1. Collectively come up with a brief 1 or 2 paragraph summary of the story in your own words (no Cliff's Notes). Identify a few of the major themes.
2. Each of you:
Write a 1 or 2 paragraph overall reaction to the story.
3.
Comment on at least two of the following passages/questions. Comment on at least two of your classmates' responses.
*
p. 38 death as a third person, the screens
*
p. 42 propriety, how people behave (then, now, etc.)
*
p. 43 wanting to be cuddled, touched, treated as human
*
p. 45-7 lies, not talking directly about the dying except to the servant,
Gerasim (more on p. 50)
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p. 50-2 pain, abandonment, life review, the failure of propriety
* Why does Chapter 2 begin saying that Ivan Ilych's life had been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible?
* Did Ivan Ilych die at peace? Explain.
* At
the conclusion Ivan Ilych says "Death is finished," he said to himself.
"It is no more!" What do these words mean? Is this a suitable
conclusion to the novel?
* There
are some discussion questions on p. 117. Discuss 3, 4, 5, or 6
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1.Theme:
ReplyDeleteA big theme in this book is that death is inevitable. When Piotr Ivanovich leaves Ivan Ilych’s funeral he says “its sad, isn’t it? And Gerasim replies “God’s will. We’ll all come to that.” (p 10) Death is such a hard thing for people to accept but it will happen to all of us eventually. The rest of the book talks about Ivan Ilych’s thoughts as he approaches death and how he can’t comprehend that he is dying or accept it. He then starts to question how he lived his life and discovered that “his work, and the construction of his life, and his family and those social and professional interests- all of them might be not the right thing” (p 55). Overall I would say that we need to live life to the fullest because death is going to happen at some point in our lives.
2. Each of you: Write a 1 or 2 paragraph overall reaction to the story.
My overall reaction to the story was that so many characters in the book focused on materialistic things. The book opens up with the death of Ivan Ilych and all his “friends” care about how they could earn more rubles. Also, some of his friends felt that paying their respects at Ilych’s funeral was tedious rather than seeing it as a way to say goodbye. Ivan Ilych was focused more on his work and materialistic things and not on the things that matter most in life like family.
* p. 38 death as a third person, the screens.
Ivan Ilych kept searching for “other screens” to distract him from accepting death. For a while a screen would keep him occupied but then it would always come back and he couldn’t escape it. The screens are a reminder to Ivan Ilych that death is inevitable.
p. 43 wanting to be cuddled, touched, treated as human
I think that Ivan Ilych wanted to be comforted at desperate times. He wanted people to console him and reach out to him. People were in denial of his death and saw it as just an illness. I think he just wanted pity and for people to show them that they care about him in that situation- just as any other human would want in that situation- comfort.
At the conclusion Ivan Ilych says "Death is finished," he said to himself. "It is no more!" What do these words mean? Is this a suitable conclusion to the novel?
These words mean that the whole time Ivan Ilych thought about death- he thought it was something dreadful and painful. Instead of death he found light and no pain- he set his famiy free and himself free from pain finally. I think it is a suitable conclusion to the novel because it finally focuses on the “light” or life rather than the death of his life which is where he focused all his time questioning how he lived his life and realized he lived it the wrong way. It is a peaceful ending because Ivan Ilych is set free and can finally accept his life.
I agree with you Brandi. I think everyone at the end of their lives wants to be comforted and loved by family and friends at the time of death. It allows you to say whatever you need to or feel an emotional connection with each person at your side before you pass.
DeleteI agree with the theme you chose, I think death is inevitable. Death is a hard time for people to understand but there is no escaping that. It is true, Gods will is Gods will.
DeleteI agree as well. Death is inevitable and there is nothing anyone can do about it. We all will die at some point so the most we can do is take advantage of the time we have and live life to the fullest. I also thought it was a little unnerving how materialistic everyone was and how they acted towards his death and funeral. It made me think about how I see material things in my life and I would hope my loved ones would respect my funeral as a time to celebrate my life, say goodbye, and gain closure rather than a tedious burden. But this is how Ivan was too. So this book made me question what I see as important in my life as well and if I put material things above my friends or family.
Delete1. Summary and themes
ReplyDelete- The book begins when a group of judges were in a room discussing a court case. Ivan’s closest friend, Peter Ivanovich, told everyone that Ivan has died. Even though Ivan was well liked everyone’s first thought was how Ivan’s death might make them get promoted. The men also f eel lucky that it is Ivan who is dead and not them. His “friends” feel like it is a burden to attend his funeral. Peter goes to Ivan’s house but feels awkward. Praskovya Fedorovna (Ivan’s window) asks to speak to Peter privately. The widow told Peter that he screamed incessantly for the last few days. Praskovya asks Peter on how to get the most money out of the government. The narrator talks about Ivan’s life and how it was boring and ordinary. Ivan goes to law school and moves to province where he meets his wife. Ivan is successful at work and at first his marriage is good but then he starts to dislike his wife so he turned toward work.
When he gets older he gets passed up for a promotion and he goes into depression. He goes to St. Petersburg to get a better job and a new apartment. While decorating his apartment he fell and hit his left side which ends up being why he dies. When his family comes to St. Petersburg the pain becomes more serious and his mood becomes bad. He goes to many doctors but he gets worse and worse. Ivan comes to realize that he is going to die but his fear and pain make it impossible him to enjoy anything. He can only think of his death. No one around him cares about what he is going through. Ivan goes nearer to his death and keeps thinking that maybe he lived his life wrong. His pain gets worse where all he can do is scream. One his last day Ivan sees light all around him at the same time his son kisses him. His screaming stops and he accepts that his life had been a failure but he feels like he can redeem it. His eyes open to his family and he felt no hatred but only sadness. He realizes that all he can do is to end their suffering and his own and his fear of death is gone. So with joy Ivan dies
- A few major themes in this book was mortality and how it is inevitable. Happiness is also a major theme in the book because throughout the whole book Ivan was tring to have pleasant experiences and trying to avoid unpleasant ones. He thought he lived his life as a happy one but realized that it was very unhappy.
2. My overall reaction to the book was that it was a very sad story. I mean he was well liked and had many friends but his “friends” didn’t even really care that he died all they cared about was themselves. I thought it was very sad how he thought he lived his life to be a happy one but then as he was dying he realized that his life was very unhappy. I guess it made me realize that I want to have true happiness and not a life full of things that I think make me happy.
3.
• Did Ivan Ilych die peacefully?
- I think in the very end he did end up dying peacefully. He stopped screaming and thrashing around and he died joyfully. Most of his dying process was not peaceful and was very painful and full of moth mental and physical agony. But his actual death at the end was a peaceful death.
• P.43 wanting to be cuddled…
- I thought that this part of the book was really sad because no one really did this for him. I thought that it was understandable for him to want to feel like that. I think he just wanted to be comforted and wanted people to make him feel better. I know that when I am sick I want people to make me feel better and I know if I was in his place I would want that. I think that it is a normal part of being sick is wanting to be consoled by other people.
I agree with you. I think Ilych eventually died peacefully but only because he realized death wasn't such a bad thing. I think he also realized he had somewhat wasted his life in a way so he needed to be happy in his last moments.
DeleteKim, I agree with your point that this was a sad story because his "friends" didn't even care about the fact that he was sick, let alone dying. I think this care be related to in our own lives, but on a lower level. I think that everyone has experienced "fake friends" that we surround ourselves with, but they have no true intention of care or love. We should surround ourselves with people that want what is best for us and validate our feelings and will "cuddle" us or give us compassion when we need it most.
DeleteI do think that Ivan died peacefully as well. Even though the dying process wasn't peaceful like you mentioned, I think it was his last moments of his life and his death that was peaceful because he was finally done with all of his suffering and he was able to finally reflect on his life, realizing the things in his life that actually mattered.
DeleteKim,
DeleteI think your comments about Ivan being happy are very accurate. He avoided unpleasant situation like being with his wife when she was jealous and angry. I think avoiding these situations in the beginning only made him realize that he only avoided being happy at the end of his life.
I agree with you the part where no one was cuddling him or treating him like a human, cuddling him and pitying him like a child like he wants. I think that is extremely sad. I know when I am ill all I want is my mom and to be treated like a baby. I can only imagine how he felt. I would want to be comforted of coarse as well , its terribly sad he did not receive this.
Delete1) Themes: Realizing what's important in life, Indulging in material goods, & Love for your family
ReplyDeleteIvan Ilyich lives a carefree life and he spends his life climbing the social ladder. While hanging curtains for his new home one day, he falls awkwardly and hurts his side. The physician cannot pinpoint the exact problem but the condition ends up being terminal. Confronted with his diagnosis, Ivan attempts every remedy he can to obtain a cure for his worsening situation until the pain grows so intense he is forced to cease working and spend the remainder of his days in bed. Here, he is brought face to face with his mortality, and realizes that although he knows of it, he does not truly grasp it.
In his suffering, he believes he doesn't deserve it because he has lived a good life. He becomes cynical. As he begins to hate his family for avoiding the subject of his death, for pretending he is only sick and not dying. At the end of his days he makes a distinction between his life, being a fake life and a real authentic life not bombarded with ideas of moving up the ladder and material goods.
2) My reaction to the story was a sad one. Ivan had completely in a way wasted his life by indulging in material things as did everyone around him. He seems like a kind of "scrooge" and it is not until death that he actually realizes what he has done. It is a sad story of 'what ifs' and something I hope to never go through when I die. It makes me understand that material things will never give me true happiness.
3)
pg. 43 - wanted to be cuddled, touched, treated as a human
It was sad to see that no one really cared for him. He was a cynical man so it makes sense. When I am sick, I want my mom to care for me, maybe even scratch my back. Something about that always made me feel better. Instead, Ilyich receives no tender loving care from his family. That is incredibly saddening to me. I agree completely with Brandi and she said it perfectly, "I think he just wanted pity and for people to show them that they care about him in that situation- just as any other human would want in that situation- comfort."
Did Ivan Ilych die at peace?
I think he finally blocked out the suffering and understands his death is imminent. he relaxes and all thoughts of hatred and disdain leave him completely. At the end of his death, his hand falls onto his nearby son's head, and Ivan pities his son. He no longer hates his daughter or wife, but rather feels pity for them, and hopes his death will release them. In so doing, his terror of death leaves him.
I couldn't agree more that a major theme was materialism. It seems as if there are several full pages in the book that describe how much Ivan thought about the furniture or curtains for his home and how he could decorate his home in a way that would make people praise him. It is crazy that so many people in our world today have this same mentality and would rather impress people with the things they bought, than the characteristics or work they can offer the world.
DeleteI also agree that materialism was a prominent theme in this. Ivan Ilych ends up regretting the way he lived his life based on material items, pleasing others, and being at the top of the social ladder.
DeleteI also really like how you used materialism as a theme. It wasn't one that came to my mind when making my post but I do see the theme in the story. Everyone lived so materialistically, that they were not truly living their lives. Ivan regrets all these things and that is proof that materialism is not a good quality and makes for an excellent theme.
DeleteJake,
DeleteI agree with your theme of materialism. It was shown a lot throughout this story. Ivan based his life on materialistic things, just like the people he worked with. His coworkers weren't concerned about his death, instead they were concerned about a new job position. I feel that Ivan wasn't truly living his life and that is why he had so many regrets.
1. Summary and major themes: The story was about Court Justice Ivan Ilych and his seemingly perfect life, engulfed with work, money, and power. Ivan did as he pleased, following his career wherever it took him, making friends in high circles, and living the right life that was expected of him. Or so he thought. Marriage to his wife, Praskovya Feodorovna, was the first disruption to interfere with his well-loved, well-followed routine. Then there was financial struggles and issues at work that only added to his angst. This leads to one of the major themes of his story and that is ‘fear’. In these situations, Ivan is afraid of being unhappy and he is fearful of being forgotten or overlooked. He invested so much effort getting things right that any flaw in his perfect routine caused his pain and discomfort. This theme of fear grew as Ivan suffered an injury that gradually turned into an ailment that he knew would eventually lead to his death. The looming thought of death and the uncertainty that came along with it, created unbearable despair and misery to Ivan, so much to the point that he hoped he could escape death itself. Another major theme (in my opinion) is selfishness. It seems as if almost every character is so caught up in their own lives that no one is honest. From Ivan, being extremely materialistic, to his friends and family, not wanting to care about his illness because it is not happening to them, all but two characters are not plagued with being selfish. These two characters are Ivan’s son and Geraism, who ultimately end up helping Ivan come to terms with death and the other major themes of morality and forgiveness. Before Ivan’s death, he sees and appreciates the comfort and unconditional love these characters give him. As Ivan is trying to accept death, he questions God and the life he lived and it is in the final scene, where Ivan sees his son weeping for him, that a light allows it to be clear to Ivan that he never led a good life. In his ending moments, Ivan wants his family to forgive him for the pain he has caused them and he knew the one that needed to know this (God) would understand. And with that “there was no fear, because there was no death. Instead of death, there was light” (page 59).
ReplyDelete2. Overall reaction: I thought the first half of this story was really hard to read and get through, but as soon as Ivan became sick, the book really picked up. I really liked the message of this story that death in imminent and inevitable and it is something all of us will have in common. Just like many of the characters, our society tends to not think about death, until it becomes a reality and we, or someone close to us, is facing death. This story shows how the uncertainty of death can create a denial of death, as Ivan thought if he hoped enough, he could somehow escape death. Because everyone in the book, other than Ivan (at the end) and Geraism, could not even acknowledge death, this frustrated me. It was irritating that none of his friends or family could offer him comfort or care and he had to seek it from his servant, who would just hold his legs up and talk to him for a short period of time. Geraism had it right the whole time, especially when he said “we’ll all go someday. Why not take a little trouble?” (page 42). Geraism was sympathetic and accepted death as a part of life, which is something we all should do. I really liked how the story also touched on how money, power, and materialistic things do not necessarily equate to an overall good and happy life. In the end of the story, Ivan finally realizes that just because he followed exactly what everyone expected of him, he was not living right. This is something we should take and apply to our society that is so money-driven. Money cannot buy you happiness in the long-term and if Ivan would have focused on making good, caring friends and not just people of high class, perhaps he would’ve lived a happy life that he would have enjoyed reflecting on.
Kate,
DeleteI agree that money does not buy happiness. I think people are mislead by what money does. I think in Ivan's case he used money to show off a false lifestyle. Unfortunately, while he was dying money could not save him and did nothing but cause problems.
Kate,
DeleteI agree with both you and Laura about money. Money is just a materialistic things and a lot of people focus on it. People like to use their money to show off things, just like Ivan. They like to use money as a mask; to hide their true feelings and life. I believe that money does not buy happiness and it was proven by Ivan. In the end, death does not come down to money. The only thing left he really had was money, not a loving wife or family. I believe it is a learning lesson for us all.
3. Questions:
ReplyDelete* Why does Chapter 2 begin saying that Ivan Ilych's life had been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible?
Ivan’s life was simply and ordinary because he followed a routine that the standards of high society set for him. He worked, played cards, and went out with his “friends”, and literally did the same thing every day. And the sad thing is that he got so much comfort from the certainty of a blindly followed routine. Yes, it is okay for him to love the work he does, but when he invested all his time in his work to avoid spending time at home, with his wife and kids, this is where it leads to a terrible life lived. It is about the relationships that you make with people and the love you share with another person that make for a good life. But Ivan was so caught up in making money and avoiding people that disrupted his routine, that he became so self-absorbed and blamed everyone, but himself, for his problems. He had the hardest time accepting things for what they were (ex. death) that he would hide as long as he could and that is a terrible life to live.
* Did Ivan Ilych die at peace? Explain.
I think, to some extent, Ivan Ilych did die at peace. To some extent is the key phrase. In his last moments, he did see a light that allowed him to open his eyes and realize that he was not living a good life and he was causing misery and pain to those around him, including himself. He wanted forgiveness from God and from his family and he believed that he would receive this from God. Right before his death, Ivan wants to think about his fear of death, but “cannot find it”. He comes to terms with the end of his life and states that there is no death, there is light, which to me sounds like God/Heaven. I guess the reason I said ‘to some extent’ is because he still had to die with the thought of knowing that he did not lead a good life and did not treat those around him right. It should not take the literal last few minutes of your life to realize this. This type of reflection and deep thought should happen long before your death bed. If he would’ve had these thoughts long before and accepted the fact that death is imminent, he could have changed his intentions and values.
well said. I think that Ivan's routine, simple life was also most terrible. He focused so much of his attention to his routine work life that it ended up having a bad effect on his family and marriage life. I think his simple routine life is the reason for why he concluded that his life was wasted away in the end because he did the same thing everything and missed out on the things that matter the most in life.
DeleteI agree, I feel that the safe way Ivan lived his life was essentially why he felt that his life had been wasted in the end. He realized too late that he lived his life in a non-meaningful way and there was nothing he could do to change it.
Deletei agree with you when you say this. Ivan lived sucha simple life to the point where not many recognized the actual man he really was. Living a secluded lifestyle only pushes you away from people so when you need help or want the love provided when you are in dire need its no where to be found. Saying he lived a terrible life because he was someone who chose to be that way doesn't make it right. Its the choice he made but ultimately i feel like he had regrets.
Delete1.) - The beginning of the story started out with Ivan Ilych's funeral and all the people that were "there" for him. Then the story takes us back to Ivan's childhood and continues on through life with his family and career and how he eventually becomes a very powerful man in the Courts. During this time of becoming high up in the courts, Ivan had an accident that he thought wasn't that big of a deal which in actuality it was because this accident is what really caused the beginning of his terminal illness. This illness ended up taking a huge toll on his life causing him to have terrible pain and making him suffer more and more each and every day. Eventually Ivan died from his illness.
ReplyDeleteA major theme that I kept noticing was the theme of lies. As I was reading this story I noticed that Ivan thought that everyone was just lying to him about his illness and that it seemed that no one truly wanted to admit that he was in fact dying and that nothing could really make his illness better. Also it seemed that the people around him didn't seem true either because everyone was so caught up in themselves and material things and no one seemed to care that much that Ivan was dying.
2.)- Overall I thought that the story was a depressing story to have to read. It was sad to have to read the end of the story. At the end of the story it talked about how Ivan was reflecting on his life as he was about to die and he finally realized that he hadn't lived the life that he was suppose too live. He realized that because he was so caught up in material things that he missed out on what was truly more important in his life and that was his family. Ivan's marriage was also sad to read because him and his wife basically despised each other for the most part.
3.) * p. 38 death as a third person, the screens
- The screens were what helped him try to escape death. He tried to go back to work and take his mind off of death and back to the thoughts that he had during work at the court, but the pain and death still didn't go away so there was really no way of escaping death and the thoughts of death because it's going to happen no matter what.
* p. 42 propriety, how people behave (then, now, etc.)
The people's behavior showed that they didn't want to be around Ivan at all back then. They didn't even show that they had much pity for him either as they didn't want to understand what he was going through. But it showed closer to the end of his life when he was about to die that people pitied him more at that time.
* At the conclusion Ivan Ilych says "Death is finished," he said to himself. "It is no more!" What do these words mean? Is this a suitable conclusion to the novel?
- I think it was suitable conclusion to the novel because he tried escaping death as it feared him most of his life but as he was finally about to die his fear of death was no more and it was finished. Once he is dead he can also stop thinking about death in his life and get rid of the pain that he was suffering from as well.
Julie,
DeleteI like your post about how Ivan thinks everyone keeps telling him lies. I thought about it a little different. I think they all fear what they know is happening to Ivan "death" but they are so oblivious to it, for example his co workers. They know he is sick and yet they do nothing to help improve his situation, they sit around basically waiting for what happens in the start of the book which is read about it in the paper.
I really like how you brought up the idea of Ivan trying to escape death. This is a perfect example of why at the end, death was finished for Ivan. I think that everyone was fearing Ivan's death and so nobody knew how to talk to him about it. So, death no more really did mean that the fear was over.
DeleteI agree with Laura, I feel like his co-workers and family members were more concerned with their own lives and materialistic things than Ivan's suffering or death.
DeleteI also think this book was sad because I could not imagine living a life that you were not happy with. I think too often people focus on material things and not things that matter like family and friends. You truly do miss out on so many things in life if you just focus on material things.
ReplyDeleteSummary part 1
ReplyDeleteIvan Ilyanch was involved in the justice system as a lawyer. He worked with other men who were greedy, disrespectful and political in their thoughts. Peter Ivanovinch was considered a close friend to Ivan, he grew up with him as a child and worked with him. Peter was discussing a court case with other co-workers and noticed that Ivan’s obituary in the paper. Peter tells the other men about Ivan’s death and they soon become silent to think about how they might benefit from it. The men’s only other thought is that they will have to attend the funeral which might interfere with the card games they play.
The story opens up with Ivan’s wife wanting to get money for Ivan’s death. Peter is taken aside to discuss when the funds from the government. Ivan’s wife will be appointed these funds and she wants Peter to know that she knows about them. The cost of the funeral is becoming overwhelming to her and she begins to stress how important the money is to her.
Summary part 2
ReplyDeleteIvan’s life was described as extraordinary reserved, formal, and even stern. This all changed when Ivan decided to get married and have children. The first pregnancy his wife had, changed her personality. She went from a fun loving wife to a jealous woman who wanted her husband to suffer. Ivan tried to avoid conflict with his wife by working. Ivan soon finds himself in a situation where he wants a new position at work. The home like environment they live in now only remind him of what he has lost. For example children and his position at work were not enough to live the lavish life that they desire. Ivan starts looking for a new home in Petersburg. He is appointed a new position in this town. Ivan and his wife find themselves tolerable of each other in their new community. Ivan takes interest in decorating the new house. One importance of Ivan’s new interest is that he accidently bumps his side. After a while Ivan continues to complain of the pain and seeks medical help. Ivan tried confiding in any doctor he could to try to get better. His wife and daughter become annoyed with Ivan’s complaints and treat him as if he is overreacting. Ivan soon realizes that no one believes that he is in pain. Ivan has come to the conclusion that he is on his own with this problem. While playing cards one night with the boys he messes up a play in the card game, his partner in the game get angry with him and Ivan concludes that no one really cares about what is happening to him. Once this realization has set in Ivan starts to isolate himself and becomes angry with everyone around him. One night Ivan reflects about the card game and comes to the conclusion that he is alone, sick and not happy anymore. He has become unhappy and has become the person that people dread to be around. He has the attitude of poison once it seeps into you it’s hard to get rid of. Ivan continues to feel worse and despite taking medication still feels pain. He tries to mentally cure himself by thing positive and seeking another doctor’s opinion but nothing is helping him. The realization of not getting better and the possibility of dying from this pain is getting to him. The thought of dying and mortality has taken its toll and seems to be making him angry towards everyone. One example of this is when his wife comes into his room and kisses his forehead. He is in disgust with her and can barely stand to look at her. Her past of jealously, hatred and annoyance of him has made Ivan wonder why she tries to pretend to love him. Ivan’s thoughts suggest that he knows people don’t want to be around him because he knows that he is dying. An example of this is when he wife and daughter come in to see him before they go to the theater. Both women come into without saying much to Ivan to avoid the conflict of leaving him alone, and home sick. After his family leaves the house Ivan is reminded of his past as a lawyer. He remembers that he was faced with situations where he was telling clients false information to avoid the truth.
Ivan wishes that he would die soon and questions why he lived the way he did. “What if I lived my whole life wrong? “ Ivan’s thoughts are worries that the life he lived was a great gift that he wasted.
Ivan became very sick and confined to the couch. He suffered days before he died at age 45.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOne of the major themes of this book is denying death will happen. In the beginning of the book Peter doesn't want to look at Ivan because he is in the casket. My question is why? I think Peter knows subconsciously he too will be faced with death at some point; it is easier to avoid the thought of death if you do not have to look at it.
ReplyDeleteAnother indication that some of the characters avoid death is that all of his family and co-workers deny that Ivan is dying. Ivan expressed to all of them that he had pain and from his pain he never seemed to look good on the outside. His daughter and his wife have a hard time even talking to Ivan before they head off to the theater. I think they know that he has changed physically from the outside and they also do not want to admit that death is a possibility. They want to reject this idea that he has become very sick and avoid death as a possibility.
Another theme that I have noticed is Ivan feels that he is in isolation from everyone. Ivan’s family and co-workers avoid the any chance they get to interact with him; therefore they leave him to feel as if no one cares about him.
Another theme that I have noticed is Ivan seems to be worried about the outside picture of his life. He fails to see that inner problems such as his relationship with his wife have no real meaning. He misplaced their relationship values when she became pregnant by working more to avoid her. The priorities of their relationship fell apart and he tried to make this up to her by decorating the house. The first problem is that he should have been a more supportive husband when she needed him and maybe she would have supported him more while he was dying. He furnished the house to prove that he was someone important, so that they could entertain like they used to. This shows that he was all about money and how much you earned was your status in life. He should have focused on being happy with his family. Money does not have meaning when you’re dying.
In reference to lies, Ivan was most upset with everyone not accepting the fact that he was dying versus just being ill. His wife suggest that he keep clam and take more medication, as if a miracle would happen and Ivan would get better. Ivan knew that taking the medication was not helping him to get better but masking the pain he felt until he accepted death. The lies are what Ivan had been tortured by the most. They felt if I believe it will make him better then he should also believe this as well. One person out the group of people who knew Ivan was willing to understand his position. This person was the butler Gerasim, he understood Ivan and felt sorry for him.
ReplyDeleteGerasim understanding Ivan’s pain and position in the world only made Ivan angrier that his family did not. This leads to Ivan wanting to be pitied, as a small child does when they get hurt. He wanted someone to love on him so that he could be loved. He wanted his family to show love and affection to him so that he did not feel alone during this illness.
1. The book begins with Piotr Ivanovich telling Ivan Ilyich's collegues that Ivan has died. Even though they worked with him for years they were not very shocked or hurt they were just thinking about what they had to do and what his death meant for them. The men feel like they are lucky that it was him who died and not them, there really isn't any sadness. Then it goes to the funeral where all of these people "are there for them" when really they are only there because they feel they have to be. His friends feel like it is a burden to be there and are already planning a poker party after the fact. Evan Ivan's wife Praskovya Feodorovna was concerned with only her self. She talks to Piotr and emphasizes how hard it was for her and really what she is interested in is the money she is getting from his death. She wants to get the most money from his death and she asks Piotr how to do so. The story then goes on to tell about Ivan's past, how he always had lived a care free life, he moved around a couple of times, and he would always be looking for the bigger better job. He finally got the job as a judge he liked his life he even got a wife which he never thought he would have. They fought at times a lot but she gave him two children. The story then goes on to when he discovered his illness, he fell and hurt his side while hanging curtains the doctors told him many different diagnosis the one that seemed to be big was the floating kidney. The condition does end up being terminal as Ivan tends to figure out, all though the doctors were never really straight forward with him. Ivan tries everything he can to cure the illness, the pain eventually grows so intense he is forced to stop working and spend his days in bed. This is where he realizes how bad his situation is and is brought face to face with it. He suffers and no one really seems to care, they all seemed to be bothered by the situation besides Gerasim who would help him with things he needed. Ivan believes he doesn't deserve to die or this suffering, he begins hating his family and avoiding the subject of death for pretending he isn't dyeing. At the end he makes a distinction between his life, the life he lived which he views as fake and an authentic life which should not be about material things. In the end he no longer fears death he just sees a light, and says what joy! He says death is finished, there is no death.
ReplyDeleteA major theme in this story is realizing what is important in ones life, it should be love for friends and family not so much of material aspects and focused on work. Another major theme is dealing with death, Ivan went through many stages of the dying process, he was sad, angry, in denial until he finally died and accepted death.
ReplyDelete2. My reaction to this story was surprise and sadness. I felt sad for Ivan to have people in his life who cared so much about material things and what was going to happen to them rather then what was happening to Ivan, I was surprised that they weren't even really sad at the funeral they were just happy the burden was over, especially his wife. Its sad that people are that way, and I know that still happens today. I also felt sad for Ivan he pretty much spent his life being just like his friends, materialistic and not really embracing the important things in life, and its sad he had to figure that out in the end of his life. I learned that family and friends are more important than material things and I don't want to die with people surrounding me that were as awful as Ivan's "family and friends" I also don't want to die living a life like Ivan lived.
3. Did Ivan Ilych die in peace?
I like to think that in the end Ivan Ilyich did die in peace. He no longer screamed or felt to much pain and in the end he died in a joyful matter, facing death and saying that death is no more. I think his dying process was not peaceful, he dealt with a lot of agonizing pain mentally and physically, he had to realize that his life pretty much was meaningless in all and he regrets some things he did in his life, that has to be hard to deal with. His actual death at the end however I felt was peaceful
-P. 43 wanting to be cuddled touched, treated like a human
I feel bad that Ivan felt it painful that no one pitied him he wanted to be pitied, that's all he wanted and that is sad that no one did or someone felt it was to much to do so. It is not to much for a dying man to ask to be cuddled and kissed if he want to be and I find it appalling that his wife didn't do this, and that she never cared enough about him to do this. At least Grasim was there to do this for him well, close to this.
I agree that with you when you say that Ivan died in piece. He was at the point in his life that he couldn't give more to what he had. He may have lived a life of seclusion and said to be very quite and keep to himself, but what was need was for people to care about him the way they cared about him dying. People don't recognize you until things go wrong and i feel like it was to late for them to make a difference. He regreted some things in life but that still didnt change the fact of how he wanted to go even though he realized those things. He went pain free and peaceful just like he wanted it.
Delete4. At the conclusion Ivan says "death is finished" ... What do these words mean.. is it suitable..\
ReplyDeleteI think this means that the dying process is over for him, the pain and struggle is over for him and he can finally be free. He doesn't have to fear death anymore or think he can just move on and be at peace. I think that it is a suitable conclusion because after all of that pain and suffering he can finally have a peaceful death.
Summary: The story is about a lawyer named Ivan who works with others who are greedy and materialistic. The story starts by Ivan's close work friend Piotr Ivanovich telling the lawyers the news of Ivan's death. Instead of them being upset about his death, they all think about how this could help their own personal lives. After Ivan's funeral, the story goes back in time to Ivan's life. It goes on to describe his family life and how he moved from his home to a country home with his family and was in search of a new job. In an accident that Ivan had fixing up his new house, he bumped his side against the window but thought nothing of it. Later, Ivan began having pain and he began getting irritated at things. He went and saw a doctor and they summed it up to a floating kidney, chronic catarrah, or disease of the blind gut. Ivan begins feeling alone and unhappy. He sits by himself at night thinking about his unhappiness. He grew tired of his wife and got annoyed with mainly everything she did. He questioned her love for him. Ivan was annoyed because he was not being pitied the way he wanted to be and wasn't receiving the attention he thought he should. Ivan then began to not even want to be left alone. When Piotr is visiting and goes to get Ivan tea, Ivan is worried about being left by himself. His physical appearance had gone down and he didn't even look like himself. It sounded as if Ivan was going to have an unsuccessful death. Ivan was so unhappy he began to cry. He thought that everyone was cruel, including God. He began talking to himself and telling himself that he wished for the life he once had. He wanted to live and be free from suffering. He want to be happy and pleasant. He began thinking that this death was possibly his fault and that he wasn't living as he should of been. He felt guilty but also said that he is not the one to blame. Ivan began thinking about his childhood because it was there that he found happiness, but it hurt him to much to think about those happy times. Hours before his death, Ivan began to realize what had been wrong the whole time. He felt sorry for his family and sorry that he had been making them suffer along with him. He was finally ready for death to come. It would take away his suffering and the suffering of his family. And when death was near, he saw light and it made him feel at peace.
ReplyDeleteThemes/reaction: Two major themes that I saw were, dying is inevitable and finding what is important in life. Ivan knew the whole time that his death was inevitable but he was not willing to accept it. He wanted to be pitied and he wanted people to feel sorry for him and give him attention. He finally was able to accept that is death was inevitable just moments before it occurred. He accepted death in and realized that no matter how unfair he thought it was and no matter how bad he wished for his old life, death was coming. He found comfort in death because he knew that his suffering and his families suffering would end. The other theme, finding what is important in life is shown when Ivan is looking back at his life. He could only find happiness in his childhood. He knew he didn't live his life right. He knew that no matter what he did, he couldn't change the life he had lived because its about to be over. So the message to the reader is to realize what is important and make it happen before it is too late. My reaction to this book is that it made me sad but also gave me a new perspective on life. I felt bad Ivan and I felt bad that he never got a second chance to change his life to be the one he wanted to live. But I got a new perspective about my own life. I learned to not wait until it is too late. And to always seize an opportunity that I truly want and not because I think it is the right choice. I learned that I don't want to regret anything that has happened in my life and I don't want to have regrets about what I could have done when I die.
ReplyDelete* Why does Chapter 2 begin saying that Ivan Ilych's life had been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible?
ReplyDelete- Ivan had lived a simple life. He went to law school, got married, had children, tried to get a higher paying job, bought a house, fixed up the house. He lived the most basic life. He did everything a person is supposed to do in a normal life. He never did anything out of the usual. He didn't take chances, he didn't make special memories. He didn't live the life that was given to him. He just rolled through the motions. That is why his life was the most terrible. And that is why when he is near death, he can only remember times of his childhood. They were the only memories that stood out to him because he didn't make lasting memories in his adulthood.
* Did Ivan Ilych die at peace? Explain.
- I believe that Ivan did die in peace. I believe that he realized moments before death that death would end his suffering and end his families suffering. He was no longer angry and irritated. He was ready. He finally saw the truth in his life and saw the suffering that his death was causing his loved ones. He felt death was near but saw light and I believe that is when Ivan felt peace with death. That is not to say that I believe Ivan was at peace with the life he had lived. He lived an unsuccessful life and therefore there is nothing that he could do to change it but I think he was at peace with his death because he knew the suffering would be over and his family could start on without suffering and start living a life without the regrets.
1. Summary: The story was about Ivan Ilych, who is a lawyer and works with many other people that are very materialistic. The story begins with the death of Ivan. A close friend of Ivan's, Peter Ivanovich, was the one to announce his death at the courthouse. Instead of acting sad or devastated, the men Ivan worked with were only concerned with the promotions they would get because of Ivan's death. That same day, Peter visits Ian's house for the funeral and runs into his wife (now a widow). Ivan's wife, Praskovya, was more concerned about getting her husband's government pension. Peter also comes across Ivan's nurse Gerasim, who is very sick. The nurse did not seem so sad because she had an observation about death that differed from Peter's. She simply said that everyone dies someday. The story then goes back about thirty years into Ivan's life. Ivan attended law school around the age of thirteen and then married his wide, Praskovya. She becomes pregnant which make Ivan turn away and absorb himself into his work life and not his family. At his work, Ivan had high expectations and expected to be promoted to a new ranking. He was infuriated he did not receive this offer and moved his family into the country. While he was fixing up his new house, he slips wrong off the ladder and bangs his side against the window frame. He did not believe it was a serious injury until he started experiencing discomfort on his left side and a weird taste in his mouth. The doctors he visits have a hard time deciding what his illness actually is. One night Ivan sits by himself and begins to think how unhappy he is. He begins to be annoyed with his wife and distances himself from her. He starts to question her love and believes he isn't receiving the pity he deserves. Ivan also started to believe that it was his fault and how much he loved his childhood. The further he looked back, the more joy he got out of it. It was too hard for him to think about his childhood. Then one night, Ivan begins to doubt whether he has lived his life correctly. Suddenly "some force" strikes Ivan and pushes him into the presence of a bright light. He then feels sorry for his wife and family, and realizes that the majority of the things in his life were artificial.
ReplyDeleteA major them would be the inevitability of death. As Ivan approaches death, he also gains recognition of death and his search for a compromise with its power. Throughout the story, Tolstoy makes it very clear that the preparation for death begins with a proper attitude toward life. Ivan's attitude towards life changes from pain and terror, and moves to joy. An acceptance of death and unpredictable nature of life, allows confidence peace, and joy at the moment of death. The story is seen as a lesson towards making sense of death through living one's life rightly.
2. Overall reaction to the story:
I felt very sad for Ivan just because he learned from his mistake but was never really given a second chance. It did give me a different perspective on life because of death. It has shown me to not wait until it is too late and to live life to the fullest. I should do the things I want to, and not because they are the things that are right. It has shown me to live life without regrets and to treat friends and family nicely. I shouldn't value materialistic things over my friends and family.
3. p. 43 wanting to be cuddled, touched, treated as human
ReplyDeleteI really do feel bad for Ivan because he wanted someone to be affectionate to him, especially during his time of death. I believe he wanted someone to pity him and give him attention. If I was in that position, all I would truly want is for someone to be next to me and to hold my hand. I would want someone to show they cared. At least Ivan's nurse was there, just to show that she cares and to give him someone to talk to during that moment.
Did Ivan Ilych die at peace? Explain.
I believe that Ivan died in peace. He had a hard time towards the end because a mix of emotions and regrets were hitting him. Ivan was regretting a lot of things he did in the past, but I believe that he concurred those thoughts. He began to feel joy towards the end of his life and that is what matters. He died with joy in his life and not bitterness or regret.
Themes that I noticed from the book were make the life you live meaningful, death is inevitable and unavoidable, and the importance of money/materialist things. In the opening chapter the book a group of Ivan’s coworkers are informed about his death and rather than mourning the loss of their friend who seems to be a well liked individual they immediately begin to contemplate the way that his death will benefit them and their job and financial status. His wife makes it known that she is aware of Ivan’s treasury funding and feels it is hers to have and no one else’s, even going as far as inquiring if there was a way to extract more money out of it than she would already be getting. During the scene of Ivan’s funeral it seemed as if the only person that was genuinely upset by his passing was his son, every one else seemed burdened to be present for his burial. The biggest thing I took away from the story was the sense of entitlement Ivan developed when he was diagnosed with his illness, he felt he had lived a good life and because of this he didn’t deserve to be sick or dying. But he realized that what he once considered to be a “good life” was actually a fake reality, he had lived his life focused on materialistic possessions and trying to advance his career.
ReplyDeleteMy overall reaction was sadness, for Ivan, for his family members and colleagues, and for the overall situation. Sadness for Ivan because he more or less came to the terms with his illness by himself because no one would acknowledge that he was going to die just that he had become sick. Also sadness for the way he lived his life, he realized to late that he had put too much emphasis on things that didn’t matter and he had no way to change this because he had only just realized it because he was faced with death. And sadness for his family members and colleagues because even though Ivan had come to this realization his death seemed to have a minimal impact on their lives and the way they chose to live, they were still all concerned with money and obtaining materialistic possessions rather than considering what it truly means to live a good and meaningful life.
p. 42 propriety, how people behave (then, now, etc.) – this passage was very moving to me. I think more often than not people don’t know what to say or how to react when someone is dying so they reduce it to a smaller situation than it really is. Ivan knew he was dying and that his terminal diagnosis was inevitable but no one was acknowledging it as such and it was frustrating but he didn’t have the strength or the spirit to yell at them to accept his fate. This is a big aspect of dying that I feel needs to be known, as much as we would all like to comfort our loved ones as they dying we need to come to terms with as much as they do. Someone should never feel like their dying is a burden to their family members.
p. 43 wanting to be cuddled, touched, treated as human - I think this is another common reaction people have when facing a loved one who is dying. They no longer resemble themselves, their frail and pale, and have tubes and wires sticking out of their once lively body. Its scary and a lot of people don’t want their last memory of them to be a picture of their illness so they avoid visits and touching them as they used to. I had a close family friend who refused to visit her terminally ill mother for months in the hospital because she had mentally decided she couldn’t handle seeing her like that and that she didn’t want her final memory of her to be in a hospital bed in that condition. She came to terms with these fears and began visiting her every day for the final two months she was in the hospital and now that she has passed I’ve talked to her and she said he regrets more than anything not coming to terms with it sooner and wasting the time she had with her by staying away.
Themes:
ReplyDeleteOne theme is Death is unavoidable. Death is a difficult subject for some to talk or think about, but at some point in our lives we have to. We have to be able to recognize that we will not live forever, we do not get extra time or a pause button, and we have to make plans regarding our death. Where do we want to be buried, do we want to be cremated, what kind of service we want, want do we want to happen to our things, etc. These things have to be thought of while we are still mentally and physically able to. The book discusses Ivan’s thoughts as he gets closer to his death. At first, he has a hard time coming to terms and accepting it. He questions his life and came to the realization that how he has lived his life and what he has held as important really weren’t the right things.
A second theme of the book is to live a real and true life. Ivan lived an artificial life, much like everyone else around him. This artificial life is full of shallow relationships, self-interest, and materialism. This type of life is unfulfilling and leaves us with a lot to look back on and regret. This type of life also ends up leaving one alone and scared in death.
Reaction:
To my surprise I actually enjoyed reading this book even though it was a pretty sad story. It was a different context then I am used to reading but it was a deep story, and very true of how a lot of people live. I feel like especially in today’s world, a lot of people live very materialistic and fake lives to try to fit in with the “norms” society holds. I was still kind of surprised with how his “friends” reacted to his death and his funeral. Yes they weren’t close but still, I didn’t expect them to have that much disrespect and lack of emotion to someone they had known for years, whether they were close or not.
1). At the conclusion Ivan Ilych says "Death is finished," he said to himself. "It is no more!" What do these words mean? Is this a suitable conclusion to the novel? :
I think this means that Ivan is finally free from his fear of death, and he is no longer consumed with his life reflections. He is free from the fear, the pain and the fakeness than consumed his life. I think that it was a good ending for the story.
2). Pg 43 wanting to be cuddled, touched, treated as a human:
I think one thing that Ivan wanted most was to be comforted, physically and emotionally. He wanted the people he once saw as closest to him to act genuinely towards him and how compassion and love. Everyone else just saw his illness as him faking it or just complaining, but he really wanted someone to understand him and comfort him, especially towards the end. He just wanted to be treated as a human with respect and compassion.
3). Did Ivan Ilych die peacefully?
I think the beginning of his death process was very un-peaceful. He had a great amount of fear surrounding death and a lot of reflections on his life, not to mention the pain. But I think in the end, he was finally able to come to terms with his mortality and die a peaceful death, ready to be free of the pain and suffering, physically and emotionally.
1. A big theme in this novel is that death cannot be avoided. Death is not an easy thing to experience, go through or death with. It can really take a toll not only on yourself but also for your loved ones. Another theme is making sure you don’t take life for granite. Every day is worth living, and you need to cherish the time that you’re with with your loved ones, because one day they might not be there.
ReplyDelete2. I really enjoyed the story even though it was sad. It made me think about how different my life would be if something happened to the people in my life. Sometimes you get so caught up in everything that you need to be doing that you forget what’s really important. Just like Llych when he is more focused on materialistic things in his life, rather than more important things.
p. 38:
Llych refused to accept the fact that death was inevitable, therefore he kept looking for distractions to focus on. He knew it was impossible because nothing will ever be able to stop it from eventually happening to everyone.
p.43
Llych didn’t get the attention and pity that he wanted which was pretty sad. He just wanted to feel wanted and cared for. Especially being in such a vulnerable state, it had to be very hard to go through, feeling almost alone.
At the conclusion Ivan Ilych says "Death is finished," he said to himself. "It is no more!" What do these words mean? Is this a suitable conclusion to the novel?
I think it is suitable for this novel because in the beginning he tried to refuse the fact that he will die one day, when at the end when he does finally face death, his fear of it is no more.
Theme
ReplyDeleteA theme directed towards this book would be alienation. Having the ability to recognize death because of the physical body such as Ivan's you tend to alienate the existence of what is really happening. Ivan encounters situations or relationships where it is seen as unpleasant to hos existence as a human and distances himself from it. In the book, Ivan has no spiritual excitement about life due to his understanding of death and the realism of it. HE therefore only pays attention top the good of himself and ignores all the outside drama pertaining to his existence. He is selfish in doing this therefore he is alienating himself from the outside world and his problems evolving from it. He is isolated several times in the book and seen to be slowly closing on the people around him.
Another theme related to the death of Ivan Ilyich is inevitability. Ivan's focus on death is recognized through the power in which is mind is telling him there something wrong. The preparation in which Ivan takes is to see what lives brings you and fulfill that in the best way you can and not take it for granted. Life is inevitable therefore the avoidance of death will do nothing but keep reminding you of the reality of it in which Ivan is facing. Recognizing death more knowing that the time is coming allows confidence, peace, and joy that there's nothing he can do about it so he has to make the best of it.
p.42
at this point in Ivan's life, he feels like the lying is his new state of reality. At this point in life nothing is satisfying to him to the reality of him dying is more of a wish than anything. No one understands his position so the truth and reality of it is someone forgotten to everyone but him and he thinks no one wnats to see it through his eyes.
p.43
Ivan is at the breaking point where all he needs is some tender love and care but he sees people backs turning on him because of all the agony hes been going through causing the bickering. Its sad that at ones moment in life that that's all they need n=before death. The comfort of having the love is totally ignored because hes more a stern and manly man. He doesnt want people to know how bad things hurt and the suffering hes going through so he keeps it on even though love is all he needs and cares about.
I think it is interesting that you chose the theme of alienation. I agree though that alienation was a huge theme in this story. Ivan chose to remove his humanity almost from many situations, he was not in touch with his emotions nor who he was for that matter. I think in accepting his death and the inevitability of it Ivan Illych regains the humanity he seemed to have lost and un-alienates himself in his dying process.
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