Death in Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky

Paper Summary:

The paper illustrates how death is used as the main theme in the stories "The Death of Ivan Ilych" and "The Heavenly Christmas Tree." The paper shows how in both texts, the protagonist's portrayal of death is utilized as a medium to reflect on life, leading the reader to evaluate his/her own values and attitudes toward other people in society.

From the Paper:

"Portrayal of death is used as the main theme for the stories 'The Death of Ivan Ilych' and 'The Heavenly Christmas Tree.' Although the authors tell very different stories, throughout these texts, they share a common goal for the reader. In both texts the protagonist's portrayal of death works as a medium by which he utilizes to reflect on life, leading the reader to evaluate their own values and attitudes toward other people in society. In Tolstoy's story, Ivan uses the portrayal of death to confront the sad truth that he has wasted his life trying to be what he believes others expect him to be, instead of focusing on his own happiness. By comparing his values on life to that of the peasant man, Ivan finally realizes the meaning of life. Ivan discovers that true happiness can only be achieved by replacing material values, and status recognition, through evoking spirituality, human kindness and being true to oneself. The portrayal of death is different for the nameless boy in Dostoyevsky's short story; he dies as a result of the failure of other people to recognize the true meaning of life as reinforced within Tolstoy's story."

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