ANGELICA'S BOOKS: THE DEATH OF IVAN ILYICH BY LEV TOLSTOY

 

The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a novel written by Lev Tolstoy and published in 1886.

This book starts with the death of Ivan Ilyich, a member of the appeals court. His colleagues, hearing of his death, do not show displeasure. Actually, everyone hopes to take his place.

Pëtr Ivanovich, one of the protagonist’s friends, proves to be insensitive to his death. Indeed, while he is taking part in Ivan’s funeral, he thinks about the card game he is missing.

Moreover, Praskovya Fëdorovna, Ivan’s wife, during the funeral, asks Pëtr Ivanovich if she will receive reimbursement because of her husband’s premature death.

While  Pëtr Ivanovich is relieved because he is still alive.

“Besides considerations as to the possible transfers and promotions likely to result from Ivan Ilyich’s death, the mere fact of the death of a near acquaintance aroused, as usual, in all who heard of it the complacent feeling that, “it is he who is dead and not I.”

Then, the author describes Ivan Ilyich’s life. He lived worrying about what people thought of him. He did everything wondering if it was respectable in other people’s opinion.

However, at death’s door, Ivan Ilyich understood he had not lived as he wanted, but as the others wanted. He understood he had wasted his life. This awareness made him feel worse and made his death unacceptable.

“<<Can it be that I have not lived as one ought? >>suddenly came into his head. <<But how not so, when I've done everything as it should be done?>>”

Ivan tried to recall his memories and his experience to find comfort, but his happiest memories dated back to childhood. Now, he definitely understood that his life was empty.

“And in imagination he began to recall the best moments of his pleasant life. But strange to say none of those best moments of his pleasant life now seemed at all what they had then seemed”

Through this book, Lev Tolstoy wants to show us the hypocrisy of society and relationships. Until Ivan Ilyich earns and can organise parties everyone loves and respects him, but when he cannot do these any longer, he becomes a burden for his wife and his friends.

Moreover, The Death of Ivan Ilyich teaches us not to waste our time. This book highlights that death is part of our life. It reminds us that we are fragile creatures and  we can die any moment. Therefore, we have to live the life we want to live, without worrying about what the others might think. If we thought that today is our last day on Earth, maybe, we would not waste the opportunities life gives us. And, maybe,  if we did that, at death’s door, we would look at our life smiling.   

“The example of a syllogism that he had studied in Kiesewetter's logic: Caius is a man, men are mortal, therefore Caius is mortal, had throughout his whole life seemed to him right only in relation to Caius, but not to him at all.”

 

Lev Tolstoy

 

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was born on 9^th September 1828 in Jasnaja Poljana (in Russia)from an aristocratic family. His mother died when he was 2, while his father when he was 9. Because of this, he and his siblings grew with their aunt. 

He studied Oriental languages first, then Law, but he did not graduate because he decided to abandon the study programme.

In 1851 he joined the Russian army, which he would leave after fighting in the Crimean War. This experience would inspire him to write Sevastopol Sketches.

In 1857  Tolstoy founded a school for farmer’s children. In the same year, he established a magazine, called Jasnaja Poljana, in which he wrote about his pedagogical ideals.

In 1862  he married Sof'ja Bers and they had 13 children.

Between 1865 and 1869 Tolstoy published one of his best-known work, War and Peace, where he declaires himself against every war. While in 1878, he wrote Anna Karenina.

Meanwhile, he started to distance himself from the political institutions and the Orthodox Church. Actually, he “founded” a new religion based on reason and the teachings of the Gospel. He is considered the founder of “Christian Anarchism”.

This separation would be more evident when he published Resurrection in 1899. Because of this work, Tolstoy was excommunicated.

He never had good relationship with his wife: indeed, they used to argue frequently. This hate between them got worse when Tolstoy, already old, wrote in his will that he wanted to give up the copyrights of his works donating them to humankind. Doing that, his wife and his children would lose a lot of money.

Moreover, Tolstoy understood that his life went against his ideals. He wanted to live a simple and humble life. Therefore, because of his ideals and the bad relationship with his family, he decided to run away from his house.

Lev Tolstoy died because of pneumonia on 20^th November 1910 in Astrapovo railway station, ten days after his escape.

 

Angelica T., 4scB