As the title character of Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich takes his final breaths, he mutters “death is over…there is no death,” (134). In the same way, The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a story about the life leading up to death, rather than death itself. Through both Ivan and the rest of the characters, Tolstoy offers moral advice regarding how to handle the ultimate buildup to death. Ivan’s family and colleagues’ grandiose materialism is strikingly contrasted with the servant Gerasim’s selflessness. In fact, Gerasim’s personality is so divergent from the rest of Tolstoy’s characters he is often depicted as an impractical one-dimensional character. However, Tolstoy surrounds Ivan Ilyich with almost exclusively one-dimensional characters, with
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Despite Gerasim’s apparent lack of money, every description of the servant is accompanied by his clean appearance that is amplified by his “even row of healthy white” teeth (Tolstoy, 47). Gerasim’s salary is enough to feed, house, and clean himself. Tolstoy is not suggesting money is the root of the isolating behavior that afflicts Ivan and his family. Instead, Tolstoy uses Gerasim’s appearance to suggest that only the wrongful use of excessive money leads to an avoidance of life and an avoidance of suffering. In contrast, Ivan suffers greatly during his final few months of life. His pain was constant, “quiet, serious, and insistent,” (Tolstoy, 88). Ivan’s appearance deteriorates throughout the novella and his eyes begin to present “not a spark of life within them,” (Tolstoy, 86). Throughout his life, Ivan constantly avoided his suffering. When his marriage became an inconvenience, he escaped by growing “more attached to his job, and more ambitious than ever,” (Tolstoy, 57). However, his illness provides an anguish that is not so easily escapable. Even in the deepest depths of his illness, Ivan still “holds out hope of living,” (Tolstoy, 128). Gerasim, on the other hand, knows that “we all have to die someday,” (Tolstoy, 47). Gerasim approaches Ivan’s death as an inevitable factor of life, and exudes kindness when caring for him. In this way, Tolstoy suggests that acknowledging death as an inevitable aspect of life …show more content…
One day, as Gerasim is leaving the room he explains that “he did not find his work a burden because he was doing it for a dying man and that he hoped that someone would do the same for him when his time came,” (Tolstoy, 104). Gerasim cares for Ivan not only because he is goodness personified, but because he hopes for some kind of retribution when he is dying. In applying a sense of self-love to Gerasim, Tolstoy expands the character complexity of the peasant. In combination with Gerasim’s clean and healthy appearance, Tolstoy thus expands his guidelines for leading an honest life to include an acceptable level of self-preservation. Tolstoy does not use Gerasim to portray a stereotypical impoverished peasant who gives his entire life to others at the expense of his own self. Instead, Tolstoy provides addendums to his moral
Despite Gerasim’s apparent lack of money, every description of the servant is accompanied by his clean appearance that is amplified by his “even row of healthy white” teeth (Tolstoy, 47). Gerasim’s salary is enough to feed, house, and clean himself. Tolstoy is not suggesting money is the root of the isolating behavior that afflicts Ivan and his family. Instead, Tolstoy uses Gerasim’s appearance to suggest that only the wrongful use of excessive money leads to an avoidance of life and an avoidance of suffering. In contrast, Ivan suffers greatly during his final few months of life. His pain was constant, “quiet, serious, and insistent,” (Tolstoy, 88). Ivan’s appearance deteriorates throughout the novella and his eyes begin to present “not a spark of life within them,” (Tolstoy, 86). Throughout his life, Ivan constantly avoided his suffering. When his marriage became an inconvenience, he escaped by growing “more attached to his job, and more ambitious than ever,” (Tolstoy, 57). However, his illness provides an anguish that is not so easily escapable. Even in the deepest depths of his illness, Ivan still “holds out hope of living,” (Tolstoy, 128). Gerasim, on the other hand, knows that “we all have to die someday,” (Tolstoy, 47). Gerasim approaches Ivan’s death as an inevitable factor of life, and exudes kindness when caring for him. In this way, Tolstoy suggests that acknowledging death as an inevitable aspect of life …show more content…
One day, as Gerasim is leaving the room he explains that “he did not find his work a burden because he was doing it for a dying man and that he hoped that someone would do the same for him when his time came,” (Tolstoy, 104). Gerasim cares for Ivan not only because he is goodness personified, but because he hopes for some kind of retribution when he is dying. In applying a sense of self-love to Gerasim, Tolstoy expands the character complexity of the peasant. In combination with Gerasim’s clean and healthy appearance, Tolstoy thus expands his guidelines for leading an honest life to include an acceptable level of self-preservation. Tolstoy does not use Gerasim to portray a stereotypical impoverished peasant who gives his entire life to others at the expense of his own self. Instead, Tolstoy provides addendums to his moral