Tolstoy's Life In Ivan Ilyich '

oes the interruption of life enhance or detract from our appreciation and enjoyment of it?

Response: Our appreciation of Ivan Ilych's life was enhanced by the interruption of his life because it allowed the reader to delve deeper into the moral crises plaguing Ivan. The interruption of his life became manifest to the readers when he injured himself and was not recovering normally. We see Ivan go through a lot of suffering and then he finally begins to communicate with himself on a personal level. At one point Ivan is having a conversation with his soul and says “Maybe I did not live as I ought to have done, it suddenly occurred to him. 'But how could that be, when I did everything properly?' he replied”(Tolstoy). This interaction further demonstrates

At this point Ivan is bedridden and he is well aware that the death will occur soon. Tolstoy tells us that “Their daughter came in in full evening dress, her fresh young flesh exposed (making a show of that very flesh which in his own case caused so much suffering), strong, healthy, evidently in love, and impatient with illness, suffering, and death, because they interfered with her happiness.”(Tolstoy). Although the quote used is spoken solely by Ivan’s daughter, I believe that it can also explain, in part, the reaction of the mother and fiance. The daughter does not care about her father at all. She wishes that his life would end as soon as possible because his consistent state of suffering is detrimental to her happiness. She and her fiance are anxious and ready to go and see a play in the theater and they’d rather go there than stay with him and attempt to mend their bond before his inevitable death. Even his wife wants to leave with them to the play but, to make it look less suspicious, she stops by to check on Ivan before she leaves. She too couldn’t care less what happens to him or how he feels. Ivan knows this and Tolstoy informs us that “She sat down and asked how he was, but, as he saw, only for the sake of asking and not in order to learn about it, knowing that there was nothing to learn”(Tolstoy). Although his wife, his daughter, and her fiance are heartless human beings, the readers sees that his son Vasya and Gerasim take pity on him and try to make the most of the time that they have with him before it is too late. Ivan had a rough relationship with his son and never truly accepted who his son was. Ivan thought that his son was pathetic and weak when in fact he was just compassionate and merciful. His son walked in with his sister and mother but instead of being in