Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilych

By describing protagonist's characterization in the novel The Death of Ivan Ilych, author Leo Tolstoy shows us that Ivan Ilych is full of regrets of not really living his life, telling us that people should live the life in the way they want because life is valuable and only once and if they do not, they will regret for it. As we can clearly see at chapter IX, Ivan Ilych really wanted to live his life now because when he asks himself "[W]hat do I want?" (Tolstoy 1010), he answers "[T]o live and not to suffer" (Tolstoy 1010). after Ivan Ilych has suffered so much from his illness, he realized that he is really going to die; however, in the mean time even though he still keeps suffering from the disease, loneliness, and helplessness, he does not want to die because he feels like he has not really lived his life yet. Not really living his life makes him regret; that is why he could not release himself to die.

Tolstoy also explains, "[I]t occurred to him that what had appeared perfectly impossible before, namely that he had not spent his life as he should have done, might after all be true" (1014). According to Tolstoy, Ilych just realized that he only did the things that considered good by the eyes of society. The things like being a judge, arrange his life and family, and following social and official interests are all public opinion (1014). Social opinions do not mean the things that are not good but they do not mean the things that he really wants. However, in most of his life he just falsely followed society's idea. He has not even had a thought of what he wants to do; that's why he regrets because he found out that he had not spend his life as he should have done.

According Tolstoy, Ivan Ilych's only pleasant time of life is in his childhood because "there had been something really pleasant with which it would be possible to live if it could return" (1011). His social life seems so successful to other people: being a judge, having a fancy house, and finally becoming upper middle class; however, it did not actually bring him any happiness. When he reviews his life at the edge of his death, he surprisely found out that the most pleasant time is in his childhood because that is that time that he actually lived his life, doing what he wants to do. Childhood is Ivan Ilych's only happy time in his life, showing that he did not really lived his life after childhood, and it also tells us that he really regrets for what he has not really spent his rest of life like that way that he wants. From Ivan Ilych's wish to live at the edge of death because of the regrets for having not lived life as what he wants, we can see that people should really live their lives as the way they want, otherwise it will be too late for them and they will only feel regret as they approach their deaths.

Works Cited
Tolstoy, Leo. The Death of Ivan Ilych. Shorter Eight Edition. Literature. Eds Richard Abcarian and Marvin Klotz. Boston and New York: Bedford/ St. Martain's 2004.