The Death of Ivan Ilych

The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy

This is a  (long) short story that begins with a number of middle-aged men who work in the Russian court learning about the death is their co-worker Ivan Ilych. None of them seem too put off by his death. Both he and his "friends" are very shallow, focussed on work, status, wealth, and possessions. The story then goes back to the beginning of Ivan's life and recounts how he met his wife and had a family, and how he caused his illness. The pages are mostly taken up with Ivan's slow degeneration, and his change in mental state.

It is a very psychological piece, focussing on Ivan's fear, pity, anger, pain, and finally acceptance as he moves toward death. There is also a focus on Ivan's relationship with others. He gets farther from his wife and daughter, who are mad at him for his suffering and who only care about the temporary. Meanwhile, he learns to care for his son and his servant, who understand him and try to help him. In the end, he realizes the errors he made in the way he lived his and repents, even finding forgiveness from God and probably salvation, before he passes.

The premise and message of this story are powerful, but the plot was slower than a snail in molasses. I hated Ivan for most of the story, but I still felt bad for him in the end. I really didn't pity him until he started to see Gerasim, the servant, as a human. After that, Ivan begins to regret and repent for his ways, and then I felt bad for all of his suffering.

All in all, I thought that this story was good, but it probably wouldn't have been something I picked up on my own (I read it for class).