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November 30, 2022

The Death of Ivan Illych: Empathy, Resentment, Meaning, and Mortality

In Leo Tolstoy's novel, The Death of Ivan Illych, empathy and resentment serve as two opposed forces that guide the characters' interactions with one another. On one hand, empathy motivates the characters to connect with and understand others. While on the other hand, resentment is often born out of a feeling of being misunderstood or not valued. These two themes are further explored through the lens of meaning and mortality.

Throughout the novel, Ivan Illych wrestles with the question of what it means to live a meaningful life. For him, leading a meaningful life meant pursuing his own interests and passions, rather than succumbing to societal pressure to conform. However, as he nears death, Ivan begins to question whether his life has truly been meaningful. He comes to realize that he has spent most of his life chasing after things that do not truly matter, such as wealth and prestige. In the end, Ivan is only able to find peace when he accepts death as a natural part of life.

Empathy vs. Resentment

One of the most striking aspects of The Death of Ivan Illych is the stark contrast between those who feel empathy for Ivan and those who resent him. When Ivan is first taken ill, his wife is quick to blame him for his own suffering, feeling only resentment towards him, thinking: “Ivan Ilyich himself was to blame for the illness and that this whole illness was a new unpleasantness he was causing his wife” (Tolstoy, p. 79).  Similarly, Ivan's colleagues at the court resent him for disrupting their work routine and forcing them to deal with his death, "Close acquaintances, Ivan Ilyich's so-called friends, involuntarily thought as well that it would now be necessary for them to fulfill the very boring obligations of decency and go to the funeral service" (Tolstoy, p. 40).

In contrast to these people are those who show empathy for Ivan. His servant Gerasim shows genuine concern for Ivan's well-being, going out of his way to make sure he is comfortable; "Gerasim did it easily, willingly, simply, and with a kindness that moved Ivan Ilyich" (Tolstoy, p. 75). And despite her initial resentment, even Ivan's wife begins to feel empathy for him as he nears death; "His wife came over to him. He looked at her. She was gazing at him with a despairing expression, openmouthed, and with unwiped tears on her nose and cheek. He felt sorry for her" (Tolstoy, p. 90).  These contrasting reactions highlight the importance of empathy in the face of death.

Meaning

Death also forces us to confront the question of meaning in our lives. As Ivan lays dying, he realizes that much of what he has done up until this point has been meaningless; "[A]ll those best moments of his pleasant life seemed now not at all as they had seemed then" (Tolstoy, p. 84).  This moment of clarity leads Ivan to reassess his life and come to terms with his own mortality. He comes to see that "all that had then seemed like joys melted away and turned into something worthless and often vile" (Tolstoy, p. 84). In other words, all the things that he once thought were important no longer seem to matter in the face of death. Instead, what matters most is how we treat others and whether we have lived our lives with integrity.

Mortality

Related to the theme of meaning is the theme of mortality. Everyone knows that they are going to die one day, but it is only when faced with our own mortality that we are forced to truly reckon with it. For Ivan, this reckoning comes in the form of realizing that his own death is imminent. This knowledge leads Ivan to reassess not only his own life but also the lives of those around him. He comes to see that "it was all not right, that it was all a terrible, vast deception" and that "there was only incomprehensible, terrible death, from which there was no escape” (Tolstoy, p. 85, 88). In other words, death is an inevitability that we must all come to terms with sooner or later.

Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Illych is a powerful novel about love, loss, and mortality. At its core are the themes of empathy versus resentment, meaning, and mortality, which are explored in depth through both the characters in the novel and contemporary examples. These themes resonate deeply with us because they force us to confront our own fears about death and what comes after. Ultimately, The Death of Ivan Illych is a reminder that life is precious and should be lived to its fullest.

Read Leo Tolstoy's full work:

The Death of Ivan Illych