Ivan Ilyich By Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy was a Russian novelist who mainly wrote novels and short stories. In the late 1870’s Tolstoy went through an inward crisis. He could not understand his existence, or that of mankind. He tried to overcome this crisis by seeking answers in religion. During his inward crisis, he pondered the questions why he lived, and what he lived for (Meyers 1). Tolstoy accepted and rejected God in his life numerous times. Having experienced this acceptance and rejection of God, Tolstoy thought out his solution: “Live seeking God, and then you will not live without God” (Myers 3). Tolstoy believed that the meaning of life was to save one’s soul, and to save his soul, he must ‘live godly’ by renouncing the pleasures of life. To do this he
One of his most famous novels was The Death of Ivan Ilyich. In his novel Tolstoy incorporated Christian religious views that can be read within the pages of his novel. In this story the main character Ivan struggles to cope with the fact of his eminent death. He has a religious transition towards the end of his life and accepts his fate (Bio). In this fictitious novel, there are many religious themes and references. Some of these are obvious, and others are vague. Towards the beginning of the novel Ivan falls off a stepladder and hits his side against a window frame. He thought nothing of it and said he felt 15 years younger. Soon after his fall, Ivan starts to have pain in his left side and a weird taste in his mouth. He starts to become very irritable. Ivan and his wife begin to argue often. This was the beginning of a download spiral of his life. Ivan went to the doctor to find out what was wrong. The doctor told him he didn’t know whether the problem was Ivan’s floating kidney or his appendicitis. This made Ivan depressed and fearful. The fact that no one cared made it even worse. His wife and child were annoyed because of his depressed state. Ivan begins to believe he is a worthless part of life and no one cares about him. (The Death of Ivan Ch
He starts to lose control of bodily functions and begins to believe he is already dead. In the midst of his pain and suffering he cries out to God asking why. He demands an answer for his suffering. He tells God, he wants to live. Before he dies, he receives the sacrament of communion, but it means nothing to him. As he lies there dying, he begins to repent and savor the moment of his wife and son grieving in sorrow for him. After repenting he realizes death isn’t real, begins to not fear death, and peacefully passes