Leo Tolstoy wrote: The Death of Ivan Ilyich in 1886 to show his view of how life should be, how we all should live, and what actually matter most at the end of everything. According to Tolstoy, there are 2 ways to live life; one is by outer appearance which are propriety, decorum, and standards of conduct, and second, inner appearances, and spiritual life which are “the real thing” that makes one’s life worthwhile.
Insincere life style is the first way human can choose to live and it is shown at the beginning of novel when Tostoy explains that Ivan Ilyich’s life is based on an outer appearances and social statuses means. He is surround by “the best circles of lawyers, and wealthy gentry in town...” (54). A luxurious life style is all Ivan …show more content…
It gives life a sense of purpose when one know that they did the right thing. Nothing in authentic life is dishonest and folly because it is done out of the goodness of one’s heart. As human beings, we need to interact; be affectionate towards one another because it is a need, a desire within us that make us who we are and will only give us a sense of satisfaction. Furthermore, Tolstoy states: “what tormented Ivan Ilyich most; no one gave him the kind of compassion he craved” (104). It is not the fact that Ivan knew he was dying but rather, “he had not lived the kind of life he should have” (126). In addition, Ivan himself realized his life had “not the real thing [and] everything [he] lived by and still live by is a lie...” (128). Ilyich’s relationships with people around him were of phony pretends, “[no one] hear him out” (77), they proceeded to live their “normal” life and continues to ignore Ivan and ironically, including the numerous doctors who had examined Ivan on his death bed. One would think doctors are one of the most compassionate people, but they are just like the old version of Ivan, did “what [they] consider[ed] necessary and suitable” (76) based on the norm of high status individuals. In another word, they listen to Ivan “[only] in the middle of his account” (77) and “[they] really did not understand” (90) and did not care to understand him
Insincere life style is the first way human can choose to live and it is shown at the beginning of novel when Tostoy explains that Ivan Ilyich’s life is based on an outer appearances and social statuses means. He is surround by “the best circles of lawyers, and wealthy gentry in town...” (54). A luxurious life style is all Ivan …show more content…
It gives life a sense of purpose when one know that they did the right thing. Nothing in authentic life is dishonest and folly because it is done out of the goodness of one’s heart. As human beings, we need to interact; be affectionate towards one another because it is a need, a desire within us that make us who we are and will only give us a sense of satisfaction. Furthermore, Tolstoy states: “what tormented Ivan Ilyich most; no one gave him the kind of compassion he craved” (104). It is not the fact that Ivan knew he was dying but rather, “he had not lived the kind of life he should have” (126). In addition, Ivan himself realized his life had “not the real thing [and] everything [he] lived by and still live by is a lie...” (128). Ilyich’s relationships with people around him were of phony pretends, “[no one] hear him out” (77), they proceeded to live their “normal” life and continues to ignore Ivan and ironically, including the numerous doctors who had examined Ivan on his death bed. One would think doctors are one of the most compassionate people, but they are just like the old version of Ivan, did “what [they] consider[ed] necessary and suitable” (76) based on the norm of high status individuals. In another word, they listen to Ivan “[only] in the middle of his account” (77) and “[they] really did not understand” (90) and did not care to understand him