Resumo de The Meaning Of Life And Death In The Death Of Ivan Ilyich

The Death of Ivan llyich, written after Tolstoy?s religious conversion, was his attempt to debunk the validity of Aristotelianism, the philosophy that life can be explained through traditional logic and rational thought.
The protagonist, Ivan Ilyich, is the prototype of the perfect, rationalizing man. This man who is suddenly faced with death, starts to crumble when he discovers that his perfect rationalizations have kept him from living a life of meaning and do nothing to help him face the inevitability and finality of death. Although Tolstoy reveals the problems of rationalization when dealing with a spiritual problem, he stops short of providing a true and clear resolution.
The story begins with the news of Ivan Ilyich?s death; it is only too clear that life goes on after death. His professional colleagues upon hearing the news, begin to think about what this means to them professionally. Who would fill his appointment now? And what promotions would take place now? At Ilyich?s funeral, his colleague Schwartz, refuses to be morose or sad about the situation and wonders if their weekly card game will resume. Ilyich?s widow, Praskovya Fedorovna, wonders how she will live without her husband?s income.
The tragedy of Ivan Ilyich?s life was that it was so ordinary. He never went outside the boundaries of moderation, even in his youthful heyday of sensuality and vanity. From his youth, Ivan learned to rely on his instincts, which to him were infallible. He climbed the usual ladder of success and attained the position of examining magistrate. Even Ilyich?s choice of a marriage partner was made without any emotion, but with the cold rationalization of a justice. Marriage to Ivan was, at first, a convenience that would not interfere with the life he had chosen for himself. Later, when marriage became more difficult and a child was there, Ivan developed an attitude and an excuse of "official duties" whenever he wanted to escape from unpleasant situations. He had fine-tuned this attitude and could easily slip into this world whenever he wanted to.
Ilyich was on top of the world, in complete control of his life. Control and rationalization were his gods and they served him very well. One by one, however, things start to unravel for Ilyich. He develops a pain in his side after a fall, which his doctor trivializes and says is nothing. However, as Ilyich?s pain becomes worse, he comes to the conclusion that the doctors are not truthful with him about his condition and that he is really dying. His own skill at deception causes him to see deception in others.
Tolstoy masterfully brings Ilyich to a sad conclusion; he cannot think or rationalize this problem away. The dishonesty of the doctors forces Ilyich to face the dishonesty of his own life; that cold reasoning and logical thought do not provide answers in a time of crisis. Tolstoy also uses irony in an effective way; Ilyich has never invested anything emotionally in his family. Therefore, when he needs them the most, they cannot exhibit any emotion or compassion for him and his crisis.
Tolstoy reveals the bigger theme of the story in the dennouement; everyone must face death alone. His resolution for his protagonist comes when Ilyich finally accepts his fate and experiences peace. In Tolstoy?s words, instead of fear, there was light.

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