Ilych's Epiphany

The detailed account of Ivan Ilych’s last moments is simultaneously chilling in its realism and reassuring in its final message. The reader identifies directly with the man who seeks advancement and small pleasures in meaningless activities. Despite his awareness that Ivan Ilych is an extreme case, the reader recognizes in himself Ilych’s ability to focus on trivialities. Tolstoy thus uses both the reader’s innate fear of death as well as a sympathetic protagonist to carry his message. Tolstoy reminds the reader that in spite of Ilych’s agony, redemption is possible.

In his final moments, Ivan realizes that his inability to move forward towards death is due to his insistence that he had lived a moral life. Ivan feels that he must justify his life as an upright one and prove that he is undeserving of his misery. He had observed all the niceties of society and did what he grasped to be the “right thing.” Therefore, his actions cannot be the reason for his suffering. Ivan wants to hold onto life until he finds a reason for his early and painful demise. Ironically, Ivan clings to real life only once it is leaving him. He eschewed human connection so long as it was in his grasp.

He can only move on peacefully when he comes to terms with the fact that he has not done anything to merit the evasion of human suffering. By acknowledging the pettiness of his own life, he is able to understand the actions of his family and no longer hold them accountable for it. His realization that his family acts the way he used to allows him to feel a compassion that he had not even known during his life. Tragically, Ivan does not feel true empathy until the moments before his death. His hatred disappears and he no longer feels the need to fight death, because he now knows that he did not lead a proper life. Having examined Gerasim’s actions, Ivan is now able to admit to himself that he did not live a good life. Ilych realizes the futility of changing his wife and daughter’s actions, knowing full well that they may someday have the epiphany that he is experiencing at that moment. Nevertheless, the reader sees hope for Ilych’s young son, who still knows compassion, and for himself now forewarned by Tolstoy’s powerful story.