Family in The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy

In The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Leo Tolstoy tells the story of a high court judge, Ivan Ilyich Golovin, who lives in Russia during the 1800s. The story centers on a tragedy that befalls Ivan. He takes a fall while finishing the decorations in his new home. While falling, he banged his side against the window frame. As time passes, his health starts to slowly deteriorate until he is permanently bedridden and miserable. Throughout the novella Ivan’s family, most particularly his wife Praskovya Fedorovna, is a consistent annoyance in his otherwise straight-forward life. Towards the end of the novella, however, when he is very close to death, Ivan’s feelings toward his family changes.

Ivan’s relationship with Praskovya is a sad one. At the beginning of the novella, where Ivan has died, the sorrow she displays while speaking to Peter Ivanovich appears not to be sincere. She is only worried about how much money she will get from his pension. However, when Ivan and Praskovya are first married, she is clearly in love with him. Sadly, when Praskovya becomes pregnant soon after the wedding she suddenly becomes “jealous without any cause, expected him to devote his whole attention to her, found fault with everything, and made course and ill-mannered scenes” (Tolstoy 749). This attitude only worsens as time goes on. Towards the end of the novella, Ivan is near death and she begins to show some signs of sympathy to her husband, giving Ivan kind looks, plenty of kisses, and comfort (Tolstoy 762-63). These actions are largely in vain, as she has clearly shown Ivan that she cares more for herself than for him. Ivan remains loathsome of Praskovya for much of the remainder of the novella.

Ivan and Praskovya conceived a number of children, but only ...

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...he scene described earlier where Vasya sneaks into Ivan’s room, Ivan states that he “feels bad” for Vasya and even his wife Praskovya, for whom he previously displayed a strong loathing. In conclusion, The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a tale of false relationships and denial, of a man going through the inevitable and facing his own denial through suffering. One of sadness and loathing and selfishness, all to show how some people’s lives can be truly artificial.

Works Cited

Donnelly, Jerome. “Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich: Satire, Religion, and the Criticism of Denial.” Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture 16.2 (2013): 73-98. Project MUSE. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

Tolstoy, Leo. "The Death of Ivan Ilyich." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner. Trans. Louise Maude and Aylmer Maude. 3rd ed. Vol. E. New York: Norton, 2012. 740-78. Print.