ipl-logo

Comparing Death Of Ivan Ilyich And Letter To Major Von Wiseman

1607 Words7 Pages

Exploring Existential Realities Leo Tolstoy’s “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” and “Letter to Major von Wiseman” both give examples of themes like morality, societal facades, and the search for genuine existence. This essay will compare their exploration of these themes, offering an inside look into human experience. Tolstoy's novella follows Ivan Ilyich who is faced with death, and he realizes that the way society works is awful. On the other hand, the letter talks about how horrible war is and how it damages people emotionally and makes them question what is right and wrong. Even though both of these works talk about different things and are from different times. They both make readers think deeply about what it means to be human. Both texts offer …show more content…

He realizes he's been living the way society expects him to. Following sets of rules that don't really make him happy. Ivan realized this makes him feel unbelievably bad. It then starts to make him unsure about what's really important in life. Ivan says “What if my whole life has been wrong?”...... Ivan is reflecting on the superficiality of his existence and the possibility that he has been living a life devoid of true meaning. In similarity, the letter describes the horrors of war and how it has an emotional impact on humans. Soldiers feel scared and lost, they seem to question the meaning of their actions and the morality of the conflict. “We’re fighting for our country, but what are we really fighting for? Is it worth the lives that are being lost”? This quote reflects the soldiers internal struggle and existential questioning in the face of the horrible realities of war. Both works show the struggle of individuals facing difficult situations and circumstances, prompting them to reassess their priorities and values. Through Ivan's introspections and the soldiers' emotional turmoil, readers see the universal human struggle to find meaning and authenticity amidst facing life's challenges. Both the quotes that were used capture the essence of the themes discussed in this

Show More
Related

All Quiet On The Western Front By Erich Maria Remarque

1192 Words | 5 Pages

The author of this anti-war novel set out to portray war as a meaningless and brutal way of life that ruined the life of many of the soldiers. Paul observes the gory and butchered bodies scattered everywhere around the battlefield and “cannot realize that above such shattered bodies there are still human faces in which life goes its daily round” (Remarque 263). The war has completely altered Baumer’s conception of military conflict with its disastrous extent of violence and slaughter. His description of the dead men who even Paul is left an utterly broken and destroyed man after the war. Furthermore, the horror of war and the animalistic nature it brings out in people is thoroughly addressed in Baumer’s description of the impoverished Russian soldiers, who like them were forced to “unknowingly, foolishly, obediently, innocently slay one another” (Remarque 263).

Read More

What Examples Show That Ivan Ilyich Didnt Live His Life To The Fullest

549 Words | 3 Pages

What examples show that Ivan ilyich didn’t live his life to the fullest ? how do his choices from his past reflect on him now ? what do you think ivan ilyich regrets now?I think that ivan ilyich thought that the importance of life was to look good in society and make good money, he married someone who had good enharrintance ,but he wasn’t in love with her and he got a job that he didn’t enjoy but paid well money . His past choices reflect on him now that he is dying because he realizes that he could’ve been happier and he wasted his life because he was to worried about others opinions.

Read More

All Quiet On The Western Front Dialectical Journal Answers

1891 Words | 8 Pages

This passage shows how the soldiers are emotionally and mentally drained by the horrors of war, and how they feel disconnected from the world they once knew. The

Read More

Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner Analysis

844 Words | 4 Pages

This description paints the scenes of the poem as they happen, the powerful connotations of the words battling against each other, and to the grievance of the reader, the negative feelings prevail. This battle illuminates the brutality and fear experienced by soldiers, in WWII, during their final moments on Earth - their fear, sadness, and horrified disgust all hidden between the lines of these two sentences. Foreshadowed by the soldier's machine like tone, the speaker alludes to the fact that he will fight for his life, and

Read More

Tolstoy Death Of Ivan Ilych Analysis

695 Words | 3 Pages

Sansom writes, “He faces his mortality and realizes the failure of constructing a life on preferences and abstract relationships” (421). Shallow relationships and a focus on outward appearance lead to a neglect of Ivan’s actual purpose. In this time of Ivan grappling with death, Tolstoy proposes the idea that before we die “the choice is not how to act in ways so that we can control our death and question the meaning of life, but whether there is a reality to which we can find real value as individuals that is not nullified by the existential syllogism” (Sansom 424). The control that he sought as a way to defend himself against chaos does not lead him to peace; instead, it disappoints him and helps move Ivan to a place of deeper understanding. At the very end during an interaction with his son, Ivan finally “empties himself of meaningless false images of human purpose, [and] he then sees how to respond honestly with integrity to his destiny” (Sansom 427).

Read More

One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich Essay

625 Words | 3 Pages

Most people in Ivan’s situation would be prone to slack off their forced labor. Ivan, however, gets up early every day so he can be alert and ready for whatever the day holds. At the workplace, Ivan’s work ethic takes center stage. He efficiently puts his skills to whatever task he is assigned, and takes pride in doing a good job. His work ethic is noticed by his comrades, and he is viewed as a leader in the workplace.

Read More

The One And Only Ivan Analysis

731 Words | 3 Pages

In the climax of The One and Only Ivan, Ivan hatches a plan to save the friend he loves and give her a better life. Ivan uses his art as an agent of change, and hope. Next, during the falling action of the story, Ivan and Ruby are both filled with hope for their lives as the public reacts to Ivan’s artwork. Finally, the resolution of The One and Only Ivan, Ruby and Ivan through their friendship and hope get a better life at the zoo. Although, Ivan and Ruby get separated when they move to the zoo Ivan knows hope and love will always connect his and Ruby's

Read More

Analysis Of The One And Only Ivan By Katherine Applegate

202 Words | 1 Pages

In the beginning, Ivan liked his life and his domain. He made 2 friends. Their names were Bob and Stella. At first, he wanted to go to the circus but Stella didn't want him to. He stayed back.

Read More

Essay Comparing Handmaid's Tale And Never Let Me Go

1037 Words | 5 Pages

Both novels rewrite what it means to be human in the

Read More

A Tale Of Two Cities: The Death Of Ivan Ilyich

185 Words | 1 Pages

The Death of Ivan Ilyich: It showed me how important it is not to lose your path, why you should always remember who you are and where you come from.

Read More

Enlightenment In Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

484 Words | 2 Pages

Both pieces of literature have messages of enlightenment, but each piece focuses on a specific

Read More

One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich Summary

1490 Words | 6 Pages

One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich showed the readers the harsh situation the world war 2 have brought into the prison system that tortured the inmates mentally and physically without mercy. When that matter is discussed, accompanied with the crisis of communism in this case, the image of death came to mind when someone was put to sentence. This novel informed the reader about how it’s like to be imprisoned in the Gulag (Russian prison). The prisoners in Gulag would do physical work without proper treatment such as they would still work during extreme weather condition for more than 14 hours a day.

Read More

What Is The Value Of Life In The Death Of Ivan Ilyich

447 Words | 2 Pages

He learned that his life was full of hypocrisy, but for his bad fortune, he learned it so late to remediate it. Ivan wanted people’s pity to die as he believed it supposed to be, but sometimes people do not consider to others’ suffering.

Read More

Theme Of Detail In The Death Of Ivan Ilyich

712 Words | 3 Pages

Tolstoy portrays to us that Ivan’s life is soon coming to an end by providing us (readers) with many recollections and details from his childhood. Tolstoy also demonstrates how Ivan will die without truly living because he never thought about how death would turn the corner and take him and never lived his own, unique life. Throughout his adulthood, Ivan made choices and completed actions, not for his own sake, but because that is what society accepted, and he wanted to be accepted by society. The details in Ivan’s life are present, but he doesn’t notice those details and goes right along with his work and card games; never showing any emotion towards practically anything in his life.

Read More

Things They Carried: Compare And Contrast Essay

1582 Words | 7 Pages

While both works encompass the theme of religion to a certain

Read More

More about Comparing Death Of Ivan Ilyich And Letter To Major Von Wiseman

Open Document