The Death of Ivan Ilyich
The following are my notes on The Death of Ivan Ilyich, by Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy. These notes are subject to change in the future.
General Background Information
Tolstoy began to try to simplify his writing as he defined a standard that art should either:
- Expose religious truth
- Expose universal simple truth, available in any man’s life
He felt that his work didn’t really fit these standards, so he went out to try and write many basic Christian books.
Tolstoy criticized Gorky by calling him an inventor. This was a critique as he believed getting obsessed with form in art was pointless. One should seek truth.
As a critique of overly detailed prose: “take the details from the best novels of our time, what will remain?”
Tolstoy recounts a tale in his diaries when walking through a plowed field he spots a single Tartar thistle, broken down by the plow. This struck him as beautiful, and he wanted to write about how it clung to life even when everything around it had been decimated.
Gorky believes within this symbol, Tolstoy’s tendency towards artistic and inclusive creation is also reflected.
Hadji Murat represents a turn towards the thistle and its dignified defense of its life and values as the correct way for man to live. Not a sinner converted, or a holy fool, or a self conscious truth seeker, or sensually enslaved, or completely innocent, rather someone who is loyal to those dear to him, a natural warrior who goes about his life without clinging to any path.
Relevant Background Information
Tolstoy began to try to simplify his writing as he defined a standard that art should either:
- Expose religious truth
- Expose universal simple truth, available in any man’s life
He felt that his work didn’t really fit these standards, so he went out to try and write many basic Christian books.
Tolstoy criticized Gorky by calling him an inventor. This was a critique as he believed getting obsessed with form in art was pointless. One should seek truth.
As a critique of overly detailed prose: “take the details from the best novels of our time, what will remain?”
Tolstoy recounts a tale in his diaries when walking through a plowed field he spots a single Tartar thistle, broken down by the plow. This struck him as beautiful, and he wanted to write about how it clung to life even when everything around it had been decimated.
Gorky believes within this symbol, Tolstoy’s tendency towards artistic and inclusive creation is also reflected.
Hadji Murat represents a turn towards the thistle and its dignified defense of its life and values as the correct way for man to live. Not a sinner converted, or a holy fool, or a self conscious truth seeker, or sensually enslaved, or completely innocent, rather someone who is loyal to those dear to him, a natural warrior who goes about his life without clinging to any path.
Plot Summary
I
We are introduced to three characters, Ivan Yegorovich Shebek, Fyodor Vasilievich, and Pyotr Ivanovich. Fyodor is introduced as the aggressor in an argument, Ivan a stalwart defender, and Pyotr unconcerned.
They learn of Ivan Ilyich’s death through the paper. They knew that he had an incurable illness but hadn’t yet vacated his post at the court where they worked out of politeness.
After learning of his death Fyodor and Pyotr immediately think of what that would mean in terms of their positions.
Fyodor imagines he will get the promotion promised to him, true to his dominating nature given before. Pyotr plans to get a transfer for a sibling in law, to prove to his wife’s family he provides for them, true to his meek and placid nature.
We are assured Ivan Shebek also thinks first of his post, but we don’t get details. The three man have very casual conversation and don’t seem very affected by learning of Ivan Ilyich’s death. In fact Tolstoy tells us upon hearing of their friend’s death they feel a slight joy in knowing it was he who died and not them.
“”You see, he’s dead, and I’m not,” each of them thought or felt.” pg 61.
Tolstoy is very clearly critical of these supposedly close friends of Ivan Ilyich’s death through. He highlights how horrible it is that they feel bored at attending his funeral and doing the typical rites for the dead.
We follow Pyotr Ivanoovich more closely. He goes home, sees his wife and then travels to Ivan Ilyich’s estate. There at the funeral he is already uneasy before the procession.
He spots Schwartz, a colleague who is very playful despite his solemn appearance. They both signal to each other that Ivan Ilyich’s sorry situation won’t happen to them. Schwartz’ demeanor indicates that they will play vint tonight regardless of the circumstances of Ivan’s death.
We then learn that Pyotr is an extremely close friend of Ivan. They went to school and grew up together. His lack of interest in Ivan’s death is perplexing and damning for his character.
Ivan’s wife takes him aside and begins to cry in a private room. Then she concerns herself with the matters of picking the plot for his burial. In these matters she is clearly quite industrious. Tolstoy is likely showing this to tell us that she hasn’t really been captured by the grief of death.
He makes it clear that neither Pyotr or Praskovya care about Ivan’s death except that it affects them. Paskovya tells Pyotr about how terribly Ivan suffered before his death, certainly lucidly, and she only tells it as though she suffered. They both feel fear that when they die others will also impassively look upon their suffering.
II
We learn of Ivan Ilyich’s life. He is by all means an ordinary man. Perhaps some people’s conception of a good man. He respect society’s order and becomes an administrator in the government. He makes his share of mistakes but dismisses his consternation over them when he realizes superiors of his made those same mistakes. By all means a man decided by his environment.
Perhaps the best way to describe him is unproblematic. He always makes his and others lives as easy as possible.
After completing his training he is sent off to a foreign post where he is very satisfied being a magistrate. He surrounds himself with others from high society and busies himself with the work associated with his post.
Tolstoy describes Praskovya Fyodorovna Mikhel (his future wife), as the most beautiful, brilliant and charming woman in the circle of people he knew in his post. As usual Ivan’s attraction and involvement with her are described as a very passive and dispassionate matter. Immediately after Tolstoy clarifies she is not perfect, and only “not bad looking,” which shows us that Ivan really just does whatever is easy and available, even when it comes to finding a partner. He is described as having just accepted a marriage to her when she proposed it, even though he never considered or was interested in the idea.
In no uncertain terms Tolstoy makes it clear that Ivan only does what he deems is pleasurable/acceptable for himself, and what he thinks highly placed people would consider as “right”.
His marriage quickly goes sour. Tolstoy describes his wife as bitter and peevish, seemingly for no reason. Even with this attitude, the narrator’s blame clearly lies with Ivan as he doesn’t attempt at all to remedy the situation or interact with her. Instead he assumes a character and attempts to withdraw as much as he can from her and his marriage in order to resume his pleasant life.
This is obviously not handled well by Praskovya. He buries himself more in his work, and takes pleasure in the power and station that his work afford him. He doesn’t abuse this power, but it is clear he relishes in the possibility that he could. His children are born and he doesn’t even dignify them with description in the narrative. They die and Tolstoy gives them one sentence per death. Ivan has completely withdrawn from his family, and his marriage is loveless. He likes this, he finds this estranged situation the optimal one and probably hopes to be estranged in every way but in his external disposition.
He moves and even though his salary increases they are worse off as his cost of living increases disproportionately. His children reach their teenage years and his son is sent to preparatory school by Praskovya to spite Ivan.
III
Ivan Ilyich after 17 years in his post (should be nearing 45, his age when he dies), is extremely dissatisfied with his life as he has not been promoted. He instigates with his superiors and is denied more promotions. He feels it is a great disservice that no one cares to recognize his work.
He has put everything into work, and no one cares to help him. Begs the question what it all was for. This situation is exacerbated because he lives above his means. He is racking up debt so he goes on vacation, while on vacation he is bored, and feels a terrible anguish which he determines is worse than his feeling of injustice and desperation from being passed over. He therefore resolves to go to St. Petersburg, against the advice of his wife, to try to petition for a better post. At this point he doesn’t care about where he will be hired.
This makes it clear he doesn’t really care for his work, rather he cares for the power and station it affords him. Miraculously he gets the 5000 roubles salary job he is looking for. He forgets about his worries. The fact that this year is described as the worst year of his life is very interesting, considering how much agony his death supposedly had in store for him.
His daughter is given the name Lizanka obliquely in the text, and his son Pasha. Their names only mentioned when describing the immense pleasure Ivan took in arranging his apartment in St. Petersburg. He takes huge pleasure in effectively planning and organizing his apartment to be the apartment he imagines people of high station live in. When his wife arrives, she also imagines the apartment will be this way and so there is not as much friction.
Tolstoy calls him out as creating all this to appear as though he is rich. He has one large fight with his wife about his overspending on pastries to please the gentry. This is glossed over. To outside observers him, his wife and daughter are a perfect unit. His son is conveniently left out.
IV
Ivan Ilyich sustains a bruise when he falls trying to organize his perfect apartment. This pain on the left side of his stomach develops into a heaviness and ill humor that affects his so-called pleasant life.
Ivan Ilyich begins to be the instigator of quarrel in his marriage as he is always in an irritable mood from his sickness. His wife resents him deeply, and wishes for his death. She hates herself for being dependent on him. She suggests forcefully that he see a doctor.
The following is a great passage describing how it feels to see some doctors even today:
“He went. It was all as he expected; it was all as it is always done. The waiting, and the assumed doctorly importance familiar to him, the same that he knew in himself in court, and the tapping, and the auscultation, and the questions calling for predetermined and obviously unnecessary answers, and the significant air, which suggested that you just submit to us, and we will arrange it all—we know indubitably how to arrange it all, all in the same way as for anybody you like. It was all exactly the same as in court. As he put on airs before the accused in court, so the famous doctor put on airs before him.”
His life became about following the orders the doctor gave him. It’s clear the doctor doesn’t really understand what is wrong with him and his condition is serious but unlikely to be resolved. His family does not care.
His condition worsens regardless of he attempts to follow the medicine diligently or not. There is an implication that he doesn’t given that when his wife accuses him of causing his own illness he must admit that he does stay up late. Regardless, we learn that his life is marred completely by pain, discomfort and his disease. Everyone treats him as though he will soon die, and his pleasant life is subsumed by younger people in the ministry. He feels his poisoning permeates him, his life and all his pursuits, but rather than slowly being filtered out it grows in strength and threatens to consume him whole.
Very astutely, Tolstoy points out that when you have a condition like this, or are in a worse disposition every slight thing that you would typically brush off becomes impossible to deal with. Rather than finding the peace that might aid you, you find reason to disturb your peace in any slight occurrence that you would typically dismiss.
V
Ivan Ilyich realizes his ghastly figure. His illness is clearly progressing, as both his brother in law and Praskovya can tell. He sees himself and feels total despair. He sees a new doctor who assures him he will get better and temporarily sees his vim return. That night he attempts to feel better but the same pain returns to him. He then despairs and grapples with death. He can’t understand how other people who will soon die feel nothing for him. Him now but them later, what’s the difference.
He resolves to see no more doctors and accept death. At this point he realizes that there is no saving him. He hates Praskovya with his whole being for not truly caring about him.
VI
Ivan is completely consumed by the thought of death. He recalls and contemplates a classic syllogism about the mortality of man. He reflects that even though he understood it he never applied it to himself.
He thinks to those unique feelings, or supposedly unique feelings, that he had that led him to believe he was special. How him and his colleagues seemed above the common man, and above death. The inability to cope with the reality of death is obvious.
He can’t distract himself with work, and when he finds some distraction in that drawing room he designed it is made explicit that his fall there is what began his illness.
VII
Everyone in his life is waiting for his death. He feels very little dignity. A butler named Gerasim treats him very well, unlike most others in his life.
Gerasim alone refuses to lie to Ivan. He pities him and treats him as though he is dying. A truly beautiful passage is written where it is shown that Gerasim’s pity is simple and honest, and therefore deeply loving. Perhaps the only love Ivan has in his life.
We can not blame anyone but Ivan for his situation, yet the kindness Gerasim shows him is still beautiful and moving.
VIII
More doctors come to see him. It’s all a big show. He is beginning to be fed up and lucid about the spectacle.
He sees a young boy beaten by his father when Praskovya invites the father and mother over. He falls in a silence and can’t take the company of people that aim to avoid his presence and death. Then his family leave for a play.
IX
He sends away everyone, even Gerasim. Alone he weeps. He reckons with God wholeheartedly, and stops at the thought that perhaps he had lived his life incorrectly.
He dismisses this as he feels he lived as he light to. Yet still, in his consciousness he feels fondness only for his youth.
X
He denies his life being lived wrong.
XI
He struggles with his life not being well lived. His wife has him do one last ritual, and he goes through with it. After doing so he can no longer allow himself to live this lie and he thrashes and screams endlessly.
XII
He dies for his family. He accepts his life was poorly lived and realizes the correct thing to do is to accept death and leave the Earth.
Final Thoughts
Ivan Ilyich’s death began when he was born, and again as a result of his obsession with being of high class in and in the right order, and again as a result of his organizing his life as such and falling, and ends in his death.
While everyone knows death is inevitable, it is also so divorced from the human experience, collective or individual, that facing it is almost impossible.
Even while reading, we know from the title and first pages that Ivan dies, and yet as we read just as he feels hope when doctor after doctor and treatment after treatment come that he has some oblique hope of his convalescence.
In his death Ivan finally acts against the impulse to cling to life, pleasure wealth and dignity. He thinks of his son and allows himself to die.