Leo Tolstoy

7 Pages 1808 Words

Leo Tolstoy established himself as a novelist with his early literary work, which depicts contemporary manners in Russian aristocracy. He presented what he saw with clarity and objectivity. However, later on in his lifetime, he revolutionized his lifestyle and his writing style. He modified his writing style to portray only a moral romanticism; focusing on the proper way one should conduct one’s life. An excellent example illustrating the ideals of Tolstoy’s new revolutionary approach to life is his short story, “The Death of Ivan Ilyich.” Tolstoy skillfully expresses his newfound attitude towards life and religion through his portrait of Ivan Ilyich’s character development. In contrast, one can also recognize Tolstoy’s earlier attitude, in his portrayal of the other characters in the story and of their interactions with each other. In this novel, Tolstoy shows us how people, during his lifetime, led a futile and self-absorbed life. From these character sketches, we can then interpret Tolstoy’s true intent – to reveal how one should really live one’s life – striving to be a virtuous and moral person.
Tolstoy wastes no time exemplifying his perception of Russian aristocracy. The story begins with the announcement of Ivan Ilyich’s death and his colleagues’ responses to it. This scene demonstrates their insensitivity towards other human beings. Through this demonstration of insensitivity, Tolstoy portrays the thoughtlessness and insensitivity that existed during his own lifetime. In the words of Sarah Lawall, Tolstoy illustrates lucidly how “the life of civilized people is a great lie simply because it disguises and ignores its dark background, the metaphysical abyss, and the reality of Death.” This is also apparent when we notice that all of Ivan’s colleagues can only think about the affect that his death has on their own lives. Tolstoy deliberately toys with the diction in his story to prove his point. He ...