The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy - Essay Example

Abstract

The fact that no one is aware of how it feels to die or what happens following death means that death is a predicament due to its mysterious nature. In the short novel written by Leo Tolstoy, entitled “The Death of Ivan Ilych,” the protagonist attempts to uncover what his life meant to him. For Tolstoy’s readers, such struggle translates into what life means too for them. The same subject matter is handled by Walt Whitman in his poem, “Song of Myself” as his speculation of life here and now, and after death. Both authors point to the inevitability of death, but their percepts of life, as well as the difference between the physical and the spiritual is contrasting. Tolstoy completely differentiates between the physical and spiritual not just during death, but as exemplified by the individual’s life. Whitman, on the other hand, draws no separation between the two as he connects all individuals to nature and life’s eternal cycle.

No one is certain as to what and how it actually feels when one dies, nor one could be so sure if there is indeed a soul that leaves the body and continues with the journey from earthly existence to somewhere described only in religious or metaphysical terms. This predicament points to the reality that perhaps for everyone, death is scary since it is mysterious. In the short novel written by Leo Tolstoy, entitled “The Death of Ivan Ilych,” the protagonist attempts to uncover what his life meant to him. For Tolstoy’s readers, such struggle translates into what life means too for them. This same subject matter is equally handled by Walt Whitman in his poem, “Song of Myself” as his speculation of life here and now, and after death.

Perhaps like most people, Tolstoy tells his readers that life for Ivan Ilych is a matter of social and material wellbeing. Moving from an obscure social standing and into the limelight, Ivan did achieve what he had ever aspired for- gaining the respect of his community as a successful lawyer, and then, later on, exemplifying honor and dignity as a jurist to his community. At the same time, Tolstoy also reveals that his character made such tremendous sacrifice in maintaining his outward appearance by projecting a successful family to the community even when he was never happy with his marriage to a point of describing it as suffering on the inside. During his low and emotionally zapping times, Ivan hints he felt like a victim of circumstances beyond his comprehension as he begins to question why he feels that way (Tolstoy 2004).

The Death of Ivan Ilych centers on the aspects of mortality and how human beings face the reality of their own fate (Papadimos and Stanislaw 125). The novel starts with Ivan’s death and the reaction from his close friends and colleagues, who, after learning of Ivan’s demise are consoled by the fact that they are still alive. Rather than showing empathy and a sense of grief, the judges started thinking of possible promotions and transfers following Ivan’s death. In this beginning, the aspects of individualism are evident. Although the story begins with Ivan’s death, it centers on how human beings deal with their inherent mortality (Tolstoy 2004).

Walt Whitman’s poem Song of Myself explores the likelihood of communion between individuals to show how a human being is connected to the universe. Through the poem, the reader encounters different themes such as the regeneration in nature, symbolized by the grass held by a child. As much as the grass is a symbol of growth and renewal, the fact that it depends on soil from decomposing dead organisms and elements raises the issue of mortality (Zitter 9). This image can be transposed to show that democracy symbolized by the grass has also its roots in finiteness (Killingsworth 2007). Moreover, another reflection is the synthesis between the physical and the spiritual. As Whitman notes, “the soul is not more than the body …and the body is not more than the soul” (Gutman 1269).  

From the two texts, a most recurrent theme is that of mortality and how human beings relate to the possibility of death, and their preparation towards their own mortality. Most accurately, the two authors point out death to be inevitable. In Ivan’s story, his diagnosis with an illness leads him to the realization that death may be imminent, and now he has to tackle something that culture and society try to push away (Schmidt 2012). On the other hand, most individuals fail to appreciate the likelihood of death and its inevitability until it is too late. Hence, Tolstoy pictures death as inevitable regardless of how far people try to protect themselves from this reality, but points out that the appropriate preparation for death comes from embracing the proper attitude to life (Papadimos and Stanislaw 126). Similarly, Whitman addresses this reality as he cross-analyzes death and regeneration, whereby there is positivity despite the possibility of death (Fountain 2016). The extension by Whitman is that everyone must die at some point. It necessarily follows that the need to develop the right attitude to life is also visible as he describes the 28 bathers and the woman watching them (Whitman 2016). The scene exposes a reality that one must be in the world and be part of it for a truly and worthwhile experience (Lehman 2016). Tolstoy also resonates this through his character. For Gerasim, he does not need to hide from death. His good nature allows him to take care of the suffering and dying Ivan. He realizes, when his time comes, somebody might be kind enough to take care of him in return (Tolstoy 127).

The two writers focus on the relation between the physical and spiritual, where they both envisage the conflict between inner life and outer life. The physicality of Ivan is highlighted up to chapter 9 following the promotion of self-desires. Ivan’s characterization ignores a spiritual life until the realization of his imminent death (Blake 2). In contrast, Whitman espouses the interconnectedness between the physical and the spiritual by commenting on the relationship between body and soul (Zitter 13). Throughout his work, Whitman shows how the spiritual defines the physical and vice versa (Allen and Ed 1995).

Although the two texts have thematic similarities, noticeable differences stem from the perception of life after death. Tolstoy focuses on Ivan’s life and death as it becomes the end with a glimpse of hope for the hereinafter, but Whitman develops the regeneration aspect following death. Following this line of thought, the mortality of human beings becomes a cornerstone to the full enjoyment of life. Indeed, the two texts have similarities and differences that are based on the authors’ intention and respective view of life.

Life and death in The Death of Ivan Ilych

Death only comes where there has been life, and this statement is best exhibited in the recounted events following Ivan’s death. Although Tolstoy’s novel begins with the death of Ivan, it is Ivan’s death that forms the beginning of the story and the insight into Ivan’s life. As the novel progresses and as the reader gains insight into the life of Ivan, there is a realization that Ivan has not just died, but has been dead throughout his life. The revelation that the reader gains is also revealed to Ivan as he goes through critical pain with doctors unable to diagnose or cure him of his illness. Ivan’s revelation and his thoughts on what life and death mean come after the diagnosis failure and the increased nagging from his wife. As noted by Tolstoy, Ivan began to think about life and death for the first time; “when I am not, what will there be?.then where shall I be when am no more” (Tolstoy 278)? The questions on life and death drive Ivan to the realization that his life has been more of a façade and he has lived life with disregard for reality or the values of life. From these thoughts by Ivan, it is evident that the author is conceptualizing life and death not just from an existential point of view but from the intrinsic value that can be derived from each. For life, the values that one lived with define his life and determine the approach taken towards death,

Aspects of spirituality and religiosity emerge as the protagonist thinks of the transition between life and death. As Ivan goes through the critical pain prior to his death, his peasant servant Gerasim is by his side to provide comfort and relief through the long nights. Ivan admires Gerasim’s life and describes him as a “clean, ..peasant lad..always cheerful and bright” (Tolstoy 283). The author depicts Gerasim as a character who espouses the real meaning of life despite being a peasant with little worldly value in terms of property. By having Ivan admire the simple life lived by his servant, Tolstoy is appreciating the fact that life goes beyond the societal expectations or the worldly connotations of having a successful life, and is more of having a communion with the spiritual self. As Ivan gains his spiritual awakening, he regrets the life he has lived and apologizes to his wife and children. On the aspects of life, Tolstoy depicts Ivan’s life as artificial and superficial as espoused by society through materialism, self-interest, and shallow relationships, where death becomes the end of life. As for Gerasim’s life, Tolstoy depicts a connotation of being aware of the spiritual self and one fostering interpersonal contact, where death is just a transition.

As the author conceptualizes life as that where one is in contact with oneself, he interconnects the spiritual aspects to the religious percepts of life and death. The reader can easily see the author’s emphasis on the aspects of life after death, where death is a transition to the next stage in life. As Ivan gains his spiritual awakening and as he starts to realize what exactly life means, Gerasim’s presence is the guide towards his self-awareness and the realization of living life from a spiritual point of view. Gerasim does not just serve as a servant to Ivan but is also a Christ-like figure that christens his master before his death. While other people including Ivan are worried about his condition and the likelihood of death, Gerasim is the only one who readily accepts Ivan’s impending death. “..acknowledge the truth…cheerfully acts to make him comfortable. He breathes the health of youth.. shows him a kind of natural compassion” (Tolstoy 176). Through his interaction with Gerasim, Ivan accepts his impending death and more so develops some form of religious affinity. When overcome with pain, Ivan calls out to God, and this influence may be attributable to his interaction with Gerasim who exhibits a strong Christian affinity. As such, the deductions made from this interaction and the espousal of Christianity in the novel is that the author considers authentic life to be aligned to spirituality and the tenets of religiosity, especially Christianity.

Tolstoy’s theological perspective on death is further seen in how he prepares Ivan for his death. Considering that Gerasim has brought about the spiritual and Christian perspective to Ivan who now sees life in a different view, these aspects are equally visible as Ivan dies. In Ivan’s final three days, the author widely references to Christianity and the resurrection of Jesus. The protagonist struggles with pain for three days and this is where there are ultimate transformation and acceptance of death. The author’s use of three days of pain after which Ivan is a transformed individual are similar to the death and resurrection of Jesus from where he gained life. Ivan’s thoughts following the three days are unselfish, and this may be seen as a sign of repentance. Just prior to his death, Ivan asks where death is as he is no longer afraid of death. Rather than death, Ivan was seeing the light, and hence, his death is only a passing into the light. The author’s percepts of life and death as seen in the novel are attributable to his own personal life and beliefs after being brought up in the Russian Orthodox Church. The religious undertones in the novel and as related to life and death have led to Tolstoy’s reference by Wasiolek as more than a writer but a prophet. Wasiolek notes that he “becomes something more than a writer; he becomes a religious leader, a sage, and a modern prophet” (165). Thus, the light that Ivan passes on into signifies the acceptance of death, as well as refers to the Christian connotation of life after death. Death becomes a transition point to the next stage.

The story on Ivan is the author’s way of depicting the inevitability of death but also shows the difference between the physical and the spiritual. Ivan’s acceptance of death despite his initial fear shows how the physical can be connected to the spiritual for the realization of a content life. The author’s view on death is that it can either be an end, or a transition to another stage depending on the kind of life that the individual has lived. A physical life means that death is the end of life while a spiritual existence means that death is a progression to another stage. The author associates the physicality of life to death itself, where the individual is already dead even before he dies. Death is thus not just the loss of breath but also the consummation by worldly aspects and a physical existence.

Life and death according to Walt Whitman

Whitman’s views on death are not different from Tolstoy’s view on death and the existence of life, though their approach to defining the inevitability of death and the existence of hope beyond death is different. Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself does not view death as the end of life but as the beginning of regeneration and rebirth. The reader is asked to think critically about the grass that sprouts and lives off the nourishment of the dead, and as such, his view of death is that it serves as a passageway to another world, another regeneration, and another life. Whitman refers to the grass sprouting around the grave as the ‘hairs of the grave,’ and this is in reference to the progression of life even after death. The regeneration and rebirth may not be in the same human form but can take any other natural form due to the interconnectedness between the human and nature. As such, death according to Whitman is a regeneration and rebirth of the individual albeit in another form though in the same universe.

The progression that the poet envisages in the sprouting life is similar to the consideration by Tolstoy that death following a spiritual existence marks the transition to another realm and another stage of life. Tolstoy distinguishes between the physical and spiritual even in death, where a physical existence is equated to death within oneself. For Tolstoy, the physical existence and death have no transition or continuation of life, but Whitman does not distinguish death in the physical and spiritual sense. To him, all death leads to regeneration. Grass springs indiscriminately, black folks as among whites (Whitman 29). The fact that Whitman does not separate the physical from the spiritual even though appreciating their presence may be from his view of death as having a similar outcome for all individuals. Death is inevitable for all whether black or white and the outcome of regeneration or rebirth is similar to all. The reference to black or white rather than the physical and the spiritual is due to Whitman’s usage of death and regeneration to posit hope for a democracy in modern civilization. While Tolstoy uses death to differentiate the physical existence from the spiritual, Whitman uses death to synthesize the differences in society. With death comes the connection of white and black where the unified regeneration becomes the building point for democracy.

Whitman’s poem has nature as his setting for the ode to death as seen in his various references to nature and aspects of nature. The use of nature as an ode setting becomes significant as it is in nature that there are the clear and most pure life processes. More so, he envisions a connection between life and nature, where the continuation of nature implies that life is also a continuous process even within death’s presence. The connection between life and nature is seen in his conception of the grass, where rather than see a spear of grass, he sees the totality of existence. Grass becomes the exhibit and representation of all things including the divine manifestation, life, and even death. Whitman refers to the grass as the flag of his disposition and a scented gift from the lord. “I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, …the handkerchief of the Lord, …a scented gift..a uniform hieroglyphic” (Whitman 94). As such, Whitman through nature and the grass sees the totality of all existence and the interconnection between the individual and aspects of nature. Just as nature has pure life processes, life itself is pure and continuous and the self cannot be separated from the infinite world. Just as death does not separate the black from the white as regeneration begins, the individual cannot have an ‘individual’ life as he is connected to nature and its processes. Regardless of the natural connection to life and nature, the individual has to partake in life’s processes to enjoy it. Whitman describes 28 bathers and the woman watching them, as well as the 29th bather who they cannot see. Being a part of life does not guarantee the existence, rather the engagement in life’s processes determine the kind of existence (Lehman 116).

The continuation of life processes and the interconnectedness of the individual to nature is not seen in The Death of Ivan Ilych, though the transition of the spiritual individual to the next stage of life through death may denote a continuation of life processes. For Tolstoy, life and death are two stages that the individual transitions to, but Whitman sees everything as a continuation of life processes. “To me, the converging objects of the universe perpetually flows” (Whitman 124).

As nature brings about the view that life is interconnected to nature and there is a perpetual flow in the universe, the perception is that death is not ‘death,’ but life in itself. In the ‘Song of Myself,’ Whitman asks, “What do you think has become of the young and old men,..the women and children?..they are alive and well somewhere, the smallest sprout shows there is really no death, And if ever there was it led forward life” (Whitman 95). The view derived from this passage is that death is part of the eternal cycle that exists, and one that all individuals have to go through. Just as the self is connected to nature and life, death is connected to the processes of life and is, therefore, life in itself. The life in death is also seen in Whitman’s notation that ‘I know I am deathless’ (Whitman 124). Being life and being within the cycle of life, Whitman is also referring to the inevitability of death for all individuals.

Conclusion

The two literal works have depicted contrasting as well as similar views towards death, and thus defined what it means to be living. For both authors, death is not seen as an end in itself, but a point of transition in life’s continuous cycle. The Death of Ivan Ilych depicts two approaches to death, where there is the physical death from the physical/worldly existence and the spiritual death from having an interpersonal contact and awareness of self. According to Tolstoy, the kind of life that the individual lives determines the perception and attitude towards death. Spirituality means death is a transition while physicality means death is the end. Although Whitman appreciates the existence of the spiritual and the physical, he synthesizes the two aspects of death, from which regeneration begins. On the other hand, rather than view death as a stage, he sees it as part of the eternal cycle of nature. As such, although both authors appreciate the inevitability of death, Tolstoy focuses on life as a determiner of progression following death while Whitman sees death as a part of an eternal cycle.