Sometimes it’s the little things that get to you. There are random acts of kindness and hatred everyday, and some of them just seem wrong and stick with us longer than they should. Terrible grammar on facebook and dumb status updates lower our standards on social media, and current wars and riots lower our faith in human kindness. In fact, these ideas are decaying our society, causing a lost faith in humanity. At least, this is what Leo Tolstoy thought This russian writer grew up in a pessimistic childhood, having experienced many deaths in the family. He separated himself from the Eastern Orthodox church later in life after he served in the Crimean War. His works reflect his fears of the world’s downward slide, and as such are filled with
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“The Death of Ivan Ilych” shows this through the decay of a man’s social life and status through a mysterious illness. Ivan Ilych was born an average man, and gained his successes through his education and job. After a promotion, he decides to move his family to a new house. He surprises his superficial wife and daughter with new home filled with immaculate furnishings. What the rest of his family does not know is he injured his side during frenzied home decorating, and begins to experience severe pains. The doctors have no idea of the source of his suffering, and decide the condition’s source is either the kidneys or appendix. Ivan uses this time to reevaluate his life, and believes this new affliction to be a life or death situation. Ivan sinks into a depression and become bitter, lashing out at his friends in family. He grows sicker, and with it becomes more surly and spiteful. He sees everyone around him as superficial and overly positive. After time alone, he questions God, and eventually himself. Now on his deathbed, he realizes he did nothing in his life that was truly kind. He spent his time averagely, and put too much stock in money and objects. Ivan tries to reconcile with his family, and all but his youngest son ignore him in vain. Ivan takes solace in his attempt and dies without his sickening pain. Ivan’s pain and deterioration are a depression inside of him, a vicious cycle of hate and hope. The source of this pain is just a mental as it is physical. “He was hindered from getting into it by his conviction that his life had been a good one. The very justification of his life held him fast and prevented his moving forwards, and it caused him the most torment of all.” (pg. 62) As Tolstoy makes it clear here, his ignorance to what he was doing with his power was a major source of his pain and depression. Tolstoy likens the pain
“The Death of Ivan Ilych” shows this through the decay of a man’s social life and status through a mysterious illness. Ivan Ilych was born an average man, and gained his successes through his education and job. After a promotion, he decides to move his family to a new house. He surprises his superficial wife and daughter with new home filled with immaculate furnishings. What the rest of his family does not know is he injured his side during frenzied home decorating, and begins to experience severe pains. The doctors have no idea of the source of his suffering, and decide the condition’s source is either the kidneys or appendix. Ivan uses this time to reevaluate his life, and believes this new affliction to be a life or death situation. Ivan sinks into a depression and become bitter, lashing out at his friends in family. He grows sicker, and with it becomes more surly and spiteful. He sees everyone around him as superficial and overly positive. After time alone, he questions God, and eventually himself. Now on his deathbed, he realizes he did nothing in his life that was truly kind. He spent his time averagely, and put too much stock in money and objects. Ivan tries to reconcile with his family, and all but his youngest son ignore him in vain. Ivan takes solace in his attempt and dies without his sickening pain. Ivan’s pain and deterioration are a depression inside of him, a vicious cycle of hate and hope. The source of this pain is just a mental as it is physical. “He was hindered from getting into it by his conviction that his life had been a good one. The very justification of his life held him fast and prevented his moving forwards, and it caused him the most torment of all.” (pg. 62) As Tolstoy makes it clear here, his ignorance to what he was doing with his power was a major source of his pain and depression. Tolstoy likens the pain