Where is the Love?

Everyone’s idea of an ideal life is different. Some strive for excellence in their professions, others desire wealth and fame, while some simply search for love. In Leo Tolstoy’s “The Death of Ivan Ilych,” the protagonist, Ivan Ilych, spends the majority of his life trying to achieve perfection. During this quest for complete bliss, he loses sight of his desires and begins living his life in accordance to the norm. He ultimately faces his demise when he is unable to find understanding in anyone around him. Ivan Ilych’s painful, yet slow, death is caused by the lack of compassion he receives from his friends and family.

For Ivan Ilych, second best is never sufficient. Whether it is playing a game of bridge with his “so-called friends” (18), or providing the best for his family, Ivan Ilych never seems to have enough. The reader first sees this dissatisfaction in Ivan Ilych’s marriage. Although he is not in love with Praskovya Fedorovna, the marriage is seemingly perfect. He has many reasons for marrying her: “Praskovya Fedorovna came of a good family, was not bad-looking, and had some little property” (70). Despite these redeeming qualities, Ivan Ilych cannot help but think that he, “might have aspired for a more brilliant match” (70). Once those seeds of doubt have been planted in his mind, the marriage becomes doomed for failure. When his marriage begins to fail him, his life slowly falls apart.

Ivan Ilych tries to replace the lack of affection in his home life by gaining more recognition in the work force. When things become tough at home, Ivan Ilych distances himself even further. “His aim was to free himself more and more from those unpleasantness and to give them a semblance of harmlessness and propriety. He attained this by spending less and less time with his family, and when obliged to be at home he tried to safeguard his position by the presence of outsiders” (82). He even begins to believe that he can live without love, and he ultimately learns his mistake the hard way. When his professional life begins to suffer as well, he has reached a point where there is no one to stand by him, “Even his father did not consider it his duty to help him. Ivan Ilych felt abandoned. . .” (85).

Only once Ivan Ilych is ill does he realize how much he truly needs affection. As the relationship with his wife deteriorates, so does his health. Although he is in pain, the true hurt he is feeling is caused by his loneliness. His depressed state of mind only worsens his suffering, “And none of them know or wish to know it, and they have no pity for me” (155). The only person who is able to alleviate his pain is Gerasim. By simply showing Ivan Ilych that he cares, Gerasim is able to make him feel a little less alone.

Ivan Ilych’s death is symbolic. He does not die from the “floating kidney” (116), he dies from the lack of attention he receives when he most needs it. Tolstoy strategically focuses on his mental state as opposed to his physical pain, thus showing the reader the importance of meaningful relationships. Ivan Ilych ultimately welcomes death in his last few moments of life that are devoid of compassion (554).