Analysys of the Story Tolstoy The Death of Ivan Ilyich Term Paper

Analysys of the Story Tolstoy The Death of Ivan Ilyich - Term Paper Example The story begins with the death of Ivan that is announced to a group of judges in a private meeting over a case. Ivan’s close ally, Peter announces the death to the group that immediately thinks of the induced opportunities for transfers and promotions. Peter develops similar perception though he is a little more touched by the death. On arrival at Ivan’s house, Peter finds Schwartz, who is equally unaffected by the death, and Schwartz proposes a game later in the day. Peter is however emotionally touched and he notices an expression of fulfillment and a sense of warning, to those who are still alive, on Ivan’s face. Ivan’s wife, through her interaction with peter is equally concerned about money than her husband’s death (Tolstoy, p. 1- 8). Chapter 2 Ivan is presented as an introvert who keeps more to himself. He joins law school where he allows external forces to manipulate his ideologies. He however identifies particular characters whom he emulates as he grows up and he is more specific to allow influence from higher social classes. Upon graduation, Ivan is employed in the civil service in which his career develops through a series of promotions. He meets Fedorovna whom he later marries out of convenience due to his peer’s opinions. The marriage however fails to work out and Ivan resorts to spend more time in his work. His inability to take control of his life and that of his family is depicted, as he is not able to make personal decisions. His conflict resolution ability is also weak as he fails to identify and solve the problem with his wife during her pregnancy and later in life. This consequently escalates to ruin stability in their marriage. Ivan therefore represents a section of the society that is controlled by ex ternal forces and is not able to make decisions over their own lives. His middle ground however depicts him as a moderator between two extremes of life (Tolstoy, p. 10-14). Chapter 3 Selfishness and greed becomes a major theme as Ivan distances himself from the society around him. His selfish attitude is noted when he loses his temper for failing to secure promotion in his career. Unable to cope with frustration at the work place that had created a rift between Ivan and his colleagues, he resorts to quit his job and only changes his mind after his friend is promoted in the ministry and secures him a better position. The culture of nepotism and favoritism is therefore depicted in the scene. This can be understood from two perspectives. Either the former administration discriminated against Ivan and promoted other persons against merit, or the newly appointed friend of Ivan offered him a position against merit. Similarly, social stratification is exhibited in the story through Ivanâ⠂¬â„¢s behavior after his new appointment. He tries to make his new house to a standard that he has wished to live in. Though the standard is beyond his means, he goes beyond this to be in the particular class of house. Ivan also hosts people of a particular social class, an indication of a stratified society. The concept of social instability continues to run through Ivan’s family, as he is not able to manage his family life and appropriately combine it with his work (Tolstoy, p. 16- 22). Chapter 4 Death and detachment from life is also eminent in the literature. This covers both real death and symbolic death. Ivan’s diagnosis that worsens his attitude signifies his death to the world around him. He loses touch with his family who thinks that he is intolerable. Similarly, the treatment that Ivan receives from his doctor and his colleagues signifies a symbolized death. The society has therefore lost interest in him and is waiting for his physical death that does not ev entually take them by surprise. Ivan’s isolation from the society can however partly be explained by his poor relationship with people (Tolstoy, p. 22- 27). Chapter 5 Ivan’s condition worsens and brings his attention to the fact that he is facing death. He realizes that