Who's who?
This character wants to avoid being at the funeral and is more concerned with playing cards than being their for the family.
Schwartz
Throughout Chapter 1, Tolstoy describes characters performing behaviors like crossing themselves, sighing, shaking hands, and expressing sympathy. What is the most likely purpose of showing these behaviors?
Should address the idea of how they "act" and "perform" vs. how they really feel.
In chapter 8, Tolstoy writes, “A drop of hope glimmers, then a sea of despair begins to rage, and always the pain, always the pain, always the anguish, always one and the same thing.” How do these choices communicate Ivan Ilyich's emotional and physical experience?
The metaphor of a “drop of hope” compared with a “sea of despair” emphasizes how small Ivan's hope is compared with the overwhelming despair surrounding him. The repetition of “always” and “the pain” creates a sense of an endless cycle. The sentence itself seems to repeat and continue just as Ivan's suffering does. Tolstoy's language therefore makes the reader experience the monotony and hopelessness of Ivan's condition.
Tolstoy writes, “He felt sorry for him” about his son and then “He felt sorry for her” about his wife. What is the effect of this repetition?
It emphasizes Ivan’s transformation from self-centered suffering toward compassion for others.
What does playing cards (playing Vint) symbolize in the novella?
Tolstoy uses vint to symbolize the artificial, superficial social world that Ivan has built his life around. Ivan and the other characters play vint because it is part of their social routine. Their relationships are based largely on entertainment, status, and social convention, rather than genuine emotional connection.
This character is the one who symbolizes real care and concern. He is from the "peasant" class and helps Ivan in his time of need.
Garasim
What do Ivan's wife's actions at the funeral reveal about her character?
They show she is more concerned for herself and her preservation than her husband. She does not seem to mourn him as much as she mourns the life she seems to have lost now that they do not have the same social and financial status.
Tolstoy compares the doctor's expression to “a man who puts on a tailcoat in the morning and goes around visiting” (40). What is the effect of this comparison?
The comparison makes the doctor's behavior seem artificial and rehearsed. Just as a person automatically puts on a particular outfit each morning, the doctor automatically puts on a professional expression of confidence and reassurance.
Ivan imagines his life as “a stone plunging down with increasing speed.” What does this metaphor communicate about Ivan’s perception of his life?
The stone represents Ivan’s life. Gravity pulls it down just as mortality pulls Ivan toward his inevitable end.
What do youth and childhood symbolize in The Death of Ivan Ilyich?
Childhood represents a period when one is more capable of experiencing genuine happiness and connection, while adulthood becomes increasingly dominated by social expectations and superficial pleasures.(Be sure to provide specific examples and think about specific characters).
This character is the only one in Ivan's family who seems to have real care and concern for him as evidences by his dark, sorrowful eyes.
Vasya, Ivan's son.
Which detail about Ivan's behavior while preparing the apartment best supports the idea that the apartment is more than simply a place to live?
Answers should not how he takes care of every detail and wants it to look perfect. It's not about it being comfortable for the family but about the appearance.
Tolstoy describes Vasya as having “terrible blue circles under his eyes, the meaning of which Ivan Ilyich knew.” Why does Tolstoy avoid directly explaining the meaning of Vasya's appearance? What does this detail reveal about Vasya's relationship with his father?
Tolstoy allows the physical detail to communicate Vasya's emotional suffering without directly explaining it. The circles under Vasya's eyes suggest that he is distressed and may not be sleeping because of his father's condition.
In chapter 11, Tolstoy writes that Ivan “was given a large dose of opium and became oblivious.” What is the significance of the opium in the passage?
The drug induces temporary unconsciousness, but it cannot cure his deeper existential dread. It is another means by which to temporarily avoid the reality.
One of the themes in Ivan Ilyich is the inevitability of death. How does Tolstoy develop his theme throughout the novella?
Answers will vary. Should address how the novella focuses on people's refusal to face the inevitability of death and their own mortality. Be sure to note specific characters and points in the novella where people do and do not acknowledge death.
This character sees Ivan as a "burden" and is more concerned with finances and standing than with Ivan.
Praskovya Fyodorovna Golovina, Ivan's wife
After Ivan falls and injures himself, how does the injury begin to affect him?
He experiences increasing pain and discomfort, which begins to interfere with his normal routines and sense of control. He also tries to avoid it as long as he can, but there becomes a point where he can no longer do so.
At the end of Chapter 9, Tolstoy writes, “And when it occurred to him, as it often did, that it was all happening because he had not lived right, he at once recalled all the correctness of his life and drove the strange thought away.” What does this final passage reveal about Ivan Ilyich's character?
Ivan is beginning to recognize that his life may have been morally or emotionally misguided, but he is not yet ready to accept that possibility.
When thinking of his illness, Tolstoy writes that Ivan's kidney or intestine “shirked its duty.” What is the effect of this personification?
It allows Ivan to imagine his illness as a failure of individual body parts rather than confronting death as a whole.
One theme in The Death of Ivan Ilyich is the problematic nature of the artificiality of society. How does Tolstoy develop this theme in the novella?
(Answers will vary). Should address Ivan Ilyich's family and trying to climb the social ladder. Should also consider how people act around each other and the idea of being superficial vs. genuine.
Who is Liza (or Lisa)?
The daughter of Ivan Ilyich and Praskovya Fyodorovna. She primarily values social status and reputation. She notices her father’s unhappiness and feels sorry for him, but she is primarily concerned with the effect of his illness on their social lives.
What is the primary effect of how Tolstoy describes Ivan's examination by the doctor(s)?
Shows a lack of connection. The doctor does not show any real concern or care for Ivan and his condition. The doctors treat Ivan like a broken thing or a court case rather than a suffering human being. The court case contrast is important given Ivan's own profession.
Tolstoy describes Ivan's experience as if “they were pushing him painfully into some narrow and deep black sack.” What does the black sack symbolize? How does the imagery communicate Ivan's experience of death?
The black sack can symbolize death as something dark, narrow, frightening, and unavoidable. The verbs “pushing,” “kept pushing,” and “could not push him through” make death seem like a physical force acting upon Ivan. At the same time, Ivan both fears falling through the sack and wants to fall through it, reflecting his conflicting desire to escape his suffering while fearing death itself.
Ivan “saw light” immediately before recognizing that his life had not been what it ought to have been. What does the light most likely symbolize?
Understanding and spiritual insight. He is finally open to reality and the truth.
One of the themes that Tolstoy addresses in his novella is what we can and cannot control. How does he develop this theme throughout the novella?
(Answers will vary). Should address how Ivan Ilyich tries to control his life (materialistically especially) but eventually realizes things are outside of his control.