Essay on War and Peace and Tolstoy's View of History

In the beginning of Chapter XII of Tolstoy’s story, Ivan starts to painfully scream loudly for three consecutive days, during which time Ivan realizes that his doubts are still unsolved. During this moment, Ivan realizes that moving up in social esteem has not led to joy, fulfillment, and life, but to misery, emptiness, and death instead. Blinded by the values of high society, he

Tolstoy talks about a sort of scholarly emergency that he endured late in his life, and his recuperation from it. In spite of the fact that Tolstoy appreciated what might conventionally be viewed as a successful and agreeable life, he started feeling tormented by worries of unimportance. Specifically, he reports starting to question why he should think about things that he once thought about, or why he should do the things that he would choose to do. At last, he discovered it inconceivably hard to give answers to these inquiries. The outcome, he reports, is feeling as though his life were a doltish, pointless trap played someone has bestowed upon him. He felt as though every individual task he attempted, and also his life in its totality, were without importance.

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.

Furthermore, in Leo Tolstoy‘s The Death of Ivan Ilyich, and analysis will demonstrate that the character Ivan Ilyich struggles throughout his life to achieve the ideals of liberty, life and the pursuit of happiness. It is through Ivan’s death and his friend’s narration of Ivan’s life that the reader comes to the realization the the middle-class Ivan has few strength’s besides his hard work to drive him towards his ideals for wealth and property. Ivan lived his whole life with the purpose of enjoying himself. He did this through winning power at work, spending money, buying things to impress his friends, throwing parties, and playing bridge. His pursuit of happiness in material things and pleasures is so great that his deliberately avoids anything unpleasant. This means that when he settled down with a family, which was expected of him, he never grows close to them.

Lastly, is the politics which would form from a dictatorship government across nations, and the effect that had on the economy. Marks demonstrates how each Russian theme influenced world history by citing before mentioned individuals and the regions which were impacted: United States, England, Mexico, and China to name a few. This is done using studies conducted on revolutionary violence, examinations of Russian characters in Chinese fiction, and visual examples embedded in the text. Counterevidence is not his burden, however had he touched on it more some of his connections would be more concrete, for example anarchism on its own is a stretch. There is a lack of context, or it is brief when he discusses how the topics influenced the world but is understandable as he deals with complex and broad topics. In general the book is an advancement in Russian inclusivity with world history simply by existing, a great addition to a topic long neglected. While it is an interesting read, it may seem incomprehensible to those with limited historical background, it is directed to the academia

Thought-provoking and brutally honest, Ivan Ilych’s life and death divulged the idea that life is not meant to live like others, but to live authentically. When Leo Tolstoy published The Death of Ivan Ilych (1886), he sought to challenge society’s pride of striving to live a shallow and materialistic life. Significant insight was brought about into how Ivan Ilych’s life was considered artificial and terrible by perceiving how he spent his life in the story. Moreover, Ivan Ilych’s life reflected upon the grievance of yearning to live pleasantly and properly. It ultimately exposed how his suffering and illness freed him from his decorous, but dull life.

Tolstoy was a Russian Novelist who longed for a nontraditional lifestyle far from his noble lineage (“Leo Tolstoy”).

For example, in Jayme Sokolow’s critical composition, “Arriving At Moral Perfection”: Benjamin Franklin And Leo Tolstoy”, Franklin is integral “in the development of the young Tolstoy’s goals, values, and subject matter. The Russian studie[s] Franklin at an important stage in his adolescent development” (432). Future readers realize that they can change their goals, values, and points of view in society in spite of the fact that they cannot achieve moral perfection. This plays a critical role on how Tolstoy views life as a whole and how he writes, as demonstrated when Sokolow states that “Franklin’s example and values steadied Tolstoy and encouraged his autobiographical works, which formed the basis for his later masterpieces” (432). Tolstoy makes use of Franklin’s works and takes his instructions into consideration, which in turn, assist him in his goal of having an ideal life. Literature's impact on the future is demonstrated through Tolstoy's personal benefits from reading about Franklin's

Tolstoy’s emphasizes deeply with the Chechen people as he details their suffering at the hands of the

Tolstoy's emphasizes deeply with the Chechen people as he details their suffering at the hands of

However, Ivan continues to refuse that living in accordance to what society deemed to be an ideal life because he despite the fact that he had little time left, he could not live with the idea that his life was wasted. In this realization of Ivan’s, Tolstoy conveys his message that leading an uncompassionate life that conforms to influence of the world around it leads to a life that is mostly not worth living and unhappiness in death because through Ivan’s pain, Tolstoy shows how a life similar to Ivan’s can only lead people into suffering and

     To many individuals the word “progress” has a positive meaning behind it. It suggests improvement, something humans have been obsessed with since the dawn of society. However, if closely examined, progress can also have a negative connotation as well. While bringing improvement, progress can simultaneously spark conformity, dependency, and the obsession of perfection within the individuals caught in its midst. It is this aspect of progress within modern society that negatively affects Ivan Ilych, Leo Tolstoy’s main character in The Death of Ivan Ilych. Ivan’s attempt to conform to modern society’s view of perfection takes away his life long before he dies. Furthermore, his fear of death and

One of the themes of Tolstoy’s story of The Death of Ivan Ilych is detachment from life, considering that all material things can substitute the true meaning of life: compassion and care for others. “Everywhere in the novel, Tolstoy speaks of Iván Ilych's desire for propriety, decorous living, and pleasantness all while making this his first and most important priority. This motivation is a poor

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.

It is obvious to the reader that this retreat into his work is the soul means by which Ivan moves towards a personal goal of self-justification and righteousness. It is no