Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)
Born in 1828. Mom died giving birth to 5th child when Tolstoy was 2. Father died in 1837. Was a
wealthy orphan raised by mostly women. 1851 joined his brother on active duty with Russian Army.
1875-1878 T experienced increasing depression and psychological crisis. Main cause was his inability to
find an acceptable meaning in human life. Peasants possessed a definite conception of the meaning of a
life – which T believed came from “irrational knowledge” from faith in a creator God. T spent 4 years
developing his religious philosophy 1878-1882.
Wrote The Death of Ivan Ilyich in 1886. Brotherly love, mutual support, and Christian charity… Can be
seen as a reflection and elaboration of T’s post-conversion philosophical concerns.
Questions/Topics
 Function/symbol of Ivan Ilych’s face – “reproach and a warning to the living.”
 How he discusses family. His younger brother a failure b/c works in railway.
 Metrics for evaluating the quality of life
 Importance of work
 Separation of duties/work and private life
 Role of social influence and public opinion on Ivan Ilych’s life
 Role of vices in pursuit of pleasure – for Ivan: gambling, sex, alcohol, etc.
 Motivation to marry. “Really, why shouldn’t I marry?”
 Function of a partnership, the ability to make sacrifices for each other…gratification that comes
from helping others.
 Inescapable nature of family
 AMBITION and its role in life
 Who is the narrator? How does their POV relate to that of Ivan Ilych?
 Role of power and influence. Nature of power and influence/how it is used…vs how it is
conceptualized?
 Narcicism and emotional detachment
 Ivan Ilych’s metrics for life valuation were “pleasantness and properness.” – also decorousness
 The way Ivan thinks about social expectations (i.e. house decorations p.508)
 Role of recognition, praise, and appreciation in happiness. For Ivan is reception…reverse?
 Creation/progress/work as mechanism to achieve happiness or a more “full” life.
 Ivan’s way of thinking about work – won’t help ppl unless official document, then only to
“maintain the semblances of friendly human relations, that is, would observe the courtesies of
life.”
 How do we think about pleasures? And what role do pleasures play in life or life valuation?
Pleasures of ambition, of vanity, the pursuit of pleasures
 Narcissism and depression – perception of the outside word…
 Conceptualization of death – role of knowledge in death, role of relationships in death, role of
community, expectations, etc. Death as relief (later), etc.
 Ivan lived by his duties…what do we live by? A code? Morals, ethics, etc.
 Contemplation of legacy
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Anger as a blanket emotion – social stigmas towards men? Or technique to avoid vulnerability?
Gerasim –simplicity, honesty, vitality, attitude, authenticity,
Pity vs recognition, praise, appreciation, shame, guilt, social influence, public opinion, and
individual perception of all of those things
 Role of religion and spirituality in life/death. Consequential role of forgiveness (either
giving/asking)
 Ultimate question: “What do you want?”
 JOY – Ivan found in childhood…less throughout life.
 Purpose to life. Justification/legitimization of individual/own life.
Sparknotes Topics
 The right life
 Inevitability of Death
 Inner Life vs. Outer Life
 Alienation
 The pleasant, proper, and decorous.
Ivan’s strategy for success.
Gerasim – what does this character represent for Tolstoy? What does the author want to teach us?
Ivan’s strategy for success is wrong in several ways, the first and foremost of which is his
conceptualization of success. Ivan thinks of success as social status, derived from his job title. I like to
think of success as a much broader term – something you can apply to all of the roles one serves in life –
to be a successful father, sibling, spouse, friend, employee/employer, teacher, mentor, citizen,
bystander, leader, follower… As far as his strategy for success is concerned, many of Ivan’s problems
stem from his perception of society and social interactions, the metrics he uses to assess Quality of Life,
and how he thinks about family and work.
In regards to society and social interactions: Ivan thinks there needs to be a separation of duties
and work from his private life. He is proud of his ability to mentally separate the two, and because he
has the ability to compartmentalize in this way, he sets himself up for failure in pursuit of the most
authentic and valuable life – because he is leading two lives instead of one. Throughout the novel, social
influence and public opinion, or rather, Ivan’s perception of those constructs, play an important role in
the way Ivan leads his life, influencing the choices he makes and importing a sense of importance to
social status derived from his work.
In regards to Quality of Life metrics: Ivan evaluates his quality of life based on “pleasantness
and properness.” It isn’t about happiness, relationships, or any other significant emotional metric, but
rather about fitting into society. Towards the end of the book, he begins to think about life in a better
way, focusing on joy and how he found joy throughout his life. It was primarily in childhood, when
ambition, vocation, and social constructs played less of a role. He also contemplates legacy and the role
of religion in life and death.
In regards to family and work: this is perhaps the most disturbing aspect of Ivan Ilych, as it
exemplifies his severe emotional detachment or reversal of priorities. Throughout the novel, there are
examples of irrational legitimization for decisions regarding family. For example, instead of falling in
love, and aspiring to find the best love he can, he asks himself “really, why shouldn’t I marry.” Later in
the book, it becomes apparent that Ivan doesn’t like to make sacrifices for others, including his wife,
preventing himself from receive the gratification that comes from serving and helping others. Later in
the book, he mentions the death of a son almost as if it were a typical event such as eating breakfast,
and the worst time of his life was related to employment, as was when he achieved “complete
happiness” after finding a new job.
Gerasim represents a happy man with a good life. He is an example of simplicity, honesty,
vitality, good attitude, and authenticity. Ivan had become upset with the falsity of life – a self-fulfilling
prophecy to a certain extent, and Gerasim appeared to be the only person who could begin to
understand Ivan’s struggle. Although Gerasim is portrayed as an individual from a lower social class,
Ivan finds that spending time with him is much more fulfilling, gratifying, and pain-free than by himself.
I think in this respect Tolstoy is trying to illustrate the importance of companionship and the qualities
that Gerasim exemplifies (honesty, attitude, authenticity, simplicity).