Tennessee Williams in his short story "Something by Tolstoi" has produced within me a range of emotions for Jacob, one of the main characters in the text. Through an intrinsic analysis of this excellent piece of literature, I intend to illustrate how the author has effectively hurled me onto an emotional rollercoaster, triggering within me a series of feelings for Jacob which eventually culminate in intense pathos. In my methodology, I hope to deploy an examination of the character; his background; his relationships, and use his reactions at several critical points to judge my feelings for him.

Williams weaves a childhood love story around Jacob and Lila and threads together a series of events which take a closer `behind the scenes' look at how sometimes "love can be magic, yet magic can be just an illusion." He focuses on how religious backgrounds and fundamentally temperamental antithesis can rip...