Ivan Ilych Vs. The Metamorphosis

The Death of Ivan Ilych vs. The Metamorphosis The Death of Ivan Ilych and The Metamorphosis are strangely similar, but yet they are very different. There are several things that make these two works very similar being, the theme, characters, and the overall tone of the works. One similarity that I thought was important was the transformation of the characters. The differentiating factors are more subtle. The Death of Ivan Ilych begins at Ivan’s funeral. There his friends and family are gathered to say their last goodbyes. Upon doing so one of Ivan’s colleagues notices a smirk on Ivan’s face and is perplexed by it. He is wondering why he has that look on his face and what does Ivan know that he doesn’t? He then begins talking with

He notices that they are beginning to wear down from his transformation and financial situation. They take on some boarders to make up what they are missing from Gregor inability to work. Soon after there is an incident with the boarders that causes them to leave. Gregor’s family is treating him like he is a burden now, even saying so and not understanding that he can still hear them. He feels so bad at this point that he decides to rid his family of his presence. He dies alone in his room. Relief floods his family when they realize that he is no longer their burden to take care of. To celebrate, or so to speak, they take a ride out to the country side to discuss their new life without Gregor. After months of living inexpensively they were able to save up a great deal of money and move into a better

The main similarity being the physical transformation of the characters. Ivan hit his side one day and in turn became weak and frail, Gregor woke up one morning to find that he had transformed into a giant bug. Both characters had undergone a very traumatic life experience with the change of their bodies. Another similarity that could also be seen as a difference is the families of the main characters. Ivan thought of his family as sort of a burden, whereas Gregor worked so his family could have a better life. In the end both characters had lost everything and all of the people in their lives due to unfortunate circumstances. Another good comparison in the two stories is the fact that each man had someone taking care of them, the difference being that Gerasim was there for Ivan until the very end unlike Grete. At the end of their lives both men realize that there were many other things that were more important than working and missing out on the finer things. In both the stories each family was worried about where they stood financially once Ivan and Gregor died. The only two people who had life figured out ended up dying with regrets of a live not lived. In conclusion, The Death of Ivan Ilych and The Metamorphosis are very strangely similar. The main things making these stories so alike are the characters, the theme of isolation, financial worries, family issues, and not living a full