The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy - Essay Example

A Formal Essay on The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy Leo Tolstoy created a masterpiece in The Death of Ivan Ilych. The story of an aristocratic way of living in a typical Russian environment and the eventual isolation from that kind of life to face an impending death opens the eyes of readers as it makes them realize the real value of life. The author also succeeded in featuring a fraction of a Russian family life, as well as the social implications of being a legal, bourgeois, and professional person in the country. Furthermore, it makes people understand the contrast between the rich and marginalized people, and how different they are when it comes to perceiving life and death in the person of Ilych and the peasant Gerasim. This paper will analyze Tolstoy’s story focusing on the theme of isolation and the Russian way of life by studying the kind of life that the main character lived in the story as told by the narrator, as well as his thoughts, perspectives, and the way he dealt with his family and the entire Russian society as a whole. Background of the Story The story is plotted starting from the announcement of the death of Ilych, by his friend Peter Ivanovich, to a group of judges in the court room. Instead of grieving sincerely, they were merely thankful that they were not the ones who died which means they will have longer service in court and a bonus consolation that Ilych’s death will open to promotions at work (Tolstoy 7). On the other hand, Praskovya, Ilych’s wife, wanted to do something more about her husband’s pension from the government to make sure she gets more than what she expects. Meanwhile, Gerasim, the nurse who took care of Ilych on his death bed, has anticipated death and thought that it must not be feared for it comes to everyone in due time (Tolstoy 15). As the story progresses, the early life of Ilych is narrated. During his teens, he studied law at a school where he observed and adopted a high social status in life. He then worked seriously in line with his degree (Tolstoy 26). Eventually, he got married to Praskovya with the thought that men with high social standards in Russia must marry, buy properties, and start a family (Tolstoy 45). While Praskovya had a very hassling pregnancy, Ilych began to drown in work and, eventually, he built a fence between him and his family. He treated them as if they were some colleagues at work or some business partners. When he was offered an opportunity for a higher position, with a higher salary, initiated by a friend in the Ministry of Justice at St. Petersburg, he bought and furnished a new house where his family could move in (Tolstoy 50). There, he met an accident where he hit his side as he slipped while decorating his house. Just when he thought he only acquired minor injuries, he later felt pains on his side that never ceased. Little did he know that one false move will be the cause of a deadly disease (Tolstoy 215). When he can no longer leave bed, Gerasim took care of him. While in isolation, he realized so many things as he had flashbacks about his life. He reflected that he was unable to live his life to the fullest because he kept himself too occupied with his career and trying to live an aristocratic life just to belong to a society of high class Russians (Tolstoy 355). It dawned back on him that he should have spent a lot more quality time with his family. While Gerasim was taking care of him, he realized how simple life might have been especially for the peasant. He observed how content Gerasim was in doing his job and how calm he was when he talked about death. This helped Ilych to come to these many realizations of life (Tolstoy 467). Soon, he became brave enough to enter the light and stare death in the face to rest in peace finally (Tolstoy, 490). In the end, he was not able to bring along with him his wealth, career, and properties. Insights on Isolation and the Russian Society The story featured many realities of life that people experience not only in Russia, but also anywhere around the world. The author used Ilych as an instrument to teach readers to have a balance between their career and family life. The life and death of Ilych is a reminder that life is short. It is alright to think about proprieties, but it does not have to be the only focus in life. There are many other good things in life, specially things that money cannot buy like, the priceless smile of a son or daughter, a wife’s home cooking, or a walk at the park with the family. The execution of Tolstoy’s writing in this particular story can be considered as superb in its sense. He was able to give justice to the description of a Russian way of life, in both the peasant’s and the aristocrat’s perspectives. A Russian society is non-individualist, which means that they help one another in order to achieve their goals. For example, Ilych’s friend happened to be a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Justice, and because of that; it was easy for him to land a high paying job in the said office. This is very typical in a Russian society that it seemed as if it is already part of their tradition. The way of life of an aristocratic Russian was depicted by the main character of the story effectively. Ilych did all that he could in order to succeed in order to earn a good place in a society of bourgeois. What he lacked, however, was a balance in his career and personal life. In a typical household, Russians are traditionally attached to their families that the children can actually live with their parents even after marriage. Hence, they are dependent with one another. In Ilych’s household, however, he talked with his family as if he was talking to some business clients. Here, it is really obvious that he was not able to maximize his time with his family until the moment he died. As pertaining to the theme of isolation in the story, Ilych began to isolate himself from the kind of life he used to have. Since he can no longer stand and continue his job, he had no other choice but to ponder on the life that he once had. The author also did a wondrous job in the twist of the story. He used an illness as a reason for the isolation, or in irony, the illness became like a cure to Ilych’s once ill-gotten life. As he reflects on his pain and sufferings, he has come to a very crucial realization that he should have lived his life differently. The readers are being compelled to realize that in order to live a better quality of life, they need to find the happiness that will define them as persons—the kind of happiness that is priceless and irreplaceable. Tolstoy delivered the story creatively when he started off with the death of the main character, which is an effective way to make the readers glued to the story as they become curious about how and why the character died. Moreover, the readers will most likely keep on flipping the pages until the end of the story because of the way it was plotted. Conclusion The insights that readers can grasp from Leo Tolstoy’s work are deep and personal. The lessons taught in the story will teach them how to live their lives without feeling a kind of regret that Ilych felt while he was lying on his death bed. The incorporation of a peasant’s (Gerasim) behavior and insights of contentment made the story rich and full of lessons, as well. Gerasim has somehow influenced a man of high standards to humbly face death and leave behind his career and properties. The story of isolation was also depicted well by the author who provided a very good twist in the life of the main character. Work Cited Tolstoy, Leo. The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories. Russia: Vintage Classic, 2010. Print. Read More