The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Insights in “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” Leo Tolstoy was born on September 9, 1828 in Tula Province, Russia. Tolstoy wrote his first novel in the 1860s titled “War and Peace.” In 1873, Tolstoy set to work on the second of his best-known novels, “Anna Karenina.” He continued to write fiction throughout the 1880s and 1890s. One of his most successful later works was “The Death of Ivan Ilyich.” Tolstoy was the youngest of four boys. When his mom died in 1843 his cousin began to take care of them.…

character of Ivan Ilyich in The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy is no exception. Ivan Ilyich represents a life in which happiness is not achieved, though if Ilyich had followed Epictetus’ teachings of living simply, understanding mortality, and living truly, he would realized the emptiness in his life. Ivan Ilyich lets his life be one that submits him to please his family and peers, which…

“Born to blossom, bloom to perish” This concept of being born to live, and living to die is expressed throughout history in all manners of literary works. Of the endless writers whom illustrate the theme of death, four authors whom depict this leitmotif are John Keats, Rosalía de Castro, Emily Dickinson, and Leo Tolstoy. The works albeit different, transcribe the desire to accomplish their goals; to blossom, before they are faced with their mortality; to perish. This idea is both beautifully…

and death. We shrug this thought from our minds because we cannot predict the future. In some cases, some will say that they are young and that the idea of death, now, is preposterous. For others, that day may seem to be looming closer and closer as they advance into their 70s. Despite how you may feel about death, we can all concur that this will happen to all of us, and how we approach death, will vary from person to person. In the book “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Alborn and “The Death…

Tolstoy became acquainted with death as both of his parents passed away. Thankfully, the orphaned Tolstoy was left a large sum of money and was able to further his education and seek meaningful work for his life, starting with the pursuit of an education in law. After many unfulfilling jobs, Tolstoy struggled with finding a purpose for his existence and began to put his faith into religious outlets. Ivan Ilych, the main character of his story The Death of Ivan Ilych, shows a struggle very…

Dilip Chitre creates a stark impression of the isolation of old age in his poem ‘Father Returning Home’ by showing his fathers’ estrangement from society and his own family. Chitre conveys this isolation by using literary devices such as similes and repetition, and addressing themes such as modernity vs tradition. The poem begins when a father is waiting outside for a train which will take him home. We know this as it says ‘My father travels on the late evening train’. Already by labelling the…

Leo Tolstoy’s books The Death of Ivan Ilych and A Confession, the Gospel Brief and What I Believe show very similar experiences and thought processes between Ivan Ilych and Tolstoy himself. It is arguable that when writing The Death of Ivan Ilych, Tolstoy reflected himself into Ilych’s character and life. This is evident in both men’s early experiences, thoughts and beliefs, morals, and overall questioning and understanding of life’s existence. Very soon did Tolstoy write that he wanted to be…

marriage, but in public they seem to show that they are perfect. In the novella “The death of Ivan Ilych” by Leo Tolstoy discusses how Ivan Ilych is shown to have a great life, his father had money, he was a public prosecutor, he married a beautiful women and had children. But even having all this, his life was far from normal,his marriage was a disaster and his death came so sudden. It is such a tragedy when death comes around in someone’s family especially with loved ones. We might…

The Qing and Li in The Death of Ivan Ilych The Death of Ivan Ilych, depicts an indifferent and selfish world, is a brilliant work written by Leo Tolstoy. Through this short novel, and through the mental struggle of Ivan Ilych before his death, Leo Tolstoy argues for the essentiality of authenticity and compassion of people. His thought resembles the central idea of the essay On the Childlike Mind written by Li Zhi, a Chinese philosopher from Ming Dynasty. On the Childlike Mind argues for the…

Chekhov’s “The Bishop” uses illness to emphasize Bishop Pyotr’s psychological conflict, which is also exemplified in Tolstoy’s Death of Ivan Ilych with Ivan Ilych’s character. Chekhov and Tolstoy implement illness in each of their stories as an obstacle for each of the character’s development, such that it illustrates physical pain to complement with their conflicting mentality. Ivan and Pyotr display symptoms that not only foreshadows their illness, but also shortcomings in their character.…