The Kreutzer Sonata The Kreutzer Sonata The Kreutzer Sonata (, ) is a novella by Leo Tolstoy, named after Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata. The novella was published in 1889, and was promptly censored by the Russian authorities. The work is an argument for the ideal of sexual abstinence and an in-depth first-person description of jealous rage. The main character, Pozdnyshev, relates the events leading up to his killing his wife: in his analysis, the root causes for the deed were the "animal excesses" and "swinish connection" governing the relation between the sexes. During a train ride, Pozdnyshev overhears a conversation concerning marriage, divorce and
William Kreutzer Jr. confided in his former roommate Spc. Robert Harlan that he needed to talk to Fong again. When Harlan tried to calm him down, he replied "No, Harlan, it's not going to be all right." After the discussion, Kreutzer telephoned Spc. Burl Mays to inform him that he would be opening fire on the calisthenics field the next morning. Mays noticed Kreutzer missing at 5 am, and alerted his superiors who dismissed the claim, saying that Kreutzer was a "pussy", but gave Mays permission to check Kreutzer's room, where he found a copy of his will. Early on the morning of