Ivan Ilych's Non-Death

By mixing up the chronology of “The Death of Ivan Ilych,” Tolstoy utilizes irony by contrasting Ivan’s perspectives with those of his “acquaintances.” Initially in the story, Ivan’s closest friends and family gather apathetically for his wake. Ivan’s wife is distant and unaffected by his death. She even goes so far as to inquire how much money she stands to inherit now that Ivan has died. Even Peter Ivanovich, Ivan’s supposed best friend, only goes to the wake to fulfill his societal obligations. Reading this first section of the story, I was under the impression that Ivan Ilych was surrounded by unappreciative, false people. However, later evidence shows Ivan to be an unlikable man who had earned his unfortunate status within his community.

As Ivan began to tell his side of the story, it seemed that my suspicions were being confirmed. He speaks of cravings for money and power and he is constantly driven by a hatred of his wife to remove himself from his home and stay at work longer. It was not as if he was forced into a marriage with her and had to suffer the consequences. Rather, he chose her because she “came of a good family, was not bad-looking, and had some little property.” (70) His reasons were shallow and based on his undying need to appear a certain way and attain a level of propriety. Instead of dealing with the “unpleasantness” of his home life, Ivan chooses both an ignorant and blissful life as he works his way up the social ladder.

The irony of the story surfaces when Ivan is treated with the same condescension and disrespects that he has employed as a way of dealing with those below him. His doctors lie to his face, his daughter would rather spend time with her fiancée, and his wife is constantly concerned that her lifestyle will drastically change without her husband’s income. With a little dose of his own medicine, so to speak, Ivan undergoes a spiritual makeover. However, his transformation is entirely internalized. Thus, his friends and family are unable to witness any change in his demeanor.

Ivan’s spiritual awakening, not his actual death, is the climax of the story. This is another reason why Tolstoy wrote the story with his death occurring in the first scene. The focal point is not whether or not he will die but rather, in what way will he depart the earth. As Ivan’s soul exits his decaying body, he realizes that his death is over. He is done suffering and he has finally attained the personal satisfaction that he longed for.