Leo Tolstoy's The Death Of Ivan Ilyich

In The Death of Ivan Ilych Leo Tolstoy conveys the psychological importance of the last, pivotal scene through the use of diction, symbolism, irony. As Ivan Ilych suffers through his last moments on earth, Tolstoy narrates this man's struggle to evolve and to ultimately realize his life was not perfect. Using symbols Tolstoy creates a vivid image pertaining to a topic few people can even start to comprehend- the reexamination of one's life while on the brink of death. In using symbols and irony Tolstoy vividly conveys the manner in which Ilych views death as darkness unto his last moments of life when he finally admits imperfection.

In his novella, The Death of Ivan Ilych, Leo Tolstoy offers his audience a glance into the life and death of an ambitious man, Ivan Ilych. Tolstoy uses the death of Ivan Ilyich to show his audience the negative consequences of living the way Ilych did. Ivan Ilych followed society and made decisions based on what others around him conformed to and not so much about what he genuinely wanted until he was on his deathbed. As death approaches Ilych he realizes that he wrecked everything that should be meaningful in his life in order to work and make money and in the end his friends did not really care much about him. Ilych’s desire to conform made him live a miserable life and led him to darkness. Ivan Ilych attained everything that society

Many people find themselves in a mid-life crisis when they reflect on what is the real meaning of human life. Leo Tolstoy wrote his literal interpretation of God’s teachings. Towards his golden years, the writer rejected privileges and wealth and became a wandering ascetic. At the height of his career, he encountered a midlife crisis which revolutionized his views towards life. Tolstoy said that he considered ending his life since he no longer understood the meaning of it. He wrote a publication in 1882 concerning his crisis in a short piece called A Confession, and published it in 1884. The renowned writer was one of the critical thinkers to raise a question concerning the true meaning of what is life before by any writer have done so. Science cannot help one in understanding the genuine meaning of life. Having faith and trusting in God is the only thing that can enable humans to escape the spector of meaninglessness.

    In the face of Morrie's overwhelming compassion and tenderness, Ivan Ilych presents an opposite lifestyle. After a pleasantly carefree childhood he turned towards ambition and pursued an ever-larger salary and an ever-increasing social rank. Ivan lived without values and without attachments, easily moving between cities and jobs. He cared little for the great inconvenience of his family, and even less for his wife: "he hate[d] her with his whole soul" (Ivn, 139). Commitment was a prison to be avoided at all costs, a detriment to his proper and official existence. Genuine love touched Ivan only rarely and certainly not during the dying moments when he needed it the most.

     The progress of modern society and the pressure to conform has not only hastened Ivan Ilych’s death but also made him a die a very miserable death. As soon Ivan realizes he has a physical problem, a problem that began with his obsession of having the perfect house, he consults one of the best doctors he

He lived, of course, like a dead man, and in fact, he had only one serious flaw that is inherent in almost all the people on the planet - the fear. Ivan Ilyich feared problems: “I need only take it regularly and avoid all injurious influences. I am already feeling better, much better” (Tolstoy 26), he was afraid of not being accepted in society, afraid to do too much, afraid of death, i.e. “But the pain remained -- that same pain and that same fear that made everything monotonously alike, nothing harder and nothing easier” (Tolstoy 40). But he, unlike other heroes of the story, could get rid of this fear, and was able to realize, notice, and experience all the abomination of human vices on himself. When he was bedridden, associates had already been treating him as a dead body. That is why, Ivan Ilyich is not a negative character in the story, he is neither bad nor good, he is nothing, and his life is nothing too: “When nothing was left to arrange it became rather dull and something seemed to be lacking, but they were then making acquaintances, forming habits, and life was growing fuller” (Tolstoy 17). But he is much more honest than the other heroes of the story, and yet he was able, unlike all of them, to realize their lives were useless. This theme of existential

Leo Tolstoy was a Russian author who was born September 9, 1828 at Yasnaya Polyana, Russia and died of pneumonia in the winter of 1910. Today Tolstoy is buried at his Yasnaya Polyana estate in Russia. Both of his parents died when he was just a child, and he was raised by

In the early 1860s War and Peace, one of Tolstoy’s most popular pieces of work was published. It was referred to as the greatest novel ever written. In 1862 Tolstoy married Sofya Andreyevna Bers. From this marriage came the birth of thirteen children but only 10 lived beyond infancy. In 1873 Leo Tolstoy wrote Anna Karenina. Parts of the book are believed to contain his love for Sofya. Leo Tolstoy wrote The Death of Ivan Illich in 1886, which was one of his most successful pieces of work. Leo Tolstoy established himself as a religious and moral leader for the last thirty years of his life. While on a pilgrimage with his youngest daughter Aleksandra on November 20th, 1910 Leo Tolstoy passed away from illness. He left behind his wife Sofya and their ten

In this paper, I plan to explain Dostoevsky’s criticism of Western Individualism. Dostoevsky’s first criticism resides in the idea to “love life more than the meaning of it, “which is presented by the character Alyosha (Dostoevsky 3). Allowing this character to discuss this topic, along with the commentary of Ivan, demonstrates their mindset to solely focus on their own lives, opposed to caring for others. This leads to them living for the now, and not focusing on how their decisions will affect their future or others. Dostoevsky disapproves of this notion because living by this mentality encourages the guidance of logic, which is dangerous because it could tell you to kill yourself. From Dostoevsky’s Eastern Orthodox background, he believes that the only way from living from this situation is to deny it. By denying this way of living, the focus toward life will not be directed toward yourself, but toward the way you can impact the environment around you. Ivan clearly does not believe in these values, due to his intentions to commit suicide at the age of thirty. As said before, living by the idea to “love life more than the meaning of it” leads to death, and Ivan indulges in this to the fullest (Dostoevsky 3).

Shakespeare said it best when he penned “All the World’s a stage and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances and one man in his time plays many parts. The story of Ivan Illych is filled with such characters. Many would enter the story of Ivan’s life without leaving much of an imprint, such as his coworkers, but others would leave an indelible mark. Without these characters, the story would have remained one dimensional and cold, but by adding them, Tolstoy breathed life into an already pitiful tale. All while teaching us, the reader that a life of ease rarely leads to true happiness.

Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich tells the story of a modern lawman whose sudden mortality forces him to evaluate the worth of his life and the life choices he has. Throughout the novella, Tolstoy reveals social norms and practices blindly followed by those in the upper-middle class. These norms bring to light modernity’s core values, which Tolstoy critiques through the actions Ivan Ilyich takes before his death, Ivan Ilyich’s revelation as he lies on his death bed, and the way Ivan Ilyich’s family, friends, and colleagues react to his illness and eventual death. In fact, The Death of Ivan Ilyich provides a critique on modernity as a whole; Tolstoy condemns the shallow, superficial lives the higher-ups in society lead, spurred on by the idea of modernity.

Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a Russian writer and philosopher…. His famous novels are ‘War and Peace’ and ‘Anna Karenina’…. He wrote many novels and short stories…. His way of writing was very simple yet it displays the mind of the genius…. Later in his life he also wrote many plays and essays… Tolstoy’s ideas of non-violent resistance had a significant impact on Mahatma Gandhi and other political leaders…. ‘What Men Live By’ is one of the short stories of Leo Tolstoy…. It is an inspiring story as it tells us about the importance of God in our lives….

It’s no surprise that death would be the central theme in a book called “The Death of Ivan Ilyich. The narrator Leo Tolstoy, in an attempt to exemplify the importance of accepting death approaches the subject in a way that all of us can understand. He starts off the book by introducing Ivan’s closest acquaintances and co-worker Peter Ivanovich, who announces to his fellow associates that Ivan has died. Though well-liked and considered an agreeable colleague, Ivan Ilyich’s death is only broached for a moment before quickly replaced by trivialities. At once the men in the room start to wonder “the changes and promotions it might occasion among themselves or their acquaintances." (Pg. 2). This is rather disturbing, as usually when we hear about someone’s death we feel a sense of pity. However, as the book clearly shows there is no pity felt among these men. In fact, they are complacent figuring, “well it’s him who is dead, not I.” Even Peter who has known Ivan since childhood, feels “obliged” to go to his funeral, as if his death were a mere stepping stone towards the path of his own success. Just from this short passage, we suddenly get a sense of how false Ivan’s friends really are.

      Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich attacks the pursuit of material possessions.  The Ilyich family bases itself upon the unsure foundation of wealth.  As Ivan ascends the rungs of the corporate ladder, he acquires new possessions and articles.  After joining the Civil Service, Ivan buys "new fashionable belongings" at the "very best shops" to keep up appearances (100).  For his wedding to Fiorodovna, Ivan buys "new furniture, new crockery, new linen[s]" to be proper or comme il faut.  He tries in vain to keep up "appearances as ordained by public opinion" (116).  None of these niceties are needed: Ivan buys them purely for the pleasure of owning them and in attempt to

So he decides to kill himself. He believes that he is worth more dead than alive and refers to his plan as a diamond, “rough and hard to the touch” (Miller 126), something attainable that makes up for all of the failures he has endured in the past. Willy does not know who he is and this falsehood becomes his undoing. Similarly, falsehood brings about Ivan Ilych’s death. The biggest deceit for Ivan is his failure to admit to his mortality, as well as his idea of what happiness is. Ivan has spent his entire life trying to rise the corporate ladder in his two faced aristocratic world. He loves playing bridge and presiding over the courts, his family life is in shambles, yet he does not mind at all and still considers his life to be pleasant. Ivan is totally concerned with only his career and appearances. He tries to look more successful that he really is by making his middle class home look upper class, but “his house was so like the others that it would never have been noticed, but to him it all seemed to be quite exceptional.” (Tolstoy 530). It is while he is decorating this house, climbing a ladder to hang drapes, that he injures his side, an injury that will cause his death. Ivan’s desire to climb the ladder of success, failure to recognize his false sense of happiness, and his concern with appearances leads to his death.