Resumo de The Death Of Ivan Illych

The Death of Ivan Ilych, written in 1886, was the first major fictional work published by Tolstoy during his post-conversion. Tolstoy's religious philosophy which illustrates the values of brotherly love, Christian charity, and mutual support are the frameworks for the writing of this novel. Just as Tolstoy's discovery of the true meaning of life led him to fulfillment and an acceptance of death, Ivan Ilych?s awakening comes through the realization of death which ignites within him fear, anger, contemplation and eventually acceptance. Death is the central theme of the story and through it one can discern the artificial from the authentic characters and the dichotomy between the inner and outer man.
The character Ivan Illych belonged to an elite social circle.He was intrigued by the idea of being a member of the elite aristocratic society, and individuals who did not conform to the social circle were looked on with disgust.He was unaware however, that his life was an illusion brought upon a need to imitate a certain social class rather than to find true individuality. The true meaning of life was concealed behind the blindfolds of his naïve perceptions.His marriage to Praskovya Fedorovna is also an act of illusion. It is not done out of genuine love, but as is common practice by the bourgeoisie society, it is done out of the sense of obligation. The fact that she was a good looking woman from a well-to-do family were the essential characteristics he required her to have.
Illych's rude awakening into the way he was living a life of conforming to social expectations came about when he came face to face with death. With the realization that he was dying, he began to contemplate his life and tried to find out if there was any meaning to it all along. Paradoxically, Death is responsible for allowing Illych to examine his life. He begins to contemplate about those people in his life whom he considered friends. He discovers that they too were false because upon his death bed there were no friends to comfort him.
Tolstoy incorporates several patterns of reversal into the structure of the novel. The actual death of Ivan Ilych, the chronological end of the story, occurs in the first chapter. The remainder of the novel deals with the life, as opposed to the title of Ivan Ilych?s death. The concepts of life and death are reversed by Tolstoy. Early on in his life, when Ivan seems to be increasing in power, free will, and societal status, he is actually being reduced to limitation, repression, and isolation brought on through the grappling force of death. After the seventh chapter, when Ivan is confined to his study and suffers physical deterioration and isolation, he in fact goes through the process of a spiritual rebirth.

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