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The Death of Ivan Ilych - Leo Tolstoy

⛰ What It's About

As the title suggests it’s about Ivan Ilych and his manner of death. Story begins with others hearing about the man’s death and reacting to it, then it moves on to the perspective of the title character, where we find out what kind of a man he was, how he lived his life, his regrets, troubles and bedridden thoughts.

🔍 How I Discovered It

While browsing through Audible I saw a Tolstoy title that was surprisingly quite small in length, usually he writes everything as an epic. So this caught my eye and the title made it seem like a detective novel: “The Death of Ivan Ilych”

🧠 Thoughts

It is mostly the musings of a man who just wants to go about his daily routine disturbed by the sudden death of his friend and musings of the friend about his approaching death. Overall it’s a contemplation on death and what it means to be alive. It gives an understanding of why many bedridden and sick people are so miserable even when everyone around them is trying so hard so as to not disturb their comfort. It gave me a better understanding on how to deal with people approaching death and what goes on inside their minds. The story seemed so hopeless and seemed to instill fear of death unto me again. The way the author showed how even when people see a man who was live yesterday wither away today, they still try their best to hide from all that truth and reality and find comfort in their mirth was very efficient. The book showed the importance of truth in the life of a dying man. All he wanted to listen in the end was the truth. He wanted them to tell him that he was dying. He wanted their true unashamed grief, not their hidden pity, which was unbearable to him.

What I Liked About It

  • I liked the overall message the author tried to bring around to the reader
  • I liked what the author wanted to say

What I Didn't Like About It

  • I hated how the story is written especially in the beginning
  • I couldn’t quite fix the tone or genre of the story in my mind. Then again it is the same with most Russian short stories

🥰 Who Would Like It?

  • Only those who are interested in Death, Philosophy and Psychology

📚 Related Books

  • Crime and Punishment
  • Other Dostoevsky’s Works
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