Ivan Ilych Golovin went through much conflict and many transformations in the novel “The Death of Ivan Ilych”. The novel was written by Leo Tolstoy, who was considered the greatest Russian novelist. Much of his work examines a tragic event or situation of human existence. Tolstoy believed in the moral development of humanity, but was also aware of the painful events one must go through to progress in life. This novel dramatizes Tolstroy’s central spiritual concerns. Ivan Ilych rushes his future of marriage and his career to find a horrifying realization that he was not living a correct and meaningful life while lying on his death bed.
One of the first conflicts in the story that Ivan Ilych has to undergo is with his wife, Praskovya Fyodotovna …show more content…
He had to have a servant, Gerasim, help him throughout the day with his daily needs. All Ivan could do is think about his pain and soon to come death. In Chapter 9, about half way down the page, the author described his pain by saying, “He cried at his own helplessness, at his awful loneliness, at the cruelty of people, at the cruelty of God, at the absence of God” (312). Ivan could do nothing for himself without going through serious pain. Even when laying on the couch he endeavored cruel pain. His family did not understand what he was going through and Ivan began to become mad at his family. He saw that they were healthy and were able to do what they want but they hardly showed sympathy for their dying husband and father. Not only was he mad at his family but he was also mad at God for putting him through so much suffering and not telling him an explanation why God has done this to …show more content…
In Chapter 12, Ivan said himself that, “Yes, I’m making them miserable,” he thought. “They’re sorry, but it will be better for them when I die” (317). This quote shows how much of a transformation that he has gone through throughout this novel. At first he was so happy with his life and he was never expecting something that cruel to take over his life to the point to where he was having to face death. Then at the end of the story he is on his death bed telling himself that his family will be better once he dies. He isn’t even worried about spending as much time as possible with him family but is trying to rush his death so that his family doesn’t have to suffer
One of the first conflicts in the story that Ivan Ilych has to undergo is with his wife, Praskovya Fyodotovna …show more content…
He had to have a servant, Gerasim, help him throughout the day with his daily needs. All Ivan could do is think about his pain and soon to come death. In Chapter 9, about half way down the page, the author described his pain by saying, “He cried at his own helplessness, at his awful loneliness, at the cruelty of people, at the cruelty of God, at the absence of God” (312). Ivan could do nothing for himself without going through serious pain. Even when laying on the couch he endeavored cruel pain. His family did not understand what he was going through and Ivan began to become mad at his family. He saw that they were healthy and were able to do what they want but they hardly showed sympathy for their dying husband and father. Not only was he mad at his family but he was also mad at God for putting him through so much suffering and not telling him an explanation why God has done this to …show more content…
In Chapter 12, Ivan said himself that, “Yes, I’m making them miserable,” he thought. “They’re sorry, but it will be better for them when I die” (317). This quote shows how much of a transformation that he has gone through throughout this novel. At first he was so happy with his life and he was never expecting something that cruel to take over his life to the point to where he was having to face death. Then at the end of the story he is on his death bed telling himself that his family will be better once he dies. He isn’t even worried about spending as much time as possible with him family but is trying to rush his death so that his family doesn’t have to suffer