The Death of Ivan Illyich, written by Leo Tolstoy in 1886, is a novella which captures the life and death of the title character Ivan Ilyich. It’s a story that deals with themes such as mortality and living an examined life. The novella begins with Ivan Ilyich being introduced as a successful judge who has achieved many accomplishments and honors throughout his career. His friends and colleagues are impressed by him and look up to him for guidance. However, one day he starts experiencing mysterious pains which become increasingly worse over time. Initially, everyone around him assumes these pains are just a result of stress or aging but eventually it is discovered that he has cancer; leading to his eventual death.
Write a brief paper concerning The Death of Ivan Illyich.
Throughout the course of the novella, Ivan is forced to confront several difficult truths about life and himself; one of them being that none of his accomplishments or status in society will matter when faced with death. He also realizes how empty his life has been due to all its materialistic success. As he grows closer to death, he finds himself questioning what really matters in life; pondering things like love, relationships, morality etc… This leads to some intense self-reflection which reveals the superficiality of much of his previous actions throughout his lifetime; while helping make peace with impending doom at the same time.
Even though Ivan was initially angry towards God for taking away his health and happiness during this last chapter in life; ultimately during this self-reflection process he reaches out for solace from religion as well – believing it may provide some comfort during this trying moment before meeting inevitable demise soon after .This desperation even leads him to question if perhaps God actually cursed him rather than blessed him so that now upon facing death’s door ,he may find salvation through belief instead .Eventually at last when confronted by certain ruin however ,Ivan remembers everything he had worked hard for in vain before finding freedom from loathing within himself & realizing redemption outside worldly desires too .
In conclusion ,The Death Of Ivan Illyich serves both as reminder about how short our lives actually can be & simultaneously shows us what true values should really be prioritized on our journey forward afterwards ; namely those derived from meaningful interaction with others around us & pursuit towards inner peace over external validation only . One might assume since we’re all bound by common fate then why not strive more deeply towards personal fulfillment while still present amongst family & friends ? Upon reading this story readers can thus gain an understanding about how important it truly is gain enjoyment from everyday moments shared between many different people before meeting end into unknown darkness together lateron too .