Comparing The Bishop And Tolstoy's Death Of Ivan Ilyich

Chekhov’s “The Bishop” uses illness to emphasize Bishop Pyotr’s psychological conflict, which is also exemplified in Tolstoy’s Death of Ivan Ilych with Ivan Ilych’s character. Chekhov and Tolstoy implement illness in each of their stories as an obstacle for each of the character’s development, such that it illustrates physical pain to complement with their conflicting mentality. Ivan and Pyotr display symptoms that not only foreshadows their illness, but also shortcomings in their character. Overall, Chekhov and Tolstoy use illness as a medium to convey a character’s development. Chekhov and Tolstoy presents their characters with symptoms foreshadowing their illness and a shortcoming in their character. Chapter 1 in “The Bishop” implies Pyotr’s role as the town’s bishop is …show more content…
Towards the end of “The Bishop”, Pyotr’s mother witnesses her son’s typhoid expels him of his power both physically and metaphorically of his role as cleric. Pyotr no longer felt and appeared significant. Pyotr’s mother then “forgot that he was a bishop, and kissed him as though he were a child very near and very dear to her”. This interaction between Pyotr and his mother fulfilled Pyotr’s desire to be no longer regarded as his “holiness”, but as his mother’s loving son. Then Pyotr no longer struggles in his illness and accepts his death without answering to his mother. Although Tolstoy’s narration uses details of Ivan’s dreams of a black sack rather than physical descriptions of the character’s illness deforming them, Ivan Ilych’s terminal illness renders himself into a similar transformation in Chapter 12. Ivan’s pain is unyielding as he is persisting to refuse his mortality. Then Ivan comes to a conclusion to his pain when he senses his family’s sympathy at his side and also feels sorry for his wife. Ivan realizes his life hasn’t been genuine up until his death bed and accepts his last