Story Review: "The Death of Ivan Ilych," one of Tolstoy's later works (written after his great novels), is a simple story still relevant today. The author begins by painting the portrait of Ivan Ilych, a proper, successful government bureaucrat -- seemingly he has everything. These pages seem pointless at first, awaiting the final third of the story to reveal their meaning. Ilych's life is proper, but empty. He does everything correctly, studies hard, gets married, earns a prestigious job, rises to the top of his profession. He lives for "what was considered good by persons of higher position." But his life is unnatural, futile, his bureaucratic work has no purpose, is divorced from meaning. He always did what was expected of him by others, but never made his own choices. Ilych's only enjoyment was playing cards (the 19th Century version of video games), which he relished above all else, including time spent with his family. Later, the memory of these pleasures give him no relief -- only the help of a humble peasant will ease his pain (do I hear cymbals?). Yes, as is cleverly foreshadowed in the story's title, Ivan Ilych becomes mortally ill, suffers horribly, and in his existential crisis begins to search his life for meaning. Tolstoy gives his answer to this crisis, and while it may be the only reasonable interpretation of the story, it's not the only possible interpretation, and not the only meaning the reader can take away. Tolstoy is a writer, he knows the value of the vague and ambiguous. "The Death of Ivan Ilych" is somewhat dated in our post-existential age, but still a worthwhile meditation on life, dying, and death. [4★]
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