CONTEXT: Joseph Campbell explains that a dragon figure represents our own greed. He says, “Psychologically, the dragon is one’s binding of oneself to one’s ego, and you’re captured in your own dragon cage. ‘Killing the dragon’ is getting rid of your own fears. The real dragon is in you; it’s your ego holding you in, focusing on ‘what I want, what I believe, what I can do, what I think I love, and what I regard as the aim of my life.’ It might be too small, that which pins you down, if it’s only that which the environment tells you to do, then it certainly is pinning you down. The environment, then, is your dragon as it is reflected within yourself.”
In “The Death of Ivan Ilyich,” Leo Tolstoy presents readers with a protagonist who has literally risen to the peak of his life and then suffers a complete fall from that peak into the depths of the human heart to try to answer the question, “Did I live a good life, in the end?” “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” was Leo Tolstoy’s novella through which he provided readers with his commentary on the moral and social issues that he saw in the world around him.
ANALYSIS:
Look first at the environment in which Ivan Ilyich lives, including the people and places that make up that environment. What flaws in that society and environment does Tolstoy reveal in the story? What is the “greed” that these people exhibit? What moral judgment does Tolstoy seem to pass on that society?
Why does Tolstoy start the story AFTER the death of Ivan Ilyich? What actions and attitudes do we see in Ivan Ilyich’s friends and family members that set the tone for the story? How do these characters seem to think or feel about death, and how does that set up a contrast between them and Ivan?
Identify internal and external conflicts in the story. What are Ivan’s reactions to his own dying? Before his death, how does Ivan’s ego “hold him in” and keep him trapped in his “dragon cage?” What are the trappings of his life? How does his illness and impending death change that? Who or what is the internal demon or external monster that Ivan Ilyich must face? Is he successful in the struggle? Explain how Tolstoy develops a journey toward death which similarly becomes a journey toward illumination.
Look at the structure of the story: how does Tolstoy use time and the passage of time in the novella to create the effect of time slowing down as the story moves towards Ilyich’s death? Why would he want readers to recognize that passage of time? How is it connected to the mental and emotional journey that Ilyich is taking?
How is Gerasim a foil to Ivan in the story? What purpose does he play, and how does he help to develop one of the themes of the story?
Consider the allusions to Christ in the story. Which character(s) might be seen as Christ figures? What sort of symbolism is at play to create the allusion? What does Tolstoy ultimately want to communicate to his readers about the way that they live and how it is connected to the struggle before death? Do we successfully get rid of our own fears when facing death?
REFLECTION: Finally for readers in modern America, what do you think we can gain from reading a story like this? How might have/did reading this story make you consider your own sense of mortality? How do you think people will remember you after you die? How do you hope they will remember you (this answer may be different from that in the previous question)?
Create one original post in this forum and respond in depth to a minimum of two other students’ posts.
Lesson Notes:
Leo Tolstoy and the Novella
In his anthology entitled Sailing to Byzantium, Robert Silverberg writes, “The novella is one of the richest and most rewarding of literary forms. . .[I]t allows for more extended development of theme and character than does the short story without making the elaborate structural demands of the full-length book. The novella provides an intense, detailed exploration of its subject, providing to some degree both the concentrated focus of the short story and the broad scope of the novel.”
When we think of the novella, then, we consider structure, development, plot/conflict, and character to be some of the defining characteristics that set the novella apart from other literary forms. The length of the novella can vary–consisting of anywhere from 8000 to 40,000 words–but it’s definitely longer than a short story, yet not quite long enough for a full-length novel. Some novellas are divided into chapters, but many of them are not. More importantly, though, a novella has fewer conflicts and subplots than novels, which means that the characters, conflicts, and plot that ARE in the novella can be more complicated and better defined than they might be in a short story. The result is that novellas have more of a developed story to engage the reader, but they aren’t overly complex, so most readers can complete them in one or two sittings. Most novellas focus on a single event and/or a single character around which the entire story revolves, so it can be a useful genre for writers who want to deal in-depth with social, psychological, or philosophical issues in a simpler form.
Tolstoy’s Death of Ivan Ilyich
When Tolstoy wrote his novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich in 1886, he had been searching for meaning in his life. Tolstoy was the son of a Count and a former princess, so he came from an upper-class background. However, he wasn’t proud of his life. Tolstoy looked around him and found deep-seated materialism and secularism that appeared to be a byproduct of modern science in his time. In his search for a way to resolve his own conflicts, he first studied the great philosophers and found nothing to help him; then, he went to his friends. They were as shallow and confused as he was. Next, he conversed and interacted with the Russian public, the peasants. They had an irrational knowledge of the spiritual–also called faith–that allowed them to be happy. He was faced with a choice, and he chose faith. He didn’t believe in Christ as a deity, but he did believe in a semi-Judaic God, and he found that when he believed in God, he felt alive. The character of Ivan Ilyich is a reflection of this aspect of Tolstoy’s personality and character.
The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a chronicle of one man’s journey through his troubles, but it is also satirical and critical of elements of the Russian society in which Tolstoy lived that needed changing. It illustrates Tolstoy’s post-conversion philosophies with its basic subject being the inevitability of death. Tolstoy communicates to readers the idea that how much you struggle in death is determined by the quality of life you have lived.
Structurally, this novella presents a realistic view of everyday life for Ivan Ilyich, his family, and his peers. It begins with a present-time introduction, and the rest is a flashback. It’s interesting to note that every chapter is shorter than the one before it, and with each chapter that passes, the story focuses more and more on Ivan. At the end, it’s only about Ivan. Chapters 2-4 describe his childhood, career, and marriage: many years are covered in these three chapters. Chapters 5-8 focus on the development of his illness and the question of his impending death. Then the last four chapters deal with his death in days and hours until time fizzles out. Your discussion will ask you to look for deeper meaning in the structure of the story, so think about why Tolstoy might have structured the novella in this way.
Thematically, The Death of Ivan Ilyich addresses social, philosophical, and psychological issues within the span of roughly 40 pages. In terms of social issues, The Death of Ivan Ilyich is an attack upon the empty and valueless life of the protagonist and the privileged society of which he was a part. Tolstoy presents characters who represent the worst qualities of self-concerned citizens, especially those in the upper classes. Tolstoy was a Romantic in the sense that he celebrated the lives and simple values of peasants, those people who lived close to the earth. In contrast, his aristocratic background seemed hollow and frivolous. Socially, this story is a revelation of the manner in which society can act as a hindrance to the individual’s discovery of personal truths. Life is not authentic to him; everything Ivan did was on the surface, a sort of self-deception. So the story is an attack on the empty life of the protagonist and his society: if you lead a shallow and fruitless life, death will hold no satisfaction for you.
The philosophical issues in the story revolve around the distinction between right and wrong actions and the unreality of life. Ivan Ilyich never could understand right and wrong for himself; instead, his opinions were always governed by his peers and the society in which they all lived. Ilyich never understood or found the meaning to his life when he was living, so when he is faced with death, he is fraught with concern over whether or not he had lived a good life. Is it right to do what everyone else is doing, to be overly concerned with those around you, or is there some deeper purpose that an individual’s life should serve? As a result of his self-examination, the story ends with a forgiving: Ivan asks for forgiveness from wife and son because he realizes he hasn’t led his life the way he should have. He gains an inner peacefulness because of the righting of his wrongs, and the story ends by reinforcing the inevitability of death.
Finally, the psychological issues in The Death of Ivan Ilyich revolve around how those who are not in immediate danger of dying deal with the fact that death is inevitable. There are multiple instances of psychological masking (i.e. putting on the face of bravery or sympathy) in the story; in fact, the narrator of the story has an omniscient view of the characters so that we can see what is really going on in their minds as they face the death of their friend and family member. Through this masking, we see a deep hypocrisy characteristic of Ivan’s and his associates’ layer of society. They retreat from life’s unpleasantness by living in denial of the inevitability of death. Ivan retreats to memories in the end, but in life, he retreated to law school and into his work or social responsibilities to get away from dealing with his relationships with family. In fact, denial plays a large role in this story, which illustrates the five stages of dying and presents vivid descriptions of symptoms, practices, and conditions of the dying man. Most of the characters try to deny that Ivan is dying until it is completely inevitable.
So we can see that within this one story about this one man’s death, there are multiple layers of to the theme of the inevitability of death that Tolstoy examines through his characters, the narration of the story, the plot, and its conflicts.
Lesson Notes:
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s Five Stages of Dying
Dr. Kubler-Ross is a psychiatrist who was previously associated with the University of Chicago Hospital. On Death and Dying is the report of a two-year study she conducted with terminally ill patients. It was on the “Best Seller” lists and is available in most public libraries. All of the following quotes and information come from her book.
Kubler-Ross on the Fear of Death
“When we look back in time and study old cultures and people, we are impressed that death thas always been distasteful to man and will probably always be. [. . .] In our unconscious, death is never possible in regard to ourselves. Death […] is associated with […] a frightening happening.”
“One of the most important facts is that dying nowadays is more gruesome in many ways, namely, more lonely, mechanical, and dehumanized; at times it is even difficult to determine technically when the time of death has occurred.”
“When a patient is severely ill, he is often treated like a person with no right to an opinion […] It would take so little to remember that the sick person, too, has feelings, has wishes and opinions, and has—most important of all—the right to be heard.”
Five Stages of Dying
STAGE 1: DENIAL AND ISOLATION
When told they had a terminal illness, “most of the patients in the study at first reacted with statements such as ‘not me, it can’t be true.’”
“Denial, at least partial denial, is used by almost all patients, not only during the first stages of illness […] but also later from time to time. I regard it a healthy way of dealing with the uncomfortable and painful situation with which some of these patients have to live for a long time. […] Denial allows the patient to collect himself and, with time, mobilize other, less radical defenses.”
Indications of denial are: belief that test results were misinterpreted or mixed up with someone else’s; doctor or treatment shopping; wishful thinking; pretense; etc.
“Denial is usually a temporary defense, […] but patients can be quite effective in choosing different people among family members or staff with whom they discuss [their true feelings] . . . while pretending to get well with those who cannot tolerate the thought of their demise. […] This shows the need to examine more closely our own reactions when working with patients as they will always be reflected in the patient’s behavior and can contribute a great deal to his well-being or detriment.”
STAGE 2: ANGER
“Fortunately or unfortunately, very few patients are able to maintain a make-believe world in which they are healthy and well until they die. When the first stage of denial cannot be maintained any longer, it is replaced by feelings of anger, rage, envy and resentment.”
“In contrast to the stage of denial, this stage of anger is very difficult to cope with from the point of view of family and staff. […] Anger is displaced in all directions and projected onto the environment […] almost at random.” They then either respond with grief and tears, guilt or shame, or avoid future visits, which only increases the patient’s discomfort and anger.
“A patient who is respected and understood, who is given attention and a little time, will soon lower his voice and reduce his angry demands. He will know that he is a valuable human being, cared for, allowed to function at the highest possible level as long as he can. The tragedy is […] that we do not think of the reasons for the patient’s anger and we take it personally when it has originally nothing or little to do with the people who become the target of the anger.”
STAGE 3: BARGAINING
“The third stage, the stage of bargaining, is less well known but equally helpful to the patient, though only for brief periods of time.”
“The bargaining is really an attempt to postpone; it has to include a prize offered ‘for good behavior,’ it sets a self-imposed ‘deadline’ (e.g. one more performance, a son’s wedding, etc.), and it includes and implicit promise that the patient will not ask for more if this one postponement is granted. None of our patients have ‘kept their promise’; (there is another son whose wedding the patient wants to witness.)”
“Most bargains are made with God and are usually kept secret or mentioned between the lines.”
STAGE 4: DEPRESSION
“When the terminally ill patient can no longer deny his illness, […] he cannot smile it off anymore. His numbness or stoicism, his anger and rage will soon be replaced with a sense of great loss.”
Dr. Ross identifies two kinds of loss and depression: 1. “past losses” – loss of body parts or functions, financial problems, material losses, job, other social roles, etc.; and 2. “impending losses” – life, loved ones, etc.”
“This is the time when the patient may just ask for a prayer, when he begins to occupy himself with things ahead rather than behind. It is a time when too much interference from visitors who try to cheer him up hinders his emotional preparation rather than enhances it.”
STAGE 5: ACCEPTANCE
“If the patient has had enough time […] and has been given some help in working through the previously described stages, he will reach a stage during which he is neither depressed nor angry about his ‘fate.’ […] Acceptance should not be mistaken for a happy stage. It is almost void of feelings. […] This is also the time during which the family needs usually more help, understanding and support than the patient himself. While the dying patient has found some peace and acceptance, his circle of interest diminishes. He wishes to be left alone. […] Visitors are often not desired.” Family and friends may see this as rejection.
“Only patients who have been able to work through their anguish and anxieties are able to achieve this stage. If this reassurance could be shared with their families, they too could be spared much unnecessary anguish.”
Hope in the Dying
“In listening to our terminally ill patients, we were always impressed that even the most accepting, the most realistic patients left the possibility maintained a little bit of it and were nourished by it in especially difficult times.”
