Analysis of The Death of Ivan Ilych - Book Report/Review Example

The Death of Ivan Ilych Ivan Ilych looks back over his life with regrets. He addresses them in a general way so as to give clear insight into how life really is as opposed to how he lived his own life. This document attempts to pull from Ivan the realizations he met along the way, yet discovered too late to remedy in his own life. He gives his wisdom posthumously to his family and friends. He clearly shows the argument between the instrumental and the intrinsic. The Death of Ivan Ilych If only I could have known what I know now, how different my life would have been. As I was growing up, I did exactly what was expected of me; I went to school, graduated with a good position and began to work. I married, climbed the ladder of success and then wham; just when I thought it was all coming together nicely, there was my epiphany moment. How sad to have spent my entire life merely existing when my soul was dying to live! Such is life; full of surprises and lessons to learn. It’s amazing to see how fragile and unpredictable life is, full of twists and turns in the unexpected. We think we are living our lives in the utmost way, yet we’ve not begun to live at all. Existence carries a heavy price for everyone. There is the life we didn’t live, and all the joy missed along the way, as well as the life we endured, with all the misery and suffering like “a stone falling downward with increasing velocity.” I really didn’t know much about bringing my family close to me; most people were respectful and polite in families when I grew up. Honestly, I thought that’s how it was done. I was a good man, a good provider; I always tried to do the right thing at the right time, a proper life I lived. Isn’t that what good men do? Yet, I see “my life was not real at all but a terrible and huge deception which had hidden both life and death.” To live a lie is not to have lived at all. I would give anything to be able to go back and embrace my family; to be close to them, to really know them and have them know me. If only I could hold my children one more time, I would bring them close and tell them to love with all your heart, make each day the best day of your life, and most of all, choose people over things. Don’t worry so much about the things that don’t matter, the petty things that don’t really add quality to your life; those silly, small things will take care of themselves. The real world is the world of right now, today is all there is. Live your life on purpose, making each day a real part of your dream. Don’t wait until tomorrow to share those quality moments with the people you love. My son, my beautiful son, never choose a wife based on how appropriate she is to your position, choose the one you truly love. There is no quality of life in living with someone who complains and focuses on herself constantly; be with someone who can see the good in life, who can spend quality moments with you, make your days joyful and not bitter. Help her with everything; be on her team. Show her that you need her as much as she needs you and that together you can face whatever life brings your way; hand in hand, heart to heart. Give her all of yourself; your thoughts, your feelings, your hopes and dreams. Make her your very best friend; an ally and comrade in arms. My precious daughter, you’ve become like your mother, I fear. Find yourself before you marry this young man so that you can be his friend for life, not the one he merely tolerates. There is no value in half love; it withers the soul with longing. Make peace with yourself and be sure that you are joining your life to his to fulfill your purpose and dreams; not just because it’s the right time or what all the girls your age do. Love is a choice and a commitment; do it on purpose, not by default. Don’t wait until you are sitting in the shadows of your life and bemoaning your fate to make the choices your soul tells you to make; be sure now, before you walk the path from which you cannot find your way home. Choose a career that you love; one that you just can’t wait to get up in the morning to go and do. Don’t be so concerned about how others see you, find what’s best for you and love what you do. Climbing the ladder of success will come naturally if you do what you love and love what you do, find fulfillment and joy in each step of the process. There will always be those who chase the dream; be one that lives the dream, one day at a time, one step at a time. The race to the top is always in progress, with a very crowded raceway; no one stays at the top for long. Friends come and friends go, but friends that want to stay the course and walk the path with you are few and far between. It is much better to have even just one true friend to journey through life with than an entire army of pretenders at your side. The cost of social acceptance is so heavy; a herculean load to bear. Sweet are the victories of life when shared with a trusted friend. Dear Gerasim, bless him; he gave me so much of himself. He was the only one who walked the path with me; a true source of comfort and understanding to the very end. Never overlook a pure soul because it’s wrapped in a simple package. We are sent many opportunities to learn about love every single day, but we usually send them away because we can’t accept how they present themselves to us. Packaging isn’t everything, but the lesson inside is. For sure, what you don’t learn will repeat itself until you either learn it or die trying. Make friends with yourself; love yourself and be kind to yourself. Spend a little time each day examining your life so that you make room for what’s important and leave out the things that don’t matter. Don’t push yourself to be someone you aren’t because that’s what’s expected of you; know yourself well and live your life not someone else’s. Every day, when the day is done, examine yourself; did you live authentically, or were you too busy people pleasing? Deal honestly with all people and never allow them to be less than authentic with you; no one is served with people pleasing. Know yourself well; who you are, what that means, what you have to offer others, and what you need to receive. Give a fair exchange in life so that you can feel clean inside and connected to all that is. Never take more than you are willing to give, and above all, do no harm. A life well lived embraces all humanity, with full connection to and compassion for the other sojourners along the way. Our days are a wink of time; spend them with those people you hold in your heart. Finally, walk peacefully upon the earth; be at peace with yourself, others, and your destiny. We all are on the journey from death to life, therefore don’t be afraid to help another carry his load. The important thing in helping another is that you are doing it from a point of compassion for your sojourner, not as a step up on the ladder of success. There can be no sweeter success than to be part of another’s journey; a candle in the darkness of a cold night. We brighten the paths of others through the lessons we learn on our own journeys; never be afraid to lift your candle and show the way. I see it all clearly now, so many things I should have done differently. The purpose in sharing my journey with you, dear reader, is so that you can remedy your own life so that you live first and then become reborn. Don’t spend your time here dying to live; live purposefully, connectedly, and on purpose. References SparkNotes Editors. (n.d.). SparkNote on The Death of Ivan Ilych. Retrieved on 21 Nov. 2010. www.sparknotes.com/lit/ivanilych/ Tolstoy, Leo. The Death of ivan Ilych. The Classical Library. Html.2001. Retrieved on 21 Nov. 2010. www.classical library.org/tolstoy/ivan/index.htm Read More