The Death Of Ivan Ilyich Analysis
Name
Professor
Course
Date
The death of Ivan Ilyich
Ivan is the protagonist in the book The Death of Ivan Ilyich. He attends law school and later becomes one of the senior magistrates in the state. He marries Praskovya, a woman who does not love him, which makes Ivan to distance from his family and gets committed to his office work. He works with so much pride and only considers his personal concerns. He moves up the ladder and occupies top positions; however he fails to get the position of a presiding judge in the university. This makes him so furious that he resigns and moves, with his family, to get a better paying job than the previous. He gets a decent job and buys a luxurious house, where he moves his family. Unfortunately, …show more content…
he seriously injures himself while furnishing the new house. The injury causes serious pain and an illness that makes him resign his new job, and he eventually dies. The paragraphs below discuss Assumed Consensus in Ivan’s world, as well as, how conforming to Assumed Consensus, eviscerates meaning in his life.
Ivan’s world is full of assumed consensus.
Firstly, vanity takes over his life, and unreasonable beliefs, as well as, envy overcome his life, which makes him believe that his position in life is not smart enough. This makes him sad, and he never enjoys life even when he succeeds. Secondly, Ivan and his wife use much time and energy to impress their fake friends by buying expensive crap, rather than working on their dysfunctional marriage that make them live a life of mutual hatred, “Ivan lives a formal life towards his marriage” (Tosley 12). Thirdly, Ivan has no interest in loving anyone apart from himself, although sometimes he wishes to be loved by his colleagues. Moreover, Ivan’s world is full of insecurity since he does not understand his motivations and this makes compulsions of his unconscious impulses to control him, “depressed and dissatisfied with his lifestyle he looks for the best job, with an aim of punishing those who do not appreciate his work” (Tosley 235). Ivan denies death because the assumed consensus strengthens this denial, “Ivan is aware that he is dying, but he is not able to grasp implications of his death” (Tosley 235). He tries hard “to create screens in order to block death’s thoughts from his mind, but the thoughts haunt his mind ceaselessly” (Tosley …show more content…
236).
Ivan tries to conform to Assumed Consensus, which eviscerates meaning from his life.
Suffering is a normal human condition whose feasible response is finding the meaning. Ivan does not acknowledge that there is a purpose in life, which is greater than passive enjoyment. His effort to conform to Assumed Consensus makes him lose the higher purpose of moral behavior, “he takes pleasure with his wife by holding expensive dinners with people of good social positions” (Tosley 39). As a result, his life is full of tiring monotony and fills this by consumerism, “he spends most of his time playing bridge” (Tosley 45). This is because; Ivan accepts a life full of consumerism and rejects suffering. Glorification of self is Ivan’s purpose but it leads to self erosion, and eventually death. Ultimately, a wise man understands that life is full of games and plays them wisely, but Ivan’s effort to conform to assumed consensus makes him play life’s game blindly (John 55). Consequently, he leads a life full of loneliness, egotism, narcissism and
solipsism.
Ivan devotes his life to impress assumed consensus, which leads to impulsive vanity, and consequently, spiritual death, thus the title The Death of Ivan Ilyich. He kills his soul while trying to conform to Assumed Consensus; an imaginary authority that makes him believe that he is living a good life.
Works cited
Garry, John. “Tolstoy's the Death of Ivan: A Critical Companion”. Northwestern University
Press. 1999.
Leo, Tosley. The death of Ivan Illyich. Penguin Red Classic edition. 2006.Print
Professor
Course
Date
The death of Ivan Ilyich
Ivan is the protagonist in the book The Death of Ivan Ilyich. He attends law school and later becomes one of the senior magistrates in the state. He marries Praskovya, a woman who does not love him, which makes Ivan to distance from his family and gets committed to his office work. He works with so much pride and only considers his personal concerns. He moves up the ladder and occupies top positions; however he fails to get the position of a presiding judge in the university. This makes him so furious that he resigns and moves, with his family, to get a better paying job than the previous. He gets a decent job and buys a luxurious house, where he moves his family. Unfortunately, …show more content…
he seriously injures himself while furnishing the new house. The injury causes serious pain and an illness that makes him resign his new job, and he eventually dies. The paragraphs below discuss Assumed Consensus in Ivan’s world, as well as, how conforming to Assumed Consensus, eviscerates meaning in his life.
Ivan’s world is full of assumed consensus.
Firstly, vanity takes over his life, and unreasonable beliefs, as well as, envy overcome his life, which makes him believe that his position in life is not smart enough. This makes him sad, and he never enjoys life even when he succeeds. Secondly, Ivan and his wife use much time and energy to impress their fake friends by buying expensive crap, rather than working on their dysfunctional marriage that make them live a life of mutual hatred, “Ivan lives a formal life towards his marriage” (Tosley 12). Thirdly, Ivan has no interest in loving anyone apart from himself, although sometimes he wishes to be loved by his colleagues. Moreover, Ivan’s world is full of insecurity since he does not understand his motivations and this makes compulsions of his unconscious impulses to control him, “depressed and dissatisfied with his lifestyle he looks for the best job, with an aim of punishing those who do not appreciate his work” (Tosley 235). Ivan denies death because the assumed consensus strengthens this denial, “Ivan is aware that he is dying, but he is not able to grasp implications of his death” (Tosley 235). He tries hard “to create screens in order to block death’s thoughts from his mind, but the thoughts haunt his mind ceaselessly” (Tosley …show more content…
236).
Ivan tries to conform to Assumed Consensus, which eviscerates meaning from his life.
Suffering is a normal human condition whose feasible response is finding the meaning. Ivan does not acknowledge that there is a purpose in life, which is greater than passive enjoyment. His effort to conform to Assumed Consensus makes him lose the higher purpose of moral behavior, “he takes pleasure with his wife by holding expensive dinners with people of good social positions” (Tosley 39). As a result, his life is full of tiring monotony and fills this by consumerism, “he spends most of his time playing bridge” (Tosley 45). This is because; Ivan accepts a life full of consumerism and rejects suffering. Glorification of self is Ivan’s purpose but it leads to self erosion, and eventually death. Ultimately, a wise man understands that life is full of games and plays them wisely, but Ivan’s effort to conform to assumed consensus makes him play life’s game blindly (John 55). Consequently, he leads a life full of loneliness, egotism, narcissism and
solipsism.
Ivan devotes his life to impress assumed consensus, which leads to impulsive vanity, and consequently, spiritual death, thus the title The Death of Ivan Ilyich. He kills his soul while trying to conform to Assumed Consensus; an imaginary authority that makes him believe that he is living a good life.
Works cited
Garry, John. “Tolstoy's the Death of Ivan: A Critical Companion”. Northwestern University
Press. 1999.
Leo, Tosley. The death of Ivan Illyich. Penguin Red Classic edition. 2006.Print