Leo Tolstoy's The Death Of Ivan Ilych

In 1828, Leo Tolstoy was born in Tula Province, Russia. Being the youngest of four boys, the age of two, he lost his mother and shortly after- his father too. Although he was born into a wealthy family, he was considered an orphan but was greatly taken care of by his aunts. Once he matured, Tolstoy decided he wanted to go to law school. Unfortunately, he did not excel in his academics and spent most his time with tutors. He was forced to transfer to an easier law program due to his prone to partying. In 1847, he dropped out of the University of Kazan with no degree and returned home where he became a farmer. Tolstoy was visited by his older brother, who convinced him to join the army and essentially sparked the beginning of his fiction. Leo Tolstoy was fascinated by art and literature, so

He believed he, “experienced a period of increasing depression and psychological crisis that altered both his philosophy and his art,” (Sparknotes). Tolstoy wanted to pursue every aspect of life and discover its true meaning, which led to him writing a collection of books and short stories that portrayed his distinct religious beliefs and renewing his faith after his crisis. Leo Tolstoy published his first major fictional work in 1886, The Death of Ivan Ilych. After losing both parents at a young age and convinced he lacked of value over the years, he creates a fictional story that effectively holds moral principles that were significant to him as he overcame his own trials- love, support, and Christian values. The Death of Ivan Ilych starts in reversal chronological order that ultimately displays how the death of a man can be appropriately accepted if he himself learns to do so. Ivan Ilych is presented as a corpse at the beginning, where his observed by his very close friend Peter Ivanovich. Peter is confronted by Ivan’s wife who selfishly asks how she could maximize her dead husband’s pension. As Peter is confused as to why Ivan’s wife is more