The Death of Ivan Ilych
By Leo Tolstoy
“He saw that no one felt for him, because no one even wished to grasp his position.”
“Those about him did not understand or would not understand it, but thought everything in the world was going on as usual. That tormented Ivan Ilych more than anything. He saw that his household, especially his wife and daughter who were in a perfect whirl of visiting, did not understand anything of it and were annoyed that he was so depressed and so exacting, as if he were to blame for it.”
The Death of Ivan Ilych is a short novel by Leo Tolstoy which examines the brief life and subsequent death of an ordinary middle age Russian bureaucrat. In about one hundred pages, Tolstoy offers a profound yet readable examination of one man’s wasted life and his recognition that he spent years pursuing the wrong things. It is powerful and insightful. Equally jarring, however, is Ivan’s (and the reader’s) realization of the indifference, and even inconvenience, his sickness and death has on his “friends” and family.
Ivan is unhappy in his marriage, doesn’t really care for his wife but he has made money, cultivated an image, and has prioritized career advancement. Caught up in worldly things and his career, Ivan used work as an escape from his unpleasant family life. One day he injures himself decorating his new house – ironically bought due to a promotion. He goes to see doctors, who tell him nothing is the matter. Consequently, his wife tells him the same thing. As his injury gets worse, he begins to realize the inevitable and desires pity and acceptance from his family, which they don’t provide. The closer he gets to death, the more he realizes his life was wasted. He looks back fondly at his childhood but the “nearer he came to the present the more worthless and doubtful were the joys.” Looking at his adult life, “there was nothing to defend.”
What disturbs me the most is the reaction of others to Ivan’s illness and death. They are annoyed, indifferent, and inconvenienced. It becomes obvious that Ivan had little meaningful impact on the lives of others. As such, they treated his demise with little more than a shrug. More telling, however, is that their indifference is a function of their own self-centered ways. They only see how Ivan’s death will impact themselves (I imagine their deaths will be greeted by others in the same manner). For instance, upon news of his passing, Ivan’s colleagues thought only of who would now get promoted into the vacant job. One colleague was upset that the funeral would impact his regularly scheduled card game. Ivan’s wife even used the occasion of his funeral to ask questions about getting more from his pension.
It is sad; Ivan spent his life trying to impress people and no one really grieves him. This indifference moved me. Are people that self-centered? Or was Ivan’s impact on their lives that minimal? Why was his wife annoyed, angry, and skeptical? Even his daughter ignores what is happening – either out of denial or she just doesn’t want to deal with it. I can think of few things sadder than a lack of empathy or compassion or love from family. Tolstoy writes, Ivan “knew that for others the whole interest in him consisted only in how soon he would finally vacate his place, freeing the living from the constraint caused by his presence…” That is a depressing thought to ponder. But, if Ivan failed to focus on his relationships, spending spare moments at work, and seeking personal pleasure rather than their happiness, why should their reaction to be anything different?
The Death of Ivan Ilych makes me reflect. This is, after all, what great books do. Is there anything about my life that would raise more than a shrug of indifference if I died? Have I led a life of significance or positively impacted others? After multiple readings, Tolstoy's work continues to provoke questions and occasionally provides answers. I hope reflecting and acting on this makes me a better father, husband, and friend. That is one of the reasons The Death of Ivan Ilych is in my rotation to be read and reread regularly.