Tolstoy has a story dedicated to the history of a man who, on the threshold of death, felt the meaninglessness of his life. It is impossible to understand how the great Russian writer portrayed the torment of a dying soul by reading a brief summary. “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” (which is exactly what this story is called) is a deep work that leads to gloomy thoughts. It should be read slowly, analyzing each fragment of the text.
However, for those who do not want to delve into joyless philosophical thoughts, a succinct presentation of the story is also suitable. This article is a summary of it.
The death of Ivan Ilyich - the protagonist of the work - an event that formed the basis of the plot. But the story begins from the moment when the soul of the aforementioned character has already left the mortal body.
The first chapter (summary)
The death of Ivan Ilyich was an event not only mundane, but far from paramount in importance. In the courthouse, during the break, Pyotr Ivanovich, a colleague of the deceased, found out about the sad news from the newspaper. Having told the other members of the court session about the death of Ivan Ilyich, he first of all thought about how this event would turn out for him and for his relatives. Another official will take the place of the deceased. Therefore, there will be another vacant position. Pyotr Ivanovich will attach her brother-in-law to her.
It is worth mentioning one feature of the work of Tolstoy, without which it is not easy to present a brief summary. The death of Ivan Ilyich, as well as the last days of his life, are described in the story from the position of the protagonist. And he always suffers not only from physical pain, but also from the thought that everyone around is waiting for his death. In this terrible conviction, Ivan Ilyich is partially right. After all, each of his colleagues after the tragic news comes to thoughts about the upcoming transfer of posts. And also a feeling of relief arising from the fact that an unpleasant phenomenon called "death" occurred somewhere nearby, but not with him. In addition, everyone thought about the boring duties of decency, according to which you should go to the funeral service and express condolences.
As you know, the expert on human souls was Leo Tolstoy. The Death of Ivan Ilyich, a summary of which is set forth in this article, is a soulful work. The author outlined in a small essay the fate of the hero, all his joys and torments. And most importantly - a rethinking of spiritual values that occurred in the last days of life.
Ordinary and terrible story
It is impossible for the reader to understand the depth of strangled emotions of Ivan Ilyich without knowing the basic data from his biography. Therefore, the second chapter deals with the life of the protagonist. And only then, in all colors, Tolstoy describes the death of Ivan Ilyich. The summary of the story is just the story of the life and death of a hero. But perhaps she will inspire reading the original.
Ivan Ilyich was the son of a privy councilor. His father was one of those happy people who managed to reach the highest ranks, receive fictitious places and non-fictitious monetary rewards. There were three sons in the family of the privy councilor. Senior is correct and lucky. The youngest studied poorly, his career failed, and it was not accepted to remember him in a family circle. The middle son was Ivan Ilyich. He studied well. And already in his student days he became what he later appeared almost until his death: a man striving to be closer to senior officials. He succeeded.
This is the portrait of the character who created Tolstoy. The death of Ivan Ilyich is, in a sense, not only the physical termination of his existence. It is also a spiritual rebirth. A few days before his death, Ivan Ilyich begins to understand that his life was somehow wrong. However, others do not know about it. Yes, and nothing can be changed.
Marriage
In his youth, Ivan Ilyich had a light and pleasant position in society. There were connections with the modists, and drinking with the adjutant wings, and long amusement trips. Ivan Ilyich served diligently. All this was surrounded by decency, aristocratic manners and French words. And after two years of service, he met a special who was ideally suited for the role of wife. Praskovya Fedorovna was a smart and attractive girl. But above all - a good noble family. Ivan Ilyich had a good salary. Praskovya Fedorovna is a good dowry. Marriage with such a girl seemed not only pleasant, but also profitable. And therefore, Ivan Ilyich got married.
Family life
Marriage promised him only joy. In fact, it turned out differently. Difficulties in family life is one of the topics that Leo Tolstoy raised in his work. The Death of Ivan Ilyich, the plot of which at first glance may seem very simple, is a complex philosophical work. The hero of this story sought to make his existence easy and trouble-free. But even in family life, he had to give up.
Praskovya Fedorovna arranged a scene of jealousy for her husband, she was constantly dissatisfied with something. Ivan Ilyich increasingly went into a separate world arranged by him. This world was a service. In the judicial field, he wasted all his strength, for which he was soon promoted. However, for the next seventeen years, the bosses did not honor him. He did not receive the desired place with a salary of five thousand, since, according to his own understanding, he was not appreciated in the ministry where he worked.
New position
Once there was an event that influenced the fate of Ivan Ilyich. A coup occurred in the ministry, as a result of which he received a new appointment. The family moved to St. Petersburg. In the capital, Ivan Ilyich bought a house. For several years in the family, the main theme was the purchase of a particular interior detail. Life began to sparkle with new bright colors. Quarrels with Praskovya Fedorovna, although they did happen from time to time, did not depress Ivan Ilyich as much as before. After all, he now had a good position and a significant position in society.
Everything would be fine if it were not for the death of Ivan Ilyich. The last months of his life can be summarized as follows: he suffered and hated everyone who did not know his pain.
Ailment
An illness came into his life unexpectedly. However, one can hardly treat the news of a terrible ailment in cold blood. But the case of Ivan Ilyich was especially tragic. None of the doctors could tell with accuracy what exactly he was suffering from. It was a vagus kidney or an inflammation of the intestines, or a completely unknown disease. And most importantly, neither the doctors, nor the relatives of Ivan Ilyich wanted to understand that for him the diagnosis was not so important as the simple, albeit terrible truth. Will he live? Is the ailment that causes him so much pain is fatal?
Gerasim
It is worth saying that the physical sufferings of Ivan Ilyich were incomparable with his mental torment. The thought that he was leaving caused him unbearable pain. The healthy skin color of Praskovya Fedorovna, her calm and hypocritical tone caused only anger. He did not need the care of his wife and the constant examinations of the doctor. Ivan Ilyich needed compassion. The only person who was capable of this was the servant Gerasim.
This young man addressed the dying gentleman with simple kindness. The main thing that tormented Ivan Ilyich was a lie. Praskovya Fedorovna pretended that the spouse was only ill, that he needed to be treated and stay calm. But Ivan Ilyich understood that he was dying, and in difficult moments he wanted to be pitied. Gerasim did not lie, he sincerely sympathized with the exhausted and weak master. And he increasingly called this simple peasant and talked with him for a long time.
The death of Ivan Ilyich
Reading the summary, as already mentioned, is not enough to feel the depth of the story of the great Russian writer. Tolstoy described the last minutes in a person’s life so vividly that it seems that he and his hero experienced the sensations of a soul leaving a body. In the last minutes, Ivan Ilyich began to realize that he was tormenting his relatives. He wanted to say something, but he only had the strength to say the word “sorry”. He did not fear the death that had become habitual in recent months. Only a feeling of relief. The last thing that Ivan Ilyich heard was the word "Concluded", uttered by someone nearby.