📖 The Death of Ivan Ilych

Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilych follows the aftermath of a high-ranking prosecutor's passing due to a terminal illness in Russia. In the wake of their friend's passing, each of Ivan's colleagues is consumed with how they can benefit from his death rather than feeling grief. Whether it's hoping for a career advancement or simply being relieved that it was not them who suffered the long, painful sickness, Tolstoy exemplifies the selfish nature of humans. After prefacing the story with Ivan's death, the story rewinds to describe Ivan's career advancements and the sacrifices he made to obtain his position. This expanded context of his life highlights the novel's main theme that life is impermanent and opportunities should not be missed for self-improvement. I recommend this novella for the thematic value of its tale. Each detail added by Tolstoy was intentionally crafted to serve as a commentary on death and human nature. Although the message of selfishness portrayed by humans can be pessimistic, it also serves to remind us of what values we should prioritize in order to avoid recreating the society described in The Death of Ivan Ilych.

托尔斯泰的《伊凡·伊里奇之死》讲述了一位因绝症去世的高级检察官去世后的故事。伊凡的同事们在朋友去世后,并未感到悲伤,而是被如何从他的死亡中获益的想法所占据。无论是希望通过他的职位空缺获得升迁,还是仅仅因为庆幸自己没有经历那漫长而痛苦的病程,托尔斯泰揭示了人性的自私。小说以伊凡的死亡开篇,随后回溯了伊凡的职业晋升历程以及他为获得职位所做的牺牲。这种对其生活的详细描述突出了小说的主要主题:生命是无常的,不应错失任何自我提升的机会。 我推荐这部中篇小说是因为其故事的主题价值。托尔斯泰添加的每一个细节都经过精心设计,旨在对死亡和人性进行评论。虽然小说所展现的人性自私的主题可能显得悲观,但它也提醒我们应该优先考虑哪些价值观,从而避免重现《伊凡·伊里奇之死》中所描述的社会。