One
of the recurring themes in the Death of Ivan Ilyich is the two lives
that people live in. One is the shallow way of life which consists of
materialism and selfishness. The second is the real life which shows
the truer meaning of life through deep human relationships, sense of
belonging, and strength of character. The shallow life is said to be
the one that overshadows the real life because most people only want
what is on the surface. Another theme is the acceptance of death.
This is seen when Ivan tries to accept death with great difficulty.
The sooner he accepted his death, the happier he became and the more
he saw the deeper things in life.
