Ilych and the greedy, self-serving Russian culture

I just want to start off by saying that “The Death of Ivan Ilych” was quite a long story. The author could have cut out about ten pages and still have given the same message, as nothing really happens for most of the story except for Ilych lying down and either complaining about his life or coming to the understanding that his life he lived was unfulfilling. That being said, I believe Tolstoy includes some cultural criticism which can not be overlooked. While most of my peers like to continually bash Ilych, I don’t blame him as much as I do the society of which he is apart of.

Ilych displays a trait, which is found in everyone of the bourgeois culture of Russia: self-interest. While that does not mean that people do not need to look out for themselves, Ilych takes it too far. Just like everyone else, his whole life is consumed with trying to get into the upper class society. An example of this is how he tries to decorate his house as do the upper class (a task he truly believes he succeeds in), only to be slammed by the narrator for making a house similar to most other houses. In his effort to become unique he becomes just like everyone else. In the process, he loses sight of the importance of human relationships. As Ilych sits on his deathbed he comes to the realization that he does not have any true friends, and most of his closest “friends” and family are only looking for ways they will gain from his death. For example, each friend thinks of how their life will be better once Ilych is finally dead, and his wife’s main concern is how to milk the most amount of money out of her husband’s death.

The sad part about this whole ordeal is that Ilych would not come to this conclusion without the help of his only true companion. Every time thoughts on his relationships come up, he pushes them aside until he meets Gerasim. Ironically, the only person who understands and empathizes with Ivan is a servant from the lower classes. While the rest of his family and friends try to stay away from him or act in a superficial manner, Gerasim actually listens to and tries to comfort Ivan. Through Gerasim’s feelings and sacrifices, Ilych is able to see what he has been missing his whole life.

Ivan Ilych is not entirely to blame for his problems. The culture in which he grew up in prompted a change in his ideas as can be seen when the narrator claims “all the enthusiasms of childhood and youth passed without leaving much trace on him…” (287). Indeed, Ilych’s fondest memories are from his childhood and he really cannot find much to love in his adult life. This suggests that Russia’s problems at that time went deeper than just one man. Tolstoy despised the attitudes of a new generation of materialistic, self-centered Russians, which was probably the reason why he fled that type of lifestyle to go live out in the country. Tolstoy is left with no choice but to voice his displeasure through the use of his artistic gifts.

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