The Death Of Ivan Ilyich - 1688 Words

Though it may seem natural to desire a better place in society, this improvement may come at a price. In Karl Marx’s The Communist Manifesto, Marx discusses the various problems that arise in society to due capitalism and how to solve these problems through communism. Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich focuses on a man whose capitalistic desires end up causing his own downfall. Tolstoy and Marx would argue that some of the biggest problems with capitalistic societies are that they cause individuals to put on a faà §ade and display a false persona for society while also prioritizing the more superficial aspects of life such as material goods and social status over family relations. The result of such a society is a working class that is†¦show more content†¦If the characters had truly cared about Ivan, they would have been more content with attending the funeral ceremonies and not seen it as another task to be completed. Within The Communist Manifesto, Marx also argues that capitalism has caused individuals to focus too much about money and competing within society. Marx argues that â€Å"This organisation of the proletarians into a class, and, consequently into a political party, is continually being upset again by the competition between the workers themselves† (23). People have become so focused about competing for better jobs and better social positions that they have lost touch with the people around them. Rather than pay attention to the needs or problems of others, every person is now focused only on themselves. They are competing for the ideas of money and power that only a few are able to reach. According to Marx, â€Å"private property is already done away with for nine-tenths of the population; its existence for the few is solely due to its non-existence in the hands of those nine-tenths† (29). Since only a few people are able to control the land and the companies, the worker s are forced to slave away after a dream that they will probably never accomplish. The idea is that the bourgeoisie make the dreams of workers seem attainable so that the workers will make the bourgeoisie richer by putting in more effort into their jobs. The characters in The Death ofShow MoreRelatedThe Death Of Ivan Ilyich873 Words   |  4 Pagesbe in some regard obsessed with the concepts of death and dying. Although The Death of Ivan Ilyich may be a relatively short tale, it graphically explores the themes of the dying process while still taking a glimpse into the life of the title character Ivan Ilyich. This novella puts its reader in the shoes of a man whom has never taken a second to imagine his demise as he lies in his death bed contemplating how well a life he has lived. Ivan Ilyich lived as many people today would traditionally,Read MoreThe Death Of Ivan Ilyich1729 Words   |  7 PagesThe Death of Ivan Ilyich portrays death as a futile encounter that marks the end of hu manity. Death consequently portrays life as meaningless as it isolates Ivan from the worldly happiness to another world of fear for uncertainty. Therefore, it is a sad experience that marks the end of a human era. Grief and a feeling of loss accompany death for the family and society. Conversely, The Third Policeman portrays death as a path towards wealth exploitation. In effort to accumulate wealth, the narratorRead MoreThe Death Of Ivan Ilyich1418 Words   |  6 PagesSocietal Pressure in The Death of Ivan Ilyich According to C.Joybell C, â€Å"The unhappiest people in this world are those who care the most about what other people think† (Goodreads). I can see this in my life and also in Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich. The main character Ivan Ilyich is dying from and unknown disease and while suffering finds himself reflecting on his life choices. Ivan consistently questions himself in the text, such as in his statement â€Å"What if my life has all been wrongRead MoreThe Death Of Ivan Ilyich Essay979 Words   |  4 Pageshimself, suffer, and be merciful†(creationism.org). Tolstoy looked to Christianity to find the meaning of life. This period in his life is referred to as Tolstoy’s conversion. It was during this time that he wrote The Death of Ivan Ilyich. In the story the Death of Ivan Ilyich, there are religious themes that Tolstoy has written into the story that reflect the theme of Christianity. On September 9th 1828 Leo Tolstoy was born. Tolstoy was the youngest of four boys. In 1830 Leo’s mother passed awayRead MoreThe Death Of Ivan Ilyich1422 Words   |  6 Pagesbourgeois society with its emphasis on wealth and property, is only a mirage. Underneath it all is a different world of oppression—specifically, for women in the bourgeois class. In Henrik Ibsen’s play Hedda Gabler and Leo Tolstoy’s novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich, both works depict female characters in the bourgeois class who face the societal oppression and cope with it in their own way. These oppressions are often set off by the male characters, constructed by the bourgeois society. One way theseRead MoreThe Death Of Ivan Ilyich1720 Words   |  7 PagesIn the short novel â€Å"The Death of Ivan Ilyich,† Leo Tolstoy seeks to warn and hopefully save the souls of his readers from living empty lives by making an example out of the main character in the story, Ivan Ilyich. Although the main theme in the novel deals with death, Tolstoy presents a number of other themes such as: the need to live a natural balanced life not dominated by propriety and decorum, the dangers of living artificial lives governed by materialism, self-interest, shallow relationshipsRead MoreThe Death Of Ivan Ilyich1957 Words   |  8 PagesLeo Tolstoy s novella, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, is a classic piece of literature that allows a view of the dying process in an ordinary human being and presents us with an opportunity to examine the dynamics of educated Russian society. Decorum amongst the educated Russian society is dictated by strict ethical guidelines and rules, supported by a r elatively constant environment; however, when they no longer can conform to their societal roles, they no longer have ethics to follow and their initialRead MoreThe Death Of Ivan Ilyich And Metamorphosis946 Words   |  4 Pagesthe events that happen to them, the story would no longer have any point. When reading The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Metamorphosis, there are many parallels between the main characters. Ivan and Gregor both considered burdens on their families. The indirect characterization in each story, allows the reader to gradually follow the changing attitude of the main character, leading up to their death. Ivan Ilyich is introduced as a working man liked by them all, although from the start you understandRead MoreAnalysis Of The Death Of Ivan Ilyich1004 Words   |  5 Pagesin The Death of Ivan Ilyich It’s no surprise that death would be the central theme in a book called â€Å"The Death of Ivan Ilyich. The narrator Leo Tolstoy, in an attempt to exemplify the importance of accepting death approaches the subject in a way that all of us can understand. He starts off the book by introducing Ivan’s closest acquaintances and co-worker Peter Ivanovich, who announces to his fellow associates that Ivan has died. Though well-liked and considered an agreeable colleague, Ivan Ilyich’sRead MoreTheme Of The Death Of Ivan Ilyich892 Words   |  4 PagesThe book The Death of Ivan Ilych is a literary work by Count Leo Tolstoy published in 1886 and has been hailed as a masterpiece both by critics and readers. The author has been reputed as one of the people who changed how the subject of death is treated in society. In the novel, Leo Tolstoy presents the story of Ivan Ilych who lived a wasted life but who is not ready to imagine his own death. Through Gerasim, the peasant s ervant associated with Ivan, we are able to see the simple and gentle approach