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

ANALYSIS OF THE STORY TOLSTOY “THE DEATH OF IVAN ILYCH” The story begins with the death of Ivan that is announced to a group of judges in a private meeting over a case. Ivan’s close ally, Peter announces the death to the group that immediately thinks of the induced opportunities for transfers and promotions. Peter develops similar perception though he is a little more touched by the death. On arrival at Ivan’s house, Peter finds Schwartz, who is equally unaffected by the death, and Schwartz proposes a game later in the day. Peter is however emotionally touched and he notices an expression of fulfillment and a sense of warning, to those who are still alive, on Ivan’s face. Ivan’s wife, through her interaction with peter is equally concerned about money than her husband’s death (Tolstoy, p. 1- 8). Chapter 2 Ivan is presented as an introvert who keeps more to himself. He joins law school where he allows external forces to manipulate his ideologies. He however identifies particular characters whom he emulates as he grows up and he is more specific to allow influence from higher social classes. Upon graduation, Ivan is employed in the civil service in which his career develops through a series of promotions. He meets Fedorovna whom he later marries out of convenience due to his peer’s opinions. The marriage however fails to work out and Ivan resorts to spend more time in his work. His inability to take control of his life and that of his family is depicted, as he is not able to make personal decisions. His conflict resolution ability is also weak as he fails to identify and solve the problem with his wife during her pregnancy and later in life. This consequently escalates to ruin stability in their marriage. Ivan therefore represents a section of the society that is controlled by external forces and is not able to make decisions over their own lives. His middle ground however depicts him as a moderator between two extremes of life (Tolstoy, p. 10-14). Chapter 3 Selfishness and greed becomes a major theme as Ivan distances himself from the society around him. His selfish attitude is noted when he loses his temper for failing to secure promotion in his career. Unable to cope with frustration at the work place that had created a rift between Ivan and his colleagues, he resorts to quit his job and only changes his mind after his friend is promoted in the ministry and secures him a better position. The culture of nepotism and favoritism is therefore depicted in the scene. This can be understood from two perspectives. Either the former administration discriminated against Ivan and promoted other persons against merit, or the newly appointed friend of Ivan offered him a position against merit. Similarly, social stratification is exhibited in the story through Ivan’s behavior after his new appointment. He tries to make his new house to a standard that he has wished to live in. Though the standard is beyond his means, he goes beyond this to be in the particular class of house. Ivan also hosts people of a particular social class, an indication of a stratified society. The concept of social instability continues to run through Ivan’s family, as he is not able to manage his family life and appropriately combine it with his work (Tolstoy, p. 16- 22). Chapter 4 Death and detachment from life is also eminent in the literature. This covers both real death and symbolic death. Ivan’s diagnosis that worsens his attitude signifies his death to the world around him. He loses touch with his family who thinks that he is intolerable. Similarly, the treatment that Ivan receives from his doctor and his colleagues signifies a symbolized death. The society has therefore lost interest in him and is waiting for his physical death that does not eventually take them by surprise. Ivan’s isolation from the society can however partly be explained by his poor relationship with people (Tolstoy, p. 22- 27). Chapter 5 Ivan’s condition worsens and brings his attention to the fact that he is facing death. He realizes that he has greatly changed and notes the fact that the world sees him as a dead man. While his isolation deepens, he remains with few options for fixing his social life and health (Tolstoy, p. 28- 32). Chapter 6 Ivan comprehends more of his death. He personalizes it into his consciousness and to the extent of presuming the physical presence of death around him, an indication of lost hope (Tolstoy, p. 33, 34). Chapter 7 Ivan’s condition further worsens and the society’s attitude towards him continues to irritate him. He recognizes the need for affection around him but is not able to find. Both his family and friends are not concerned and he only wins affection of a servant (Tolstoy, p. 35- 38). Chapter 8 Even as Ivan’s condition deteriorates, he realizes that life is full of deception as everything around him is full of lies. He also notices that life goes on despite his medical condition. His wife and children are not concerned about his condition (Tolstoy, p. 39- 45). Chapter 9, 10, 12, 12 Ivan faces reality that his life has not been well lived. He reflects through his childhood and realizes that life slipped away from him, as he grew older. He further realizes that his official profile overtook his private life. His condition deteriorates until he dies. He believes that his family will be better without him and the fact that he will be free from pain upon his death (Tolstoy, p. 46- 54). Every individual, including Peter is therefore materialistic and selfish and is not concerned about the departure of Ivan. There is also a sense of denial of the presence of death in the society. This is witnessed by the behavior of characters who assumes that nothing significant has happened, even in the face of Ivan’s death. Everybody is concerned about personal gains and the death is viewed as an opportunity for making progress. The judges as well as Peter, for instance, think of positions upon Ivan’s death while his wife is interested in money that she can extract from the government following her husband’s death. The society is therefore concerned with the percent life and of an individual who is forgotten about immediately he or she dies (Tolstoy, p. 1- 9). Existence of death in the society and its inevitability is another theme that is illustrated in the text. This is achieved through Ivan, the main character. Though the physical death may be instantaneous, the author, through Ivan depicts the fact that death is a gradual process that takes time. It is similarly inevitable. The notion that neither religion nor science can offer a solution to death is a concrete message of the book as Ivan fails to find hope in any. He realizes that the medical processes are formalities that cannot save his life. Religious aspect with respect to death is revealed when Ivan turns to God to complain about his condition and asks for a better life. Religion and science are therefore depicted as fundamental sources of hope to human beings, but not solutions to death (Tolstoy, p. 1- 54; Bird, Conrad and Fremont, 2010, p. 435; Higgs and Jones, 2009, 47). The author also defines conflict in society that might be experienced within an individual or between an individual and the social environment. Family based conflict is for example depicted in Ivan’s family. His marriage was first out of convenience and problems started immediately afterwards. A continuous marital conflict then runs all through Ivan’s marriage. The conflict is similarly depicted in the workplace. Similarly, conflict between spirituality and physical life is reflected in the text as Ivan tries to turn to God for help but is again captured back to his physical world (Tolstoy, p. 1-54, Newly, 2010, p. 1-10). Conflict in the text is also defined within the context of a person’s inner life and the society. While an individual may be keen on personal ambitions, there is need to consider other members of the society for a peaceful coexistence. Inability to create a balance between the inner personality and the social environment is identified as a core source of problems in Ivan’s social set up (Tolstoy, p. 1-54, p. 10-14). Works cited Bird, Chloe, Conrad, Peter, and Fremont, Allen. Handbook of Medical Sociology. Tennessee, TN: Vanderbilt University Press, 2010 Higgs, Paul, and Jones, Ian. Medical sociology and old age: towards a sociology of health in later life. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis, 2009 Newlin, Esther. “Kisses in La Regenta: the conflict of spiritual and physical desire”. Available from: http://w3.coh.arizona.edu/divergencias/archives/verano2010/kissesinlaregenta.pdf. [Accessed on 23 March 2012]. Tolstoy, Leo. The Death Of Ivan Ilych. Montana, MT: Kessinger Publishing, 2004 Read More