say it. As the moon appeared the place was dark, then the Bishop decides to go back, then he sits on the stern and looked at the Island. Now he could see that the moon was rippling (Flowing unsteadily) in the moonlight. Bishop then thinks about the three Hermits and he thanks God for having sent him to the Island as he had taught them the Lord’s Prayer. Bishop now sees that something is following them and he found that it was not moon, not bird, not a fish, it was very large.

                   The Bishop asks the Helmsman to look at it and find what it is. Then he finds that: “The Three Hermits running at the water” and the Helmsman shouts and says that: Hermits walking on the water as if it were dry land”. The three Hermits shouted to stop the boat and they said that:

“We have forgotten the prayer”

Bishop is wondering how God has blessed them so much and he has not recognized it. Then the Bishop says that:

“Your own prayer will reach the Lord, men of God”

“God looks at our hearts and not words”

Finally Bishop learns from three Hermits that our own prayers would reach God, the Bishop bows down to the three Hermits and the three Hermits went back to their Island.

Theme: If you believe God, God will definitely help you.

                            

Some Possible Question:

            1. Elaborate the essence of Prayer stated in The Three Hermits. (5 Marks/7 Marks / 12 Marks)

            2. What prayer did the bishop taught the three Hermits? (2 Marks)

            3. How was the Bishop at the beginning of the story and what did the Bishop realize at the end of the story? (5 Marks/7 Marks / 12 Marks)

            4. State the prayer of the Three Hermits. (2 Marks)

 

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