Analysis of The Death Of Ivan Llych
The central drama of the story is Ivan's struggle with illness and death. Tolstoy tells me Ivan's whole life story up to the point when he becomes sick. In the beginning of the book, his habits and desires, his family and friends, and his circumstances. In the opening chapter even though it technically occurs after Ivan has already died It gives a more vivid and unflattering picture of what the people in Ivan's social world are like. Also I get an idea of what Ivan himself was like before he got sick, since Peter Ivanovich and his friends are a lot like Ivan used to be. Ivan's fall while putting up the curtains is what causes the whole mess that follows. That's when he injures a critical organ and starts to show signs of illness. As he grows sicker Ivan's mood and attitude toward life begin to change dramatically. He starts having to struggle with fear, discomfort, and isolation. This marks a shift for a man used to having an always pleasant life. Still he's hopeful at first that the doctors can get rid of whatever condition it is that's bothering him and restore life to normal.
The doctors' treatment doesn’t work. And Ivan's been afraid that his condition might be serious since the beginning but it takes a while for it to hit him that he might actually die. It happens in one intense moment of realization when he stops thinking of his condition in medical terms and starts thinking about it in of life and death. From this point on the character of Ivan's struggle changes as does the tone of the story. The problem for Ivan is no longer finding a way to recover but it’s to understand himself before death. The climax, like the complication, is another moment of realization that brings about a big change in Ivan. It's the moment that Ivan listens to "the voice of his soul" for the first time and becomes uncharacteristically reflective. He actually tries to figure out why he wants to live and realizes the very life...