My initial reaction to “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” was one of sympathy. At the beginning of the story, Ivan’s life was seemingly meaningful as he shared in some relationships with school friends, however, as his education continued, his focus quickly shifted to “always strictly fulfilling what he felt to be his duties.” (12) The reactions of Ivan’s colleagues upon the announcement of his death furthered this character description of Ivan as a relationship-deprived businessman. “So when they heard of the death of Ivan Ilyich, the first thought of all those present in Shebek’s chambers was how this might affect their own relocations and promotions, and those of their friends.” (3) When reading, I could not believe that their minds went immediately to their jobs. This quickly revealed to me that Ivan was nothing more than a colleague to most, holding no deeper value and bringing no deeper meaning to his workplace. For me, though I hope to be an excellent colleague, I hope that more than my professional performance, I leave a lasting impression on my colleagues in a deeper way. I pray that my influence on my coworkers will be one of love and inspiration and that I am first remembered in this way before others begin considering their job or future position as a result.
I was further floored by the comments made in regards to Ivan’s treatment of his family. “The more irritating and demanding his wife became, the more Ivan Ilyich transferred the center of gravity of his life to his official duties, and the more ambitious he became.” (17) Though I am fully aware that relationships can be challenging, we must be willing to put our relationships first. So often in life, many individuals run to work and other comfort zones and put up their own “screens” to shield them from the true necessities of life. This detailed account compellingly depicted the urgency of love and relationships in life. For in order to prepare ourselves fully for death, we must first fully live.
After reading "The Death of Ivan Ilyich," many thoughts rushed through my mind. Through rich symbolism and descriptive streams of consciousness, I was able to successfully vicariously experience the trials and tribulations of Ivan as described in the novel. I think it is common for people of our day and age to become inundated in our work or school--such a lesson in the book from which I could benefit and relate. While most of us aren’t married or even deeply committed at the young age at which Ivan had a child on the way and was bound to a wife, he neglected both her and his son as both a husband and a father figure. His obsession with his work was a sheer detriment to his family’s life, and he neglected to realize such until his last hour. Reading Ivan’s story can show many lessons, most importantly, that family should come first and that selfishness is never a plausible solution. Had Ivan realized his problem with living an artificial, self-centered life from the beginning, he may have successfully lived a life and may have been justified at the point of death he seemed to be longing for.
We, as college-age young adults, can relate to Ivan’s desire to thrive professionally; however, we also, after reading this book, have a noteworthy example of the importance of keeping family and others in high esteem. Why did Ivan neglect to connect with those around him? The answer to such a question lies deeply within his mental processes. He neglected to conceptualize the terminal nature of death; however, I, for one, cannot exclaim that I ponder mortality now. In fact, I probably will be like Ivan, forgetting to ponder mortality until I am old and knocking on death’s door figuratively. Seeing Ivan’s story not only encourages me to value relationships in order to prevent artificial life, but also convinces me to ponder life’s riches and the terminality of death.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and found it full of great advice and lessons. Many books I read for school are forced; this, however, was the perfect length to retain my attention and interest. The novella provided me with a chance to ponder further on human nature and death’s relation—a primary personal objective I’ve set for this class. Using Ivan's actions that I observed as a blueprint, I will strive to have a "better" death.
I was very surprised by this powerful story and its strong message. I found the all-knowing narrator viewpoint to be fascinating, especially when told through Ivan’s perspective with his internal dialogue. The first chapter quickly establishes that all of the characters have a very shallow and unemotional response to life and death. There is so much going on in everyone’s life that it is extremely easy to forget the simple fact that we will all eventually die. Death can be an unpleasant topic for many so it’s just easier to forget about it. This can be unfortunate because death may very well sneak up on us when we least expect or are ready for it.
After Ivan falls ill his world is turned up-side-down. The things that brought him happiness are no longer effective, his friends were not really his friends, and his family did not love or cherish him. He has gone from feeling like he’s on top of the world to being totally alone. Everything that he’s done in his life no longer has any meaning or significance. The time have a meaningful life is now, not when we are on our death bed. We are all going to die. Despite all of the advances in technology and medicine, there is no cure for mortality.
I thought that this story was not just a story about the process of death but rather a man coming to terms with his life and realizing how he has been living an unauthentic life. It is a very down beat story trying to provoke the readers into thinking about death less from an objectionable point of view and more from a subjective point of view. It makes me think more about the quality of life I am living and if I am living an authentic life rather than an unauthentic life. I found it surprising how his family really didn’t try to comfort him or even stay by him as he was dying all alone. It's ironic that his servant, almost a stranger to him, made him feel more comfortable by being with him rather than his family.
I found it interesting how he talks about how talking about death was inappropriate or against the norms of the time for his social position in society. Ivan was living his live how society deemed appropriate and did not think to question it. No one it appears wanted to talk about death and tried to keep it out of their minds until it was too late. Some similarities can be drawn between now and then. Many people today just live for what society says a good life rather than living an authentic life. They do not think about death until it is right in front of them and they can’t change the way they lived. I think that if people take time to think about they really are doing with their lives, they can figure out how to best live authentic lives and not have all the stress of coming to terms with one’s live when they are near their end.
The story Ivan Ilych is one of a man who lived his life to standards of the world. Every decision he made based on what he though was proper in the eyes of society and in the end he died having lived an unfulfilled life. The expectations that society has today may be slightly different, but the problem that people try to live their lives to please the world is still out there. As Dr. Camp would say, we all live our lives to have 2.3 kids. I don't know if you can ever say that death comes easy, but living a life that fulfills your expectations can certainly make it easier. We don't all have to go to college or get married, we just need to find what makes us happy and if those things come then that's fine. We should try to squeeze our lives into a societal mold, because it's never going to fit. That's why I believe we can learn most from Ivan Ilych.
Throughout the first few chapters, I was upset with the way in which Ivan chose to abandon his family for his work. He appeared to have a sensitive personality and he was easily angered. Then, Ivan became ill and I felt bad for his suffering. He had a frustrating life from then on out as he would be at home constantly in pain and agony. Then, Ivan came to realize that he had lived his life in a selfish way. This made me proud and sad for Ivan. I was proud because he showed that he truly had the capabilities of caring for others. Yet, it was too late to change his life, so it was saddening to know he was too late. However, it makes you realize that live the way you want now, because you cannot change it in the future on your death bed. I really take this practice into my life because you never know which day will be your last, so life live to the fullest, help others along the way, and make every relationship the best it can be.
In first reading the book i really did not like Ivan because of the way that he was going about things. He was not truly living but just abandoning his family and diving into work for more money and power. I think that in order to die well you need to live life to the fullest meaning spend time with family be nice to people but standup for yourself and beliefs. Most importantly I think that you need to live life without regrets.
Although a short novel, many life lessons can be taken from the story of Ivan Ilych. Among the numerous themes concerning life and death in this book is the idea of living a life of the authentic and not the artificial. Throughout the story Ivan Ilych was only concerned with the material payoffs of this world. Furthermore Ivan demonstrated an inordinate concern with propriety and the standards of conduct as determined by society. These characteristics of Ivan are clear indications that he was living an artificial life. He was far more concerned with "external appearance than with internal substance, with the appearance of truth rather than with actual truth." By the end of his life time, Ivan realized that what he thought was a good life was entirely flawed. The onset of death forced Ivan to confront his isolation from the world until he began to realize the importance of the spiritual life, and not the physical. This realization allowed Ivan to grow in his understanding of the meaning of life, and ultimately allowed him to overcome his suffering and conquer death. Thus Tolstoy's message is clear, one must realize the duality of human nature and live a life that promotes the importance of the spiritual being. After all one cannot truly be prepared for death without having lived a life of meaning.
I have many mixed feelings after reading Tolstoy. I have moments when I feel bad for Ivan, but then again I have moments when I don't. After reading this book it brought up the question what is a good death? Many would say Ivan's death was brutal and lonely. But what is a good death? To Ivan he could have lived a good life, a life that most wouldn't want to live, but to him it could have been good. One thing about the end of the book that was comforting was how Ivan had someone to talk to at the end of his life. His family had nothing to say to him or maybe didn't know how to confront him since he was dying. Overall, this book has taught me to live life how you think it should be lived. Don't change yourself to be something your not. Stay true to yourself and always strive to be the best person you can be.
I feel that part of havign a "good death" has to be preceded by living a good life. If all you worry about your whole life is money and you do not take into consideration the others around you (family, friends, etc.) you will not have anyone to support you at the end of your life. This was the biggest problem for Ivan. He was worried about money all the time. This meant that he could not build any real relationships with the people around him. This in turn made these people not want to show sympatht for Ivan because he had never tried to have a good relationship with them.
Reading this book has showed me that you cnnot take anything for granted and you must live your life to the fullest to have a "good death".
After reading The Death of Ivan Ilych, I feel like everyone in the book, not just Ivan, was living their life based on this idea of propriety, like how long his friend should stay at the wake or the wife weeping for a short time and then talking about Ivan's estate. The only authentic character in the book was Ivan's 'nurse', who didn't pretend that Ivan was going to make it and who made Ivan comfortable in the end. I believe that even though Ivan did not die happy, he died at peace because he accepted his flaws as well as is strengths. I can die better by being closer to my family than Ivan as well as avoiding self-pity when I am dying, and also living my life as best as I possibly can according to what I define as a 'good life'.
Ivan died the way he lived. He lived for himself and did not consider what he could do for others, so it was no surprise that the people surrounding him treated him the way that they did (except for his nurse). He really didn't have a good death because his life was so empty. He had so many opportunities to make it a great life and gain friendships and have a close and loving family, probably more opportunities than most people have, but he didn't capitalize on that and so his death was lonely and painful and pathetic.
The Death of Ivan Ilych is a very powerful short story with a message which correlates great to this class. Ivan, like many people in the world was an extremely selfish person in his adult life. He looked for only things that would benefit himself, leaving his family and friends in the dust! At first, the way he died surprised me. But, I only saw the reaction to his death; I had yet to find out they way he live his life. When it comes down to it, Ivan died a painful, harsh death. To be honest, his family just treated him at the end of his life like he had treated them their entire lives. But, they are family. Personally, I don't know if any argument or treatment of others should deserve that type of treatment at the end of life. Maybe I am too nice of a person, but I can't imagine letting someone die so alone! This I guess leads me into ways to "die better." In order to die better, I feel you must "live better." God has put forth a plan for us to follow. We have the free will to choose how we act, how we treat ourselves, but most especially others! If we live to serve others, we no doubt will die a "better death!"
After reading The Death of Ivan Ilych, the main response I can conclude is that life is not all about work, power, and money. Life should be about maintaining happy and satisfying relationships with those around you, and if you happen to love your work along with the benefits of the money you make then that is a bonus. There is no reason for anyone to die alone or without a feeling of some sort of fulfillment. You can't leave behind the people in your life that helped you along the way. So to "die better", I believe that if you keep the people around you happy, then you should find a way to happiness yourself. Life is too short to worry about mistakes you've made, and you must continue on by living and learning from your failures.
My initial reaction to “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” was one of sympathy. At the beginning of the story, Ivan’s life was seemingly meaningful as he shared in some relationships with school friends, however, as his education continued, his focus quickly shifted to “always strictly fulfilling what he felt to be his duties.” (12) The reactions of Ivan’s colleagues upon the announcement of his death furthered this character description of Ivan as a relationship-deprived businessman. “So when they heard of the death of Ivan Ilyich, the first thought of all those present in Shebek’s chambers was how this might affect their own relocations and promotions, and those of their friends.” (3) When reading, I could not believe that their minds went immediately to their jobs. This quickly revealed to me that Ivan was nothing more than a colleague to most, holding no deeper value and bringing no deeper meaning to his workplace. For me, though I hope to be an excellent colleague, I hope that more than my professional performance, I leave a lasting impression on my colleagues in a deeper way. I pray that my influence on my coworkers will be one of love and inspiration and that I am first remembered in this way before others begin considering their job or future position as a result.
ReplyDeleteI was further floored by the comments made in regards to Ivan’s treatment of his family. “The more irritating and demanding his wife became, the more Ivan Ilyich transferred the center of gravity of his life to his official duties, and the more ambitious he became.” (17) Though I am fully aware that relationships can be challenging, we must be willing to put our relationships first. So often in life, many individuals run to work and other comfort zones and put up their own “screens” to shield them from the true necessities of life. This detailed account compellingly depicted the urgency of love and relationships in life. For in order to prepare ourselves fully for death, we must first fully live.
After reading "The Death of Ivan Ilyich," many thoughts rushed through my mind. Through rich symbolism and descriptive streams of consciousness, I was able to successfully vicariously experience the trials and tribulations of Ivan as described in the novel. I think it is common for people of our day and age to become inundated in our work or school--such a lesson in the book from which I could benefit and relate. While most of us aren’t married or even deeply committed at the young age at which Ivan had a child on the way and was bound to a wife, he neglected both her and his son as both a husband and a father figure. His obsession with his work was a sheer detriment to his family’s life, and he neglected to realize such until his last hour. Reading Ivan’s story can show many lessons, most importantly, that family should come first and that selfishness is never a plausible solution. Had Ivan realized his problem with living an artificial, self-centered life from the beginning, he may have successfully lived a life and may have been justified at the point of death he seemed to be longing for.
ReplyDeleteWe, as college-age young adults, can relate to Ivan’s desire to thrive professionally; however, we also, after reading this book, have a noteworthy example of the importance of keeping family and others in high esteem. Why did Ivan neglect to connect with those around him? The answer to such a question lies deeply within his mental processes. He neglected to conceptualize the terminal nature of death; however, I, for one, cannot exclaim that I ponder mortality now. In fact, I probably will be like Ivan, forgetting to ponder mortality until I am old and knocking on death’s door figuratively. Seeing Ivan’s story not only encourages me to value relationships in order to prevent artificial life, but also convinces me to ponder life’s riches and the terminality of death.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and found it full of great advice and lessons. Many books I read for school are forced; this, however, was the perfect length to retain my attention and interest. The novella provided me with a chance to ponder further on human nature and death’s relation—a primary personal objective I’ve set for this class. Using Ivan's actions that I observed as a blueprint, I will strive to have a "better" death.
I was very surprised by this powerful story and its strong message. I found the all-knowing narrator viewpoint to be fascinating, especially when told through Ivan’s perspective with his internal dialogue. The first chapter quickly establishes that all of the characters have a very shallow and unemotional response to life and death. There is so much going on in everyone’s life that it is extremely easy to forget the simple fact that we will all eventually die. Death can be an unpleasant topic for many so it’s just easier to forget about it. This can be unfortunate because death may very well sneak up on us when we least expect or are ready for it.
ReplyDeleteAfter Ivan falls ill his world is turned up-side-down. The things that brought him happiness are no longer effective, his friends were not really his friends, and his family did not love or cherish him. He has gone from feeling like he’s on top of the world to being totally alone. Everything that he’s done in his life no longer has any meaning or significance. The time have a meaningful life is now, not when we are on our death bed. We are all going to die. Despite all of the advances in technology and medicine, there is no cure for mortality.
I thought that this story was not just a story about the process of death but rather a man coming to terms with his life and realizing how he has been living an unauthentic life. It is a very down beat story trying to provoke the readers into thinking about death less from an objectionable point of view and more from a subjective point of view. It makes me think more about the quality of life I am living and if I am living an authentic life rather than an unauthentic life. I found it surprising how his family really didn’t try to comfort him or even stay by him as he was dying all alone. It's ironic that his servant, almost a stranger to him, made him feel more comfortable by being with him rather than his family.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting how he talks about how talking about death was inappropriate or against the norms of the time for his social position in society. Ivan was living his live how society deemed appropriate and did not think to question it. No one it appears wanted to talk about death and tried to keep it out of their minds until it was too late. Some similarities can be drawn between now and then. Many people today just live for what society says a good life rather than living an authentic life. They do not think about death until it is right in front of them and they can’t change the way they lived. I think that if people take time to think about they really are doing with their lives, they can figure out how to best live authentic lives and not have all the stress of coming to terms with one’s live when they are near their end.
The story Ivan Ilych is one of a man who lived his life to standards of the world. Every decision he made based on what he though was proper in the eyes of society and in the end he died having lived an unfulfilled life. The expectations that society has today may be slightly different, but the problem that people try to live their lives to please the world is still out there. As Dr. Camp would say, we all live our lives to have 2.3 kids. I don't know if you can ever say that death comes easy, but living a life that fulfills your expectations can certainly make it easier. We don't all have to go to college or get married, we just need to find what makes us happy and if those things come then that's fine. We should try to squeeze our lives into a societal mold, because it's never going to fit. That's why I believe we can learn most from Ivan Ilych.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the first few chapters, I was upset with the way in which Ivan chose to abandon his family for his work. He appeared to have a sensitive personality and he was easily angered. Then, Ivan became ill and I felt bad for his suffering. He had a frustrating life from then on out as he would be at home constantly in pain and agony. Then, Ivan came to realize that he had lived his life in a selfish way. This made me proud and sad for Ivan. I was proud because he showed that he truly had the capabilities of caring for others. Yet, it was too late to change his life, so it was saddening to know he was too late. However, it makes you realize that live the way you want now, because you cannot change it in the future on your death bed. I really take this practice into my life because you never know which day will be your last, so life live to the fullest, help others along the way, and make every relationship the best it can be.
ReplyDeleteIn first reading the book i really did not like Ivan because of the way that he was going about things. He was not truly living but just abandoning his family and diving into work for more money and power. I think that in order to die well you need to live life to the fullest meaning spend time with family be nice to people but standup for yourself and beliefs. Most importantly I think that you need to live life without regrets.
ReplyDeleteAlthough a short novel, many life lessons can be taken from the story of Ivan Ilych. Among the numerous themes concerning life and death in this book is the idea of living a life of the authentic and not the artificial. Throughout the story Ivan Ilych was only concerned with the material payoffs of this world. Furthermore Ivan demonstrated an inordinate concern with propriety and the standards of conduct as determined by society. These characteristics of Ivan are clear indications that he was living an artificial life. He was far more concerned with "external appearance than with internal substance, with the appearance of truth rather than with actual truth." By the end of his life time, Ivan realized that what he thought was a good life was entirely flawed. The onset of death forced Ivan to confront his isolation from the world until he began to realize the importance of the spiritual life, and not the physical. This realization allowed Ivan to grow in his understanding of the meaning of life, and ultimately allowed him to overcome his suffering and conquer death. Thus Tolstoy's message is clear, one must realize the duality of human nature and live a life that promotes the importance of the spiritual being. After all one cannot truly be prepared for death without having lived a life of meaning.
ReplyDeleteI have many mixed feelings after reading Tolstoy. I have moments when I feel bad for Ivan, but then again I have moments when I don't. After reading this book it brought up the question what is a good death? Many would say Ivan's death was brutal and lonely. But what is a good death? To Ivan he could have lived a good life, a life that most wouldn't want to live, but to him it could have been good. One thing about the end of the book that was comforting was how Ivan had someone to talk to at the end of his life. His family had nothing to say to him or maybe didn't know how to confront him since he was dying. Overall, this book has taught me to live life how you think it should be lived. Don't change yourself to be something your not. Stay true to yourself and always strive to be the best person you can be.
ReplyDeleteI feel that part of havign a "good death" has to be preceded by living a good life. If all you worry about your whole life is money and you do not take into consideration the others around you (family, friends, etc.) you will not have anyone to support you at the end of your life. This was the biggest problem for Ivan. He was worried about money all the time. This meant that he could not build any real relationships with the people around him. This in turn made these people not want to show sympatht for Ivan because he had never tried to have a good relationship with them.
ReplyDeleteReading this book has showed me that you cnnot take anything for granted and you must live your life to the fullest to have a "good death".
After reading The Death of Ivan Ilych, I feel like everyone in the book, not just Ivan, was living their life based on this idea of propriety, like how long his friend should stay at the wake or the wife weeping for a short time and then talking about Ivan's estate. The only authentic character in the book was Ivan's 'nurse', who didn't pretend that Ivan was going to make it and who made Ivan comfortable in the end. I believe that even though Ivan did not die happy, he died at peace because he accepted his flaws as well as is strengths. I can die better by being closer to my family than Ivan as well as avoiding self-pity when I am dying, and also living my life as best as I possibly can according to what I define as a 'good life'.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIvan died the way he lived. He lived for himself and did not consider what he could do for others, so it was no surprise that the people surrounding him treated him the way that they did (except for his nurse). He really didn't have a good death because his life was so empty. He had so many opportunities to make it a great life and gain friendships and have a close and loving family, probably more opportunities than most people have, but he didn't capitalize on that and so his death was lonely and painful and pathetic.
ReplyDeleteThe Death of Ivan Ilych is a very powerful short story with a message which correlates great to this class. Ivan, like many people in the world was an extremely selfish person in his adult life. He looked for only things that would benefit himself, leaving his family and friends in the dust! At first, the way he died surprised me. But, I only saw the reaction to his death; I had yet to find out they way he live his life. When it comes down to it, Ivan died a painful, harsh death.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, his family just treated him at the end of his life like he had treated them their entire lives. But, they are family. Personally, I don't know if any argument or treatment of others should deserve that type of treatment at the end of life. Maybe I am too nice of a person, but I can't imagine letting someone die so alone!
This I guess leads me into ways to "die better." In order to die better, I feel you must "live better." God has put forth a plan for us to follow. We have the free will to choose how we act, how we treat ourselves, but most especially others! If we live to serve others, we no doubt will die a "better death!"
After reading The Death of Ivan Ilych, the main response I can conclude is that life is not all about work, power, and money. Life should be about maintaining happy and satisfying relationships with those around you, and if you happen to love your work along with the benefits of the money you make then that is a bonus. There is no reason for anyone to die alone or without a feeling of some sort of fulfillment. You can't leave behind the people in your life that helped you along the way. So to "die better", I believe that if you keep the people around you happy, then you should find a way to happiness yourself. Life is too short to worry about mistakes you've made, and you must continue on by living and learning from your failures.
ReplyDelete