Tolstoy Book Review

From all the books I have read so far Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich is one of the books that had a particular significance in one aspect of my life. Even though the pages were very small there was a lot to take. The book talks about death, the end of life which no human beings in this world have no clue when it will happen to them. Ivan Ilyich was a respected judge who was successful in his career. However, he regretted the life he lived when he died. He was living in the circle that society has created for him. He passed without experiencing outside of that circle. His family, friends and everyone who came to his funeral, did not think about his death but rather the future power and pension they will get. Only one person felt a real sympathy for him and that person was his servant, Gerasim. He cried and remembered all the good sides of his boss and felt a real sympathy for his boss. Gerasim was the only person from that community who believed there is an end of life for each human being. Gerasim was capable of developing the meaningful relationships that is important to a fulfilling life. He was at peace with himself, and the mutually comforting relationships he has established not only add immeasurable joy to his life, they also give him the courage and strength to confront death.

Before reading the book I never considered death as part of life. I hear people die but I had not actually been in a situation where someone close to me passed away. I think maybe it is because of my experience I did not consider death as part of life. Nevertheless, after reading the book, I started to think about death deeply. Unfortunately, on the first month of my senior year, one of my caring friend from school passed away. It was the most miserable and savage experience as I have not been not in that kind of situation before. This was when I understood one of the characters in the book, Gerasim. The belief I learned from him that there will be a time for every human being’s death made me to embrace the situation and think about the meaning of life. I then started to think what the book is trying to portray. Then I realized when we die we do not remember the accomplishment we made or the wealth we accumulated rather the time when we lived for others. The fact that these days, we human being are in a hurry by doing things that are expected from us and forget about our true-life purpose will put us in a questioning situation as Ivan was. I finally came to the conclusion in which “Confronting the reality of death force us to reflect on the meaning of life.”

Through his suffering and death, the main character of the book (Ivan Ilyich) portrays a difficulty in understanding the meaning of life and death but once the end is close, accepting and confronting death is the only option.

Thank You!!