oh..Ivan Ilych

THE DEATH OF IVAN ILYCH

1.      THE CRUELTY OF MAN

q  she again began talking and brought out what was evidently her chief concern with him — namely, to question him as to how she could obtain a grant of money from the government on the occasion of her husband's death.

q  She began to wish he would die; yet she did not want him to die because then his salary would cease

A faithful and well-behaved wife should weep on her husband’s death. That is in the opposite of Praskovya Fedorovna’s act. While the funeral ceremony of his husband begins, she starts to ask about how to get a grant of money after his husband’s death. The materialism thought is the concern of Praskovya. Ivan, the faithful man, should be treated like that. He has been working hard for her and family. He has sacrificed the entire of his life for the family. He tries to fulfill whatever she needs. Because of Ivan’s hard working, Praskovya lives as a high class society. But why he is treated as if Ivan is a rude, and unfaithful husband. The unreasonable reason must be pointed to his unfaithful wife, Praskovya. Materialism and unfaithfulness cannot be avoided from Praskovya. The mistress here can be one of the influences why Ivan finally faces the death. He is forced to do what he cannot do actually. The suppression and oppression is what Ivan feels. The psychological forces also attacks Ivan. So, it is not really fair while the faithfulness must be paid by unfaithfulness.

q  So on receiving the news of Ivan Ilych's death the first thought of each of the gentlemen in that private room was of the changes and promotions it might occasion among themselves or their acquaintances.

It is ironic while we are happy for our acquaintances death. Happiness may be comes up while the person who is died is the man we hate. Happiness may be comes up while the died person is our competitor. And the same case happens in Ivan Ilych’s life. Because of his succession in his carrier, there are a lot of opponents who hate him. That is why while Ivan is died, it seems that the spring comes. Ivan’s acquaintances show their exaltation on Ivan’s death. It means that they can get and take what Ivan has. So, death is not only about misery or sadness but it is able to come up “happiness on death”.

q  Praskovya Fedorovna — was not always conducive to the pleasures and amenities of life, but on the contrary often infringed both comfort and propriety, and that he must therefore entrench himself against such infringement.

q  As his wife grew more irritable and exacting and Ivan Ilych transferred the center of gravity of his life more and more to his official work, so did he grow to like his work better and became more ambitious than before.

This quotation is another episode of psychological forces. Praskovya seems to become crueler and crueler. Whatever she wants must be fulfilled soon if not she may become mad. The behavior of this cruel wife cannot be tolerated at all. But, the faithfulness of Ivan cannot be broken; he keeps following and obeying to what Praskovya orders. The changes of Praskovya characterization also affect how Ivan is characterized too. According to this quotation, Ivan also becomes ambitious in his work. The influence of a woman to a man does affect in many aspects. The self-control and assertive is needed here in order to avoid women attacks such Praskovya’s attacks.

2.      THE CRUELTY OF GOD

q  ….and that this poison did not weaken but penetrated more and more deeply into his whole being.

q  how his illness had progressed and grown worse. There also the further back he looked the more life there had been. There had been more of what was good in life and more of life itself. The two merged together. "Just as the pain went on getting worse and worse, so my life grew worse and worse," he thought.

q  Always the same. Now a spark of hope flashes up, then a sea of despair rages, and always pain; always pain, always despair, and always the same. When alone he had a dreadful and distressing desire to call someone, but he knew beforehand that with others present it would be still worse.

q  From that moment the screaming began that continued for three days, and was so terrible that one could not hear it through two closed doors without horror. At the moment he answered his wife realized that he was lost, that there was no return, that the end had come, the very end, and his doubts were still unsolved and remained doubts.

Now these quoted lines show Ivan’s gloominess, desolation, and desperation. Because of the death disease, he feels as if he is a useless man. His miserably life now poisons others. It is the unbelievable part in this Leo Tolstoy work, he screams for three days because of the suffered pain. That is the moment when someone cannot bear and feel how his pain is. I as the reader question about this part whether it is concluded as an exaggeration or not. Screaming for three days is really painful and horrible. The ignorance of God applies in this situation. While others also ignore how Ivan feels, God also does not take care about his painful disease. He is just let out by screaming for three days. The poor Ivan Ilych just feels alone how his disease strikes him.

q  Suddenly some force struck him in the chest and side, making it still harder to breathe, and he fell through the hole and there at the bottom was a light.

The next painful series continue to figure out how Ivan fights his painful life. In the above quotation, it is shown the continuity pain starts to crawl into this body. The confusion of reader may come up why a good characterization such Ivan Ilych must face this cursed situation. It seems not to be appropriate for him. It is not fair for the goodness he has made. God seems to test him but why he should give the hardest examination which cannot be solved by his priest. God is cruel for him. For the sake of cruelty, Ivan must be the “victim”.

3.      THE ABSENCE  OF GOD

q  …and Ivan Ilych was left alone with the consciousness that his life was poisoned and was poisoning the lives of others,…

Through these lines, we can see that there is no “God” which helps Ivan Ilych. He looks like a left creature. The left creature, Ivan’s companion is his own loneliness. No others who can understand how he is suffered by the death disease. He feels more painful and more. Even, people around him are also “poisoned” by his suffering. The “chaos and uncontrolled” pain spreads sporadically. Spreading and ruining along Ivan’s life and family is the purpose this death disease. God has been ignoring him. God just lets him out, no matter his pain suffers him. No helps and pities are always conditioned to Ivan Ilych.

q  "For Christ's sake let me die in peace!" he said.

May be it is the pitied groan of Ivan. For he has been treated as if he is a cursed creature, he just wants to die in a peace. He wants to die means he wants to get rid of his painful pain. He cannot stand anymore to the conditioned condition which has been set only for him, not Praskovya or his acquaintances. Begging for the kindness of God is the way of Ivan in order to let him pass away in peace. It is ironic while a good character should give up because of the desperation and cruelty. The characterization of Ivan Ilych seems to be a simile for the women nowadays. The mistress is “the trends” of women. But, manhood must fight and win women forces.