Falseness Vs. Honesty In The Death Of Ivan Ilyich

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Falseness vs. honesty The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy is a novella about a man by the name of Ivan Ilyich. He lives an empty and artificial life. When he is about to die, he has to come to terms with the fact that he lived his life based on superficiality and what was socially expected. Throughout the novella, one can see how certain characters share the same view as Ivan by being materialistic and selfish while others act with respect, honesty, and compassion. Ivan’s relationship with his wife, Praskovya Fedorovna Golovina is based on materialism and selfishness. The way the doctors interact with Ivan show that they do not have any respect for him. They …show more content…

Unlike Praskovya and the doctors, Gerasim is one character who respects Ivan and who is honest and compassionate towards him. Gerasim understands life and death and he is the only one who is able to comfort Ivan when he is ill. Ivan marries Praskovya because it is socially expected. All is well until Praskovya becomes pregnant. She becomes an annoyance to her husband so as a result, Ivan prioritizes work over his family. It was “to the degree that his wife became more irritable and demanding, Ivan Ilyich increasingly made work the center of gravity in his life” (50). Ivan has no compassion for his wife. She is going through a hard time with pregnancy and instead of being there for his wife; he makes work his main focus. Ivan disregards the truth. He is unable to comprehend the fact that his life is not perfect. He does not talk to his wife, or try to figure out a way to rekindle their relationship because he cannot face his imperfections. He much rather lie to himself and everyone around him by immersing himself in his work. In order for Ivan to live his life by the social standards, he only necessitates “dinners at home, a …show more content…

He goes to many doctors to try to get some clarity on his sickness, instead of comforting their patient; the doctors only lie to him. The doctors do not show Ivan the care and security that he needs. Ivan says that “from the doctors summery, I concluded that things were bad, but that to the doctor it was of no consequence even though for him it was bad” (65). “It aroused in him a feeling of great self-pity and equally great resentment toward the doctor for being so indifferent to a matter of such importance” (65). Ivan’s illness is a very important matter, yet the doctors act as if it is insignificant. Ivan has to face his fears alone because he lacks support; not only from his family but from the doctors also. Even “when he consulted doctors, he felt he was not only deteriorating, but at a very rapid rate” (68). When one visits the doctor, the doctor usually instills hope and encouragement in the patient. In this novella, the doctors make Ivan feel even worse about his sickness. They leave out details and they avoid his questions. Ivan has no one around him to act with honesty and respect towards him, until Gerasim the pantry boy comes to help Ivan in his last days of his life. Gerasim shows Ivan deep compassion and comfort, unlike the

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