The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Leo Tolstoy pulls no punches when the story of The Death of Ivan Ilyich begins. The revelation that Ivan Ilyich has died was met with dismay and shock for all of the wrong reasons. Colleagues and “friends” became concerned for his death not because of the loss of his life, but for the inconveniences and changes it would cause for them. The lack of sincerity surrounding Ivan became very clear in the opening scenes of the story, and we quickly start to realize that Ivan lived a “false” life. Instead of living his own life sincerely, Ivan was more concerned about doing what is expected from him by those that he sees as belonging in high social standings and what the elite class thinks is “right”: a life dominated by materialism and disregard for…

In The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Ivan could be considered as one who takes things for granted especially life. Ivan is known for his working and quest to get higher on the social hierarchy because that is the most important thing to Ivan. He was caught in being the best, that he forgot how to live life respectively. Ivan also went into marriage with his wife without truly loving her. Therefore at the end of the day Ivan realizes that he had spent his entire life doing everything wrong and because…

Leo Tolstoy wrote: The Death of Ivan Ilyich in 1886 to show his view of how life should be, how we all should live, and what actually matter most at the end of everything. According to Tolstoy, there are 2 ways to live life; one is by outer appearance which are propriety, decorum, and standards of conduct, and second, inner appearances, and spiritual life which are “the real thing” that makes one’s life worthwhile. Insincere life style is the first way human can choose to live and it is shown…

wanted to fall through” (99). The Death of Ivan Ilyich, by Leo Tolstoy, is the story of a man who cares for nothing but worldly achievements and self-seeking happiness. Completely engrossed in his career, Ivan gives no thought to his spiritual life, and, as a result, the idea of death never crosses his mind—until death knocks on his door. When death stares Ivan in the face and laughs at his helplessness , Ivan can do nothing but pity himself, seeing no escape from the black sack that awaits him;…

characters and their feelings. In The Death of Ivan and Ilyich, one of the symbols Tolstoy uses is the black sack. This sack was a long narrow sack that was never ending and the character in the story, Ivan, experiences going through this black sack twice. The first time he experiences going through this sack was right after he was given a medicine, opium. Ivan falls into the black sack and keeps falling but doesn’t know what is at the bottom of the sack. Falling through this sack was also…

sometimes lead to an isolated and lonely existence. In The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Leo Tolstoy teaches his readers through the tormented characters that leading a life that is self centered, driven by the constructs of society, and lacking in compassion to one’s fellow man can ultimately lead to unhappiness at one’s death because of the realization that it was a mistake to live their life that way. Tolstoy demonstrates in various ways…

In Tolstoy’s “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”, Ivan Ilyich was a man who tried to be unique and apart from the rest of society. Whenever he tries to do something different he would always look at society and realize that he has not done anything to make him stand out from his peers. Ivan was constantly wanting more money to buy what he thought was necessary in life. Whenever Mr. Ilyich had a question of life he would constantly look to society for answers. In the end Ivan Ilyich realizes that he…

Death in Leo Tolstoy’s Death of Ivan Ilyich and “Three Deaths” Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy, author of the acclaimed novels War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and The Death of Ivan Ilyich is well-known for applying the theme of death to his works. Tolstoy utilizes distinctive techniques to depict demise contingent upon the social positions of his characters. For instance, in The Death of Ivan Ilyich it is entirely evident that Tolstoy believes there are two types of lives—the artificial and…

In the novella of The Death of Ivan Ilyich, by Leo Tolstoy, it describes Ivan Ilyich’s, which is the main character, sufferings throughout his whole life. While he goes through the depression, his characters, moods, and spirit are altering because of his uncomfortable illnesses. The biggest problem that Ivan Ilyich endures is not the illnesses that occur on him, instead it is how these sufferings change his pleasant lifestyle. So, what kind of sufferings give Ivan this tragic life journey? Ivan…

“And all people live, not by reason of any care they have for themselves, but by the love for them that is in other people.” -Tolstoy Tolsey means to explain that the sole purpose people have for live, up until death, is to love and care for others, and not for themselves. As selfish as people may seem, according to Tolstoy, that’s not what drive people to live. In the novel, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, the reader is given a chance to experience what it may be like to die, in the first person.…