StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

The Death of Ivan Ilych and Gooseberries - Assignment Example

Cite this document
Summary
This assignment "The Death of Ivan Ilych and Gooseberries" discusses the second chapter of Leo Tolstoy’s story “The Death of Ivan Ilych” which reveals the horror of leading an ordinary life, which confirms sadly the social norms related to success, happiness, and peace in life…
Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER92.1% of users find it useful
The Death of Ivan Ilych and Gooseberries
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Death of Ivan Ilych and Gooseberries"

He finds himself alone in his excruciating physical and psychological pain, and the only solace he gets is through Gerasim the peasant-boy servant who sacrifices his time and energy for his master. The indifference of his colleagues is made evident in the first chapter. The desperate cries of Ivan Ilych on his deathbed reveals how much he is tormented by his late realization that what he considered to be the greatest achievements in life were nothing other than floating bubbles. He witnesses them break one by one before the final escape – to death: “In place of death there was light.

So that's what it is!" he suddenly exclaimed aloud. "What joy!" he is relieved beyond all his expectations, as he gets rid of the terrible ordinariness of his life.      Anton Chekhov’s “Gooseberries” can be compared to the story of Tolstoy in its style, theme, and structure. Both stories evolve after a long introduction, building up suspense so that readers and eager to know more about the life of the protagonist. In “Gooseberries”, the narrator of the story is Ivan Ivanich, a veterinary surgeon, who waits for the right moment to enlighten his friends with the unusual story of his brother Nicholai who spent a lifetime to fulfill his greatest dream in life – to own a gooseberry tree in his country home and to taste gooseberries pluck from that tree.

In contrast to Ivan Ilych who enjoyed the conventional bliss of family life but failed to fulfill his inner needs, Nicholai misses a good family life because he marries a rich woman whom he does not really like, but experiences some moments of sheer joy when he tastes the first fruits from the gooseberry tree, though they were unripe and bitter. Both the stories deal with the relevant questions that relate to the ultimate meaning of life, success, happiness, and peace. While Checkov resorts to a first-person narrator in his story, Tolstoy makes use of third-person narration that succeeds to reveal the inner struggles of his protagonist effectively.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(The Death of Ivan Ilych and Gooseberries Example | Topics and Free Essays, n.d.)
The Death of Ivan Ilych and Gooseberries Example | Topics and Free Essays. https://studentshare.org/literature/1895077-ivan-ilyich
(The Death of Ivan Ilych and Gooseberries Example | Topics and Free Essays)
The Death of Ivan Ilych and Gooseberries Example | Topics and Free Essays. https://studentshare.org/literature/1895077-ivan-ilyich.
“The Death of Ivan Ilych and Gooseberries Example | Topics and Free Essays”. https://studentshare.org/literature/1895077-ivan-ilyich.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Death of Ivan Ilych and Gooseberries

The Death of Ivan Illyich

Subject: Essay, World Literature Date: Topic: the death of ivan Illyich by Leo Tolstoy The beauty of death is it arrives unannounced.... In “the death of ivan Ilyich,” Tolstoy tries to explain and solve many intrigues related to the death, but the final solution is not forthcoming; he has to just accept death.... This profound dilemma of Tolstoy is explained by Ronald Blythe in the introduction thus: “In the death of ivan Ilyich Tolstoy takes what was for him the tremendous imaginary leap of analyzing the reactions of a man who, until the surprising pain of his terminal illness began....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

The Role of Gerasim in The Death of Ivan Ilych

The role of Gerasim in the death of ivan ilych, by Leo Tolstoy, is one of faithful and respectful servant.... ivan ilych had been particularly fond of him and he [Gerasim] was performing the duty of a sick nurse" (250).... The narrator begins to describe Ivan's shallow life, and tells us "ivan ilych's life has been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible" (255).... The narrator takes account of ivan's life and presents it to us partially through a deathbed retrospect and partially through memory....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

What Is The Most Important Virtue For Human Fulfillment

he death of ivan ilych by Leo TolstoyLeo Tolstoy deliberates upon the topic in the following way, "In place of death there was light" (1886).... Though this may seem ironically contrary to the actual concept of life itself, yet this line answers probably the greatest mystery of life - death.... So is the virtue of human fulfillment embedded in death Not exactly; it is in understanding the concept of death.... It refers to establishing a belief that this entire struggle in life is death itself, and the absolute moment of death, is just the termination of this struggle....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

The Plot and Characters of Tolstoy's Novel

The momentum set up by the writer is vital in achieving the true goal of the story: a revelation into the life of ivan ilych.... This character sketch can only be drawn because of the sequential turn of events in ivan ilych's life.... Peter Ivanovich on the other hand is mortified by the idea of death itself “death was an accident natural to ivan ilych but certainly not to... As the story continues the reader notices the suffering in ilych's life....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

The Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s

The paper “The Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s” contains relevant details regarding the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.... It separately analyzes politics and strategies that were associated with both countries during the war, and impacts of the war on both countries.... hellip; The paper further continues by assessing the relationship between these two countries and the superpowers....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

Notions of Death and Aging

According to some quarters, aging and death are part of life.... A number of death and Aging Introduction death and aging are two words that can never be separated because the former leads to the latter.... According to some quarters, aging and death are part of life.... Aging is associated with biological changes that progresses from birth through old age and death (Hof & Mobbs, 2009).... Some quarters, however suggest that age is a prediction of aging and death....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Iran Nuclear Deal Issues

The paper "Iran Nuclear Deal" tells how according to the agreement details, the Islamic Republic of Iran would reduce, convert and redesign its nuclear facilities as well as to accept an additional protocol with provisional applications, to lift all nuclear-related economic sanctions towards Iran....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Van Goghs Starry Night

Before his death, Van Gogh created a Starry Night while staying in asylum in France.... Van Gogh's Starry Night Before his death, Van Gogh created a Starry Night while staying in asylum in France.... Further, Van Gogh uses a cypress tree to connect the sky and the other and reflect about his thoughts regarding death.... Indeed, the Starry Night depicts Van Gogh's concern of death and the actual afterlife.... For instance, he fled his home country and could often get concerned of death and about the afterlife....
1 Pages (250 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us