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The Death Of Ivan Ilyich

 

            Plato once said, "The learning and knowledge that we have, is, at the most, but little compared with that of which we are ignorant." If we are to understand the meaning of life and what is to come after we die, we must be willing to open our minds to new ideas, beliefs, and live life without regrets. .
             Acknowledging death and avoiding the fear of what is to become of me when I die has allowed me to break away from the proprieties that are customary when humans are faced with death. "For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down-when we die and leave these bodies-we will have a home in heaven" (Corinthians 5:1). Tolstoy portrays Ivan, his family, and close friends as people who run from their own future; they are not willing to accept their fate because they do not know what it entails. "In the depth of his heart he knew he was dying, but not only was he unaccustomed to such an idea, he simply could not grasp it, could not grasp it at all" (Tolstoy 93). When the news of Ivan's death circulated amongst his friends they did not grieve but used this tragedy to think of how it would benefit them in their careers. "Well, isn't that something-he's dead, but I"m not" (Tolstoy 37). Death is such a distant idea to his friends that they do not even stop to think that this same situation could fall upon them. If you live life without knowledge of death, when you stare it in the face, it will merely consume you. If Ivan could have only understood death before it came upon him, he could have faced his situation in a more peaceful and tolerant manner. The ignorance of death in these characters left them defenseless in the war of death. .
             During Ivan's last months, he reflects back on his lifetime accomplishments and begins to realize that "all the seeming joys of his life vanished before his sight and turned into something trivial and often nasty" (Tolstoy 119). Ivan cherishes his time spent with his servant Gerasim; a man who, from the very beginning of the novel, acknowledged death and embraced a warm and cheerful attitude towards life.


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