Which theme does Leo Tolstoy explore in this excerpt from The Death of Ivan Ilyich?

"Then what does it mean? Why? It can't be that life is so senseless and horrible. But if it really has been so horrible and senseless, why must I die and die in agony? There is something wrong!

"Maybe I did not live as I ought to have done," it suddenly occurred to him. "But how could that be, when I did everything properly?" he replied, and immediately dismissed from his mind this, the sole solution of all the riddles of life and death, as something quite impossible.

A.) Humans are shortsighted and inconsiderate toward others.

B.) Love is unpredictable and can be used to fulfill selfish needs.

C.) Human mortality is inevitable, and it is important to live an authentic life.

D.) Materialistic minded people cannot change no matter how difficult life becomes.

I would say that the theme that Leo Tolstoy explores in this excerpt from The Death of Ivan Ilyich is that C) human mortality is inevitable, and it is important to live an authentic life.

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michelcecilia michelcecilia · Answer 2 · 2019-02-13T16:31:49+01:00

The correct answer is C.) Human mortality is inevitable, and it is important to live an authentic life.

Indeed, Ivan thinks he has lived a rightful life, a life where he has behaved honorably and has risen in society to a position of some wealth and influence. However, his wife does not love him and is completely self-centered. His daughter shows the exact same attitude and only his son does show some compassion.

The only person he feels some kind of warmth from is, Gerasim, his peasant servant boy who keeps him company as he is lying on his deathbed. Gerasim also does not share his fear of death due to his Christian faith and his detachment from the materialism of life since he is quite destitute and death would be a liberation.

Ivan discovers through Gerasim’s example that he has lived a materialistic shallow life; a life of conformity to societal norms. He realizes that the only way a life can be authentic is to show compassion and sympathy for other human beings.