[Name] Professor Michael Call IHUM 202 The Ending of The Death of Ivan Ilyich In describing the life of Ivan Ilyich, Leo Tolstoy begins with the words Ivan Ilyich s life had been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible (1336). Tolstoy thus introduces the reader not only to a story of a man, but proclaims that he will describe why such a life was terrible (after all, how can a simple and ordinary life be terrible?). Throughout the story, Commented [MJC1]: Excellent question the reader is convinced as to why Tolstoy considers such a life to be terrible. Tolstoy also graciously provides the reader with insight as to how Ivan reconciled with himself and came to peace, allowing the reader to be satisfied. Tolstoy uses the narrative style of the story to create tension and uneasiness which is relieved at the ending when Ivan realizes that his life and decisions were all not the right thing (1368). As Ivan draws his last breath, the reader, along with Ivan, is finally allowed to rest from the tension that is built up to that point. This proves to be a very satisfying ending for the reader, though the reader can hardly help but notice that society and Ivan s family are not changed in any significant way as a result of his suffering. With the narrative power to show the inner motivations of Ivan, Tolstoy portrays a man Commented [MJC2]: That is a good point. However, perhaps an important corollary would be to ask if the reader s perception of Ivan s family and friends has changed. who, though neither good nor bad, chooses to rely upon the fleeting whims of society to dictate what is good and proper behavior. Young Ivan makes this choice as Tolstoy states: from early youth [he] was by nature attracted to people of high station assimilating their ways and views of life (1337). Ivan chose to allow those in authority to decide what was right and what was wrong (Tolstoy 1337). The narrator proceeds to tell how Ivan did things as a young man which
caused him to recoil in disgust with himself. (Tolstoy 1337). However, later on he [Ivan] saw that such actions were done by people of good position and that they did not regard them as wrong and Ivan is thus able not exactly to regard them as right but to forget about them entirely or not be at all troubled at remembering them (Tolstoy 1337). Thus Ivan lives his days by doing what society views as appropriate. And, since it is so easy to point out the selfdeceptions of others while refusing to see our own delusions, the reader is entirely aware that Ivan is acting unethically and living superficially. The reader sees Ivan grasping for wealth, and arranging his life so that it is always a decorous life approved of by society (Tolstoy 1340). The reader sees him put on false pretenses and seek to escape from the responsibilities of marriage. He achieves the latter by adopting a non-committal attitude towards his family where he escapes into his official duties as judge at the first sign of contention. His relationship with his wife decays until it reaches a point of tense detachment. This hypocrisy and disregard for an absolute moral truth creates a tension in the reader which is made especially poignant since the reader, from the very beginning, is aware that a day of reckoning is coming. Such tension is only relieved as Ivan experiences spiritual renewal during his final hours Commented [MJC3]: Due in part because we start out the story with Ivan s funeral. of life. Tolstoy foreshadows this deathbed rebirth when he describes Ivan s face in his coffin. The narrator says Ivan s face has an expression that said that what was necessary had been accomplished, and accomplished rightly (Tolstoy 1333). Before we know much of Ivan s life, the reader has a sense that everything works out in the end. However, such peace comes at a Commented [MJC4]: Good not only do we know that Ivan dies, but (as you point out) we see him at peace. great price as Ivan agonizingly reviews his life, comes to terms with his own self-deception, and performs key actions which allow him to embrace death. Ivan s struggle centers around his conviction that his life had been a good one (Tolstoy 1367). Sincerely believing that he had lived rightly, he cries out in anguish, asking God Why hast Thou done all this? Why, dost Thou
torment me so terribly? (Tolstoy 1363). The narrator wisely informs the reader that Ivan s suffering indeed all resulted from his not having lived as he ought to have done (Tolstoy 1364). The reader, knowing the truth, suffers with Ivan through the last chapters of the story, seeking some kind of resolution. Such relief is finally achieved when Ivan s flailing arm is caught by his small son who starts to kiss it. At that moment, Ivan sees a light and finally understands not only that his life had not been what it should have been, but that this could still be rectified (Tolstoy 1368). Ivan chooses to think of his family, asks for forgiveness and is relieved of his oppression. This decision to think of his family finally allows Ivan to understand the true meaning of life and to no longer view death as an end to pleasure, but as a welcome way Commented [MJC5]: And to do something for them remember that his death becomes the last remaining gift that he can give them. to relieve his family of suffering. He embraces death without fear and the story ends with the words which bring to mind the last words of Jesus Christ upon the cross: it is finished (Tolstoy 1368). The tension built up during the whole story as Ivan lives superficially has been relieved as Ivan finally understands what the reader has wanted to tell him all along. Ivan s relationship with his wife and son are partially healed as he asks for their forgiveness. The presence of light and the allusion to the Son of God through this famous phrase complete the feeling of rightness which concludes the story. Tolstoy describes Ivan s death as a very personal experience where he is utterly alone (except for Gerasim) in his realizations and sufferings. Though these sufferings bring enlightenment, Ivan is the only one who is changed as a result of them. His friends at the beginning, when faced with death as a possibility in their own lives, put up defenses and tell themselves it is he who is dead and not I (Tolstoy 1333). When Peter Ivanovich realizes that he could be put in a state of impending death at any time, he relies upon this sentiment which puts death at a distance: an event that happens to others and not oneself (Tolstoy 1335). Ivan s wife,
Praskovya, puts on an outward expression of grief at her husband s funeral, but is really just concerned about how to get more money out of the government. Both mother and daughter had formed an opinion of him that he was not doing something he ought to do and was himself to blame (Tolstoy 1360). Ivan s family and social circle use these tactics to distance themselves from the reality of death. Such protection allows them to continue living their hypocritical lives just as Ivan had before. Leo Tolstoy thus creates a believable and satisfying ending to his story through the use of narrative omniscience. This tactic reveals the inner tension of Ivan and allows the reader to participate with him, to a certain degree, as he confronts death and feels the anguish of realizing his life has been lived wrongly. Ivan and the reader, sadly, are the only ones who change as a result of his suffering and the reader is left to witness the cycle of hypocrisy and deceit start anew. Commented [MJC6]: A: 9 E: 10 F: 10 Excellent work. I think your points are convincing and you draw on excellent quotations from the text in order to support them. While I certainly agree with your statement that Ivan s family and friends have not changed, I think we might want to spend a little bit of time reflecting on the way that Ivan s perception of them changed: although they remain self-centered and hypocritical, Ivan forgives them their pettiness and pities them. His charitable sympathy should presumably reflect that of the reader as well. In other words, if we end up with the same disdain for these characters that we had at the beginning of the story, then we haven t yet experienced the saving illumination that Ivan reaches at the end of the story.
Works Cited Tolstoy, Leo. The Death of Ivan Ilyich. The Norton Anthology: Western Literature. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1984. 1330-1368. Print.