Tolstoy: An Analysis Of 'All That Glitters Is Not Gold'

Ivan concluded that his life "was not the real thing" because he had a moment of enlightnement where he remembered his past experiences. All the happy moments of his life, the majority of which where during his childhood. Anytime he recalled a memory where he was of older age he noticed his life was less and less content. He realized then that his life was traveling downhill from the happiest (his childhood) to the saddest (his death bed) moments in life. During his adulthood, his reality was that the decisions he was making were the marking of a fulfilled and happy life. But as he reflected on these moments he realized how this was far from it. One example is his marriage with Praskovya. At the time of marriage, she was in love and he was …show more content…
Meaning that not everything in life which seems glamorous and worthwhile is actually so. Practically Ivan 's entire life is depicted by this saying. From his mariage, his career, his home, and his friends. He at the moment thought everything was perfect and happy, but in the end realized it wasn 't so. All his knick knacks and persona he tried to show to people to lead them to belive he was wealthier than he actually was, meant absolutely nothing. During his life he was extremely attracted to materialsitic things as was his wife. They both wanted Ivan to have a job with a higher pay, a larger home, their daughter to marry someone with money. The mindset was attracted to this. But through Ivan 's entire life, Tolstoy is able to demostrate exactly how idiotic and uncessary all these materialitc ideas are. Ivan at the time of his death was miserable, he hated his wife, his career, and his mom. All the matrialsitic things were irrelavant. What he longed for at his time of death was love, fulfilemt of living a happy life, and friendship. In life that is what is actulally important; your family, your friends, and being happy about how you 're living your