Leo_Tolstoy

Hardikkumar Patel C.Bustamante ENG 102-036 07 March 2009 Ivan’s Perplexity “The Death of Ivan Ilych” was written in 1886, which was the first major fictional work published by the Tolstoy. This short story starts with couple of Ivan’s friends discussing about his death in a court during break. All of them were thinking about their own promotion to Ivan’s position after his death. Even Ivan’s wife was thinking about the money that she would receive from the government on occasion of her husband’s death. After Tolstoy discussed about the funeral of Ivan in detail, he then describes about the Ivan’s life and the story shifts for more than thirty years in the past. Tolstoy mentioned about the family of Ivan who was the second son of their parents. After some time, Ivan realized that he needs to get married in order to fulfill the formality of the society. After he got married, he got the promotion as he switch to the country. He was building up a new house while he fell from the stepladder. And after that, he realized his physical condition degenerates and he was dying. And finally, the story ends with the death of Ivan. But there was a very intense period between falling from the stepladder and his death which Tolstoy brings out very well. In a story “The Death of Ivan Ilych,” Leo Tolstoy brings out the importance of the gap between the inner truth and the outer appearance of the characters. Tolstoy described the character of Ivan as a very perplexed and not being sure whether he washappy living his life or not. He was not convinced with the society’s way of living and he just focused on his own work. He didn’t want to get involved in any kind of situation and remain very quiet and alone until he got married. His life had been changed after he got married and specifically after he fell from the stepladder while building up a new house. After he realized the increase in pain, he then accepts that compassion is the key to correct living and retreats into his inner world at the end. Ivan then becomes examining magistrate in the reformed judicial institutions and then he moves to a new place. After some time, Ivan gets married to Praskovya not because he is in love, but for personal satisfaction. Ivan is always thinking about what is acceptable in the society. When he becomes father, he is not excited and thinks that this considers as the right thing in the society. His inner reality makes him think that he needs to take care of the society before doing anything. One day Ivan is climbing up a step-ladder to hang some drapes while building up a new house. But he makes a false step and slips, and knocks his side against the knob of the window frame. However, injury is not too serious in the beginning and Ivan is happy with his new house (Tolstoy ch. 3 para. 16). But after some time, Ivan experiences discomfort and then he starts feeling more and more pain. Then doctor visits and Ivan soon becomes more quarrelsome due to illness and hence at that point of time, he starts to realize the gap between inner truth and outer appearance. According to Tolstoy, Ivan’s outer life spoils as he is not able to move from his bed. He is not able to enjoy his promotion and also not able to work with their colleagues. Also, he is unable to go on a dinner and play a game of bridge with his friends. Also, his relations with his wife is getting worse and at the same time, he feels that he is unable to enjoy the new furniture that he build with a lot of care. Until now, Ivan’s life is affecting only in his outer appearance, but soon his life starts to affect his inner world as well. His pleasant and decorous life soon becomes unpleasant and indecorous life. He starts to fight the battle of pride and contentment with himself and starts to think about his past. Finally, Ivan realizes that his life has been wrong, but he also feels that others life are also wrong. He notices that no one cares when he is in pain, and they all seem to be ignoring his pain. Ivan also realizes that this is his pain and not anyone else, and so only he would be the one who suffers the pain more. Ivan defends himself against the involvement of his wife’s pain by blaming her. On the other hand, his wife Praskovya defends herself against the involvement in his pain by blaming him (Edward Wasiolek para 10). The reality of inner truth and outer appearance in Ivan’s life continues as the injury getting worse. This affects in his behavior as he becomes more arrogant and noisy due to pain. His wife Praskovya also isn’t taking so much interest in his injury and hence Ivan feels very lonely. “The weapons they use to protect themselves against his pain are the weapons that Ivan Ilych used to protect himself from everything unpleasant” (Edward Wasiolek para 11). Surely, Ivan’s habit of remain very lonely and just to focused on his own work is causing him the most pain. When he was young, he doesn’t like to talk too much h with his colleagues and also he doesn’t care too much about them. But now, no one is talking and caring about him. Hence, Ivan felt that his life has been wasted as he won’t able to make use of it fully. At the same time, he also believes that he is not getting from what he is deserved from his family, and he is blaming himself until the very end. Ivan thought several times during his illness that he has not lived his life well, but he dismissed his ideas as senseless. He thinks about his childhood memories and disappointed each time he thinks about it. However, he identified the struggle that he puts up in the black bag which he considers as a symbol of the struggle. Hence, he wants to justify his life with using the symbol of the struggle as a black bag. But then Ivan stops justifying his life when his death is approaching in his final hours. (Tolstoy ch 9 para 21) There is another difficulty present throughout the long ordeal of Ivan’s Ilych sickness. Ivan Ilych keeps thinking himself about his problem one night about a month before his death. When Ivan exhausted with his pain, he weeps “because of his helplessness, his terrible loneliness, the cruelty of man, the cruelty of god, and the absence of god” (Tolstoy ch.9 para 10). “Why have Thou done all this' Why hast Thou brought me here' Why, why dost Thou torment me so terribly'”(Tolstoy ch.9 para 11) In conclusion, the life of Ivan Ilych consists of many peaks and his character is very perplexed in a sense that he realizes the mistake of not living his life properly when he is dying. He lives his life differently during his inner world and outer appearance. But he suffers the pain in both inner world and outer appearance after he fells from the step-ladder. Tolstoy expressed the character of Ivan as a very perplexed and as a result he is able to successfully create the gap between the inner world and outer appearance.