Comparing Dickinson And The Death Of Ivan Ilyich

One Romantic poem is by Dickinson, “Because I could not stop for Death” while one Realist story is “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” by Leo Tolstoy. In reading these two texts side by side on can conclude that are both alike and different, while death comes for us all. They are alike in the way death is expressed in the texts. In Dickinson’s poem she talks about death throughout her poem. In Tolstoy’s story it is also the main theme of the story. They contrast in the approach they take when talking about death. In Dickinson’s poem she talks about death like a person, a physical entity. “Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me.” She mentions death in a curious, casual way. She is unafraid and readily embraces whatever it is Death must show her. She talks about all the places Death takes her. “We …show more content…
Gerasim, Ivan’s sick nurse makes the observation that everyone dies someday. The Death of Ivan Ilych begins at the chronological end of the story. It is observed that Ivan has died. It is in this way that both texts are alike. They both talk about death in general. In Dickinson’s poem, she talks about death. In Tolstoy’s story, the story revolves around Ivan’s death. Another way they are similar, in Dickinson’s poem she talks about death as person that eventually comes for everyone. In Tolstoy’s story it is also assumed that death comes for everyone. In both texts, death is something that is unavoidable. They talk about death in a casual way because it is so common. Death is a major theme in both texts. They are different, however, in the way death is approached. As stated above, Dickinson talks about death as a person. While in Tolstoy’s story it is death in the normal way, as something that happens to you rather than with you. In Dickinson’s poem Death takes her places and spends time with her. In Tolstoy’s story, it is simply talking about Ivan’s death in the way it affected everyone