The Death of Ivan Illych

The entirety of the life of Ivan Illych was based on responsibility to his official duties. “As soon as official relations ended, so did everything else.” (pg. 746) When illness struck Ivan Illych and all who used to work under his authority abandoned his order, he struggled with finding a new position in life worth living for. Worst of all in his eyes, was the fact that those who he had worked with and shared a life with such as his wife, turned their backs on him. Early in the story it is obvious that everyone known by Ivan Illych didn’t actually grieve over his death. “Peter Ivanovich sacrificed his usual nap.” (pg. 732) Most of his acquaintances stressed more about “where they should play bridge that evening” (pg. 732) than they did

A very significant part of the reading was the doctor’s reference to Ivan Illych’s condition as that of a “floating kidney.” (pg. 753) His floating kidney, which was driving him mad, could be related to the other illness Ivan Illych couldn’t recognize, but had. He began experiencing floating feelings of hope and despair that took place as a result of his fluctuating behavior. This lack of self-control to accept misfortunes in his life would eventually lead to a more difficult time when confronting death.

As the reality of death approached him, Ivan Illych searched for more and more ways to explain his life by what was truly happening to him. He begins by first questioning the doctor’s diagnosis by saying; “or is there as yet nothing much wrong?” (pg. 749) Then he enters a state of denial. “…Ivan Illych made efforts to force himself to think that he was better.” (pg.750) When he finally did see that he was dying, Ivan Illych than tried to find some connection between his experiences in life through the workings of philosophy. “The syllogism he had learnt from Kiezwetter’s Logic” (pg. 755) When he realizes that “…he was not Caius” (pg.755) but was in fact “quite separate from all others,” (pg.755) does Ivan Illych finally attempt to recognize for the first time in life his spiritual side. For the first time in the story, Ivan Illych makes references to God and attempts to access the voice from within. Either through the Opium effects or a truly spiritual happening, Ivan Illych hears this voice and realizes the dullness of his life and how that contributed to

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