In "Father Sergius," Tolstoy's soul is reflected with more clarity than in any of his other works. In the weaknesses, ambitions, disappointments, and triumphs of the protagonist, we recognize the thoughts, emotions, reflections, and choices of the great classic. The author gives his hero all the passion and strength that he himself hid, making him experience with the same intensity the feeling of dissatisfaction, doubt, and despair, but ultimately leading him to seek the redemption that seemed impossible for him.

This novella, a product of his later creative period, not only reveals Tolstoy's philosophy but also the reasons that led this enigmatic figure to choose exile at the end of his life.