Ivan involuntarily enters into a pivotal search for a definite conception of the meaning of life. His sickness can be seen as sort of a coincidental remediation. When Ivan is forced to wrestle with the concept of his own death, he is brought face to face with the realization of his own isolation. This realization horrifies Ivan, and he responds by retreating into sober existential contemplation. As Ivan undertakes the examination of his own life, as he considers the reason for his existence, and the justification behind his misfortune, he starts to realize that his life was severely lacking in value and substance. Through Ivan’s affliction, he eventually discovers the true essence of life. At the climax of the story, when Ivan is passing into
