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The Misunderstood

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“It’s not a question of appendix or kidney but of life and death. Yes, life was there and now it is going, going and I cannot stop it. Yes. Why deceive myself? Isn’t it obvious to everyone but me that I’m dying, and that it’s only a question of weeks, days” (762). I think this quote portrays a lot of the central themes in “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”; morality, suffering, and family are all represented in this one quote.

Before becoming sick Ivan ignored his own morality, just like his friends around him. He slept around, and did whatever he wanted; he thought that nothing could hurt him. However, death changes everything for him, and there is nothing he can do now. It makes him reevaluate his whole life, everything that mattered before, now doesn’t. After he realizes that he is dying he doesn’t care what people think of him. “Life was there and now it is going, going and I cannot stop it.” This shows how his past actions, are the reasons that he is going through this. His morality plays a big role in the story.

The theme of suffering is apparent as soon as Ivan figures out that he is dying. He suffers from fear, hopelessness and loss of dignity. Ivan is forced to suffer in the story because of the actions he committed while he was healthy. He never appreciated his life, he only cared about what others thought of him. “And that it’s only a question of weeks, days.” Ivan is terrified of dying, but he has to accept it. However, at the end of the story suffering is what ultimately leads Ivan realize that his whole life was false. He only thought that his life was good because others did. His career, his family, his marriage were all false; he only cared about showing off.

The idea of family is extremely dysfunctional throughout the story. No one seems to understand what Ivan is actually going though, and how he can die at any moment. “Isn’t obvious to everyone but me that I’m dying.” His relationship with his wife is extremely superficial, he seems to hate her more and more as he gets closer to dying. “While she was kissing him he hated her from the bottom of his soul” (763). However, we as the reader have to wonder how much of the alienation from his family is caused by them, and how much is caused by his own dislike of them. We can’t blame one person for the dysfunctional family. Earlier in the story we knew that Ivan didn’t really want to marry his wife, he just did it. Did Ivan ever really love his family? Or was it all a show for people around him to see? We also know that he hates his son who he regards as a “failure.” The concept of family is extremely important throughout the story, but who is to blame for the hatred?

Did Religion Encourage the Practices of Slavery?

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Through the first half of the narrative there were many things that I found interesting. However, nothing struck me more than the use of religion. Even though it is not used many times in the narrative it still plays an important role, actually a confusing one.

In March of 1832, Douglas goes back to live with his master, Thomas Auld. Even though Auld did not give his slaves much to eat, he wasn’t known as the cruelest of slaveholders. “He was a slaveholder without the ability to hold slaves. He found himself incapable of managing his slaves by either force, fear or fraud.” After Auld attended a Methodist camp meeting held in Talbot County in 1832 he came back with a new demeanor. He ruled his slaves with much more force and physical abuse. “I have seen him tie a lame young woman, and whip heavy cowskins upon her naked shoulders, causing the warm red blood to drip.” Douglas, thought after his master attended this meeting he would come back with a new attitude, and be more lenient towards him, and the other slaves; maybe even emancipate them. However, the complete opposite happened, his master came back much more aggressive. Is that what he was taught as Methodist church camp?

Mr.Covey is regarded as the “nigger breaker.” If any slaveholder wants to train their slaves, they send them to him and when they come back they know how to work properly. Mr.Covey was considered a religious professor, and a pious soul. A pious soul is a soul that has a duty, or a religious obligation to complete for god. He just like Auld, was a class leader and a member of the Methodist Church. He made a living using other people’s slaves to do his farm work. He would use strict force, and extremely cruelty to train slaves to work better. Did Methodist think that their duty to god was to train slaves for work, and to use extreme cruelty towards them?

Methodist are a group of people historically related to the denominations of Protestant Christianity. In both cases explained above religion isn’t doing the proper job of teaching slaveholders to be more benevolent towards their slaves. When I think of religion, I think of an all knowing force, something guides you to do better in life. Here the total opposite is the case. Auld came back from “religious camp” and he was crueler towards his slaves. Mr. Covey is a “pious soul” and a “religious professor.” Yet he was one of the cruelest slaveholders in the narrative. It really makes you wonder what they were teaching back then in church, and religious schools. Were even priests and holy figures supporting the idea of slavery? That looks like the case. It shows why it was so difficult to abolish slavery as country, some of our religious institutions were enforcing its practices.