Undestanding The Death of Ivan Ilych - Essay Example

The story of the “Death of Ivan Ilych” is narrated in a third person omniscient point of view. The persona is all-knowing to the stream of consciousness of all characters of the story, most especially to Ivan’s inner thoughts as the latter struggled to fight his ensuing death. The narrator exactly knows how each character thinks, feels, and acts throughout the course of the novelette. He can actually reveal the deepest part of the characters’ consciousness. He can expose the innermost thoughts of the characters revealing their transparent attitude towards life, relationships, and the society in general (Shmoop Editorial Team).

But for most part of the novelette, the narrator focuses mainly to Ivan’s perspective. Ivan’s point of view outweighs all other point of views as it was his life that has to be uncovered and exposed. But at some point of the story, especially at the end part, the narrator goes back to his point of view to clearly reveal the reactions, feelings, and thoughts of the other characters with Ivan’s suffering and bitter attitude towards being sick and dying. But before he has accepted the painful realization on how he had ruin his life and the life of others with his selfishness and lack of compassion, the narrator gave light yet as to how Ivan lead a pointless existence beginning his career after he graduated from the School of Law.

As a student, Ivan undoubtedly acclaims people of high status. And he had tried to imitate them as much as he could. After he graduated from law school, he qualified for the tenth rank in the civil service. Because of his work, he set off to the provinces to serve the governor for special service. After five years, there came a change in his official life. He was offered the post of examining magistrate. He moved in a new town, made new friends; he carefully “picked out the best circle of legal gentlemen and wealthy gentry” in the town.

At this point of his life where he already earned so much for himself, he had started playing vint (a form of bridge; card game). After two years, he married Praskovya Fedorovna Mikhel, the “most attractive, clever, and brilliant girl” in his circle. For the first few years of their marriage, he had shared a bitter marriage with Praskovya. He had made his way of giving much attention to his office works more than ever to escape from the unpleasantness of his marriage with his wife. After three years as examining magistrate, he was promoted to Assistant Public Prosecutor.

With his new duties and his assumed air of importance in the society, his work became more attractive to him than his family. More children came for Ivan and Praskovya and after seven years, he was transferred to another province to hold a higher post as Public Prosecutor. In the new town, his family life became more unpleasant for him. After seventeen years after his marriage, a longstanding career as Public Prosecutor, Ivan became more apprehensive as to be given a more desirable post. He expected to be given the post of presiding judge in a University town but someone else got the post.

This became the hardest year of Ivan’s life. His salary became insufficient to the demands of his luxurious life. And his wife became more irritating for him. After this career setback, Ivan ends up with a job in Petersburg with a higher salary and a better post than those of his “enemies” by using his connections from the past. With a higher salary, he then became obsess with decorating their new house. One eventful day, when he made his usual routine of rehanging the draping, he had a false step, slipped and bumped his side against the knob of the window frame.

The pain soon passed and he became as more jovial as he was. But after sometime, after the family settled in their new life with new friends of their liking, the pain in Ivan’s left side, relating to his fall while he rehang the drapes, came haunting him again. And this time, it was serious. He developed an unpleasant taste in