Leo Tolstoy’s , “Death of Ivan Ilyich” was a reflection of reality about life and death. Ivan led a very ordinary life doing what was expected of him from his career, to personal life. Death came suddenly to Ivan which taught him something about life and himself during his most vulnerable stage. Often we are so consumed by other people’s action and rewards which make us compare ourselves to others and do whatever other people are doing assuming its the right thing to do. However, Totlstoy shows us that we shouldn’t live by other people’s validation because it can never give you a true lesson or happiness. When Ivan experiences illness and isolation, he realizes the importance of having a true and meaningful life which shows that one must have a purpose or meaning to live by which would make you feel fulfilled even in death something that is true to yourself rather than for others. It made me reflect to one of the greatest quote said by Nietzche who said, “to live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering” Tolstoy teaches us about the sad reality that when one fails to be live life as a true individual and also shows how painful and disturbing life and death can be. Tolstoy’s way of showing it in Ivan’s slow and painful death made me question a lot of things about life and my own meanings in life about the things that truly matter. I believe Tolstoy was also delivering a message that sometimes we find our true selves whenever we are not living in a comfort and peace, that a very tough situations can in fact shape us. Reading this novella in a time like this really made me challenge myself in a way and to actually focus on the things that truly matters to me and makes me feel fulfilled in the soul.
Sangey, I think that your suggestion that Ivan’s suffering is somehow meaningful because of the way it lays bare or gives clarity to what is and isn’t important in life is really interesting. But I also wonder if Ivan’s suffering is made worse by the fact that he is so lonely and isolated and because he struggles against his illness, rather than accepting it.