61 pages • 2 hours read
Leo TolstoyThe Death of Ivan Ilyich
Fiction | Novella | Adult | Published in 1886A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
What is the right way to live? How does this novella attempt to answer this question?
Describe the relationship between Ivan Ilyich and his wife Praskovya Fedorovna. How does their relationship evolve over time?
Describe Ivan Ilyich’s two children Lisa and Vasya. In what ways are they similar to their parents? How are they different?
What is your interpretation of It in Chapter 6? Is It something specific?
What is the significance of Ivan Ilyich’s reaction to his son’s touch in his final lucid moments? What is Ivan Ilyich realizing or experiencing in that interaction?
Close-read and analyze Ivan Ilyich’s black sack dream. How does he interpret it? Does the text agree with his interpretation? Why or why not?
Why does Praskovya Fedorovna both want Ivan Ilyich to die and not to die? How much of her ambivalence selfish and how much is sympathetic?
When does Ivan Ilyich feel most connected to other people in his childhood, adulthood, and on his deathbed? What message does this send about human relationships?
Describe the structure and pace of the novella’s plot. What is the impact of starting with the immediate aftermath of Ivan Ilyich’s death rather than telling the story chronologically? When does time move quickly in the story, and when does time slow down? Why?
Tolstoy gradually pulled away from his own aristocratic roots and the formal worship practices of the Russian Orthodox Church. How does this novella treat religious faith and Christianity?
Related Titles
By Leo Tolstoy
