The Death of Ivan Ilych Summary
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Here you will find a The Death of Ivan Ilych summary (Leo Tolstoy's book).
We begin with a summary of the entire book, and then you can read each individual chapter's summary by visiting the links on the "Chapters" section.
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Last Updated: Monday 1 Jan, 2024
Chapters
Chapters The Death of Ivan Ilych Summary Overview
The narrative begins with the passing of Ivan Ilych, a respected judge, as announced by Peter Ivanovich, his colleague and friend, during a meeting. The judges contemplate the career opportunities that Ivan's demise might offer them, and Peter later attends Ivan's funeral. Upon observing Ivan's body, Peter notices an expression of disapproval and warning on Ivan's face, which unsettles him. Meanwhile, Ivan's wife Praskovya discusses with Peter about maximizing her late husband's government pension. As Peter departs, he shares a conversation with Gerasim, Ivan's nurse, who makes a profound remark about the inevitability of death. Flashback to Ivan's life, he is portrayed as an ordinary individual who, at the age of thirteen, enters law school and learns to mimic the behavior of the socially elite. He eventually becomes an examining magistrate and moves to a new province where he marries and starts a family. However, when Praskovya's pregnancy disrupts his cherished lifestyle, Ivan retreats further into his work and becomes increasingly distant from his family. With time, Ivan ascends the professional ladder, but when he is overlooked for a significant promotion, he moves his family to the countryside and goes to St. Petersburg in search of a higher paying job. Upon securing a high-ranking position through a friend, Ivan moves alone to the city to prepare a new house for his family, but during the preparations, he falls, hitting his side against the window frame. Following the incident, Ivan starts experiencing discomfort and unusual taste in his mouth, which gradually intensifies, making him irritable. The doctors he consults provide no consensus about his condition, intensifying Ivan's fear and depression. As Ivan's health deteriorates, he is visited by thoughts of mortality. His wife, Praskovya, seems oblivious to his predicament, causing Ivan to despise her. Amid his suffering, Gerasim, his humble servant, provides Ivan with much-needed compassion and honesty. As his condition worsens, Ivan realizes that his existence is filled with artificiality, with everyone around him denying his impending death. He experiences a profound connection with his son, Vasya, and Gerasim, who understand his situation. After days of introspection, Ivan starts questioning the meaning of his life and suffering, and in a moment of epiphany, he realizes that his official life and social relations were all superficial. At the brink of death, Ivan experiences a moment of intense joy and clarity before he expires.
chapter 1
The story unfolds with the climax; Ivan Ilych has died. During a break in a court proceeding, a group of judges chat in a private room about a popular case from the 1880s. Peter Ivanovich, a fellow judge and friend of Ivan, reveals Ivan's death, interrupting their conversation. Although Ivan was a pleasant colleague, the news of his death prompts the men to consider how his death may bring about promotions or transfers. They briefly ponder the gravity of death, then quickly return to trivial topics. Peter decides to inform his wife about Ivan's demise and the chance it presents for her brother's job transfer. He then visits Ivan's home, foregoing his usual nap. He notices a coffin lid leaning against a wall as he enters the house. Encountering Schwartz, another colleague, at the top of the stairs, Peter gets a hint about arranging their evening card game. He enters the room where Ivan's body lies, uncertain about the appropriate behavior. He decides to cross himself and give a slight bow. He observes the content yet disapproving look on the corpse's face, which unsettles him, causing him to hastily exit the room. Meeting Schwartz again lifts Peter's spirits as they discuss their card game, undeterred by the mourning atmosphere. Ivan's widow, Praskovya Fedorovna, requests a private talk with Peter before the service. She guides him to a lavishly decorated room, which reminds Peter of the care Ivan took of his house. A comical situation unfolds when Peter attempts to help Praskova free her shawl from a table edge, resulting in a struggle with the springs of a pouffe. The widow then breaks down in tears. When the butler informs Praskovya about the cost of Ivan's cemetery plot, Peter overhears her comparing prices. She then changes the topic to Ivan's agonizing death, which sends a chill down Peter's spine. However, the thought that he is alive unlike Ivan, coupled with Schwartz's resilience, soothes him. Later, Praskovya unveils her true intention behind their conversation: to seek Peter's advice on extracting more money from the government after Ivan's death. When Peter is unable to assist, she politely guides him out. Before leaving, Peter encounters Ivan's son and then attends the service in the death-chamber, unphased by the somber mood. The butler's assistant, Gerasim, helps Peter with his coat, and his comment about everyone's inevitable fate strikes a chord with Peter. Peter then leaves, meeting Schwartz and joining the card game.
chapter 2
Ivan Ilych is an ordinary individual, living a life that is "most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible." He is the middle child of an inconsequential bureaucrat, possessing a balanced temperament in contrast to his elder brother's formality and his younger brother's recklessness. At thirteen, Ivan joins the School of Law. He's a friendly, agreeable student with a strict adherence to authority. He's attracted to those with high social status, adopting their values and attitudes. Upon graduating, he buys typical clothes and luggage for his first job as an official for a provincial governor, including a medallion with the phrase respice finem, meaning look to the end. His provincial life is enjoyable and dignified. He diligently performs his duties, and even his indiscretions are conducted with good manners. After five years, societal reforms in the 1860s bring demand for "new men." Ivan becomes one such man, accepting a job as an examining magistrate and moving to a different province. In his new role, Ivan continues his proper and dignified conduct, focusing on the externalities of his cases. He socializes with the best "legal gentlemen" and enjoys playing vint, a type of bridge. After two years, he meets Praskovya Fedorovna. She is from a good family, fairly attractive, and has a small property. Ivan, with no plans to marry and without completely falling in love with Praskovya, decides to marry her partly because it's seen as the right move by his superiors. Marriage starts well for Ivan, but complications arise when Praskovya becomes pregnant. She becomes moody and demanding, causing Ivan to discover that marriage isn't always enjoyable. To avoid the unpleasantness, Ivan shifts his focus to his professional life and adopts a formal attitude towards marriage. He seeks only the comforts of dinner, a housewife, and bed. After three more years, he is promoted to Assistant Public Prosecutor and later transferred to another province as Public Prosecutor. Despite the move, his marital troubles persist. He spends less time at home, often inviting company when he has to stay in. Meanwhile, he finds solace in work, socializing with colleagues, and playing bridge. Seven years go by. They lose a child, and Ivan's youngest is ready for school.
chapter 3
In 1880, seventeen years later, Ivan Ilych is a seasoned Public Prosecutor. He's expecting to become a presiding judge in a university town, but he's overlooked for the promotion, which is given to Happe. This causes Ivan to react angrily, creating tension with his superiors. Realizing his income doesn't cover his family’s needs and feeling unjustly treated, he takes leave and moves his family to a country house owned by his wife's brother. Feeling discontent and low about his circumstances, Ivan heads to St. Petersburg with the dual intent of securing a better-paying job and getting back at those who undervalued him. Enroute, he hears of a shake-up at the Ministry of Justice. A good friend of his has gained considerable power, which assures Ivan of a position. He's given a higher-paying role in his previous Department of Justice, ranking above his former peers. Happy about his advancement and devoid of resentment towards his past adversaries, Ivan goes back to the country to tell Praskovya the good news. Their relationship improves, and life once again becomes pleasant. Ivan sets off alone to start his new job and sort out their living situation before the rest of the family joins him. He finds a "delightful" house in St. Petersburg and devotes himself to decorating it in an aristocratic manner, even neglecting his official duties. However, while hanging curtains, Ivan slips from a stepladder and injures his side against a window frame. The pain subsides quickly, making him feel invigorated. Despite his satisfaction with his aesthetically pleasing home, it resembles the homes of those trying to imitate the wealthy. Small damages or stains annoy him occasionally. Ivan maintains a professional demeanor at work, keeping his personal and professional life separate. He and Praskovya host dinners for high-ranking individuals. Ivan takes particular joy in playing bridge, which provides a ray of happiness in his life. His daughter is being pursued by a promising young man and life is flowing smoothly.
chapter 4
Ivan starts to feel a strange discomfort in his left side and an odd taste in his mouth. As these symptoms worsen, he becomes agitated and argumentative. This disrupts the comfortable life he's created, leading to frequent arguments with his wife, Praskovya. She asserts that Ivan has always had a terrible temper. Now, it's Ivan who initiates the fights. Witnessing her husband's uncontrollable anger, Praskovya starts to feel pity for herself, growing to resent Ivan and even wishing for his death, if not for the loss of his income. Ivan consults a doctor, noting a similarity between the doctor's indifferent attitude towards him and his own attitude towards defendants in court. Ivan is primarily concerned about the severity of his condition, but the doctor brushes this aside, focusing only on whether it's a floating kidney or appendicitis. Ivan leaves with a sense of gravity about his condition and an impression of the doctor's cold indifference. Upon returning home, Ivan tries to share his worries with his wife, but she leaves with their daughter before he can explain. He takes medication and adheres strictly to the doctor's instructions, but further tests prove the initial diagnosis wrong. Ivan tries to convince himself that he is improving, but any stressors, including disagreements with his wife, difficulties at work, or a losing game of bridge, remind him of his illness. Despite seeing various doctors and trying different treatments, his condition only worsens. In a moment of despair, he even considers seeking help from a miraculous icon. Ivan notes that people around him continue to act as if everything is normal, failing to acknowledge or understand his situation. His wife and daughter are frustrated by his despondency and intolerance. Praskovya maintains a formal stance towards his illness, blaming him for his condition and believing that he will get better if he follows the doctor's advice. At his workplace, Ivan feels scrutinized by colleagues, as if they expect his position to open up soon. His friends, especially Schwartz, downplay his illness, treating it as a fleeting issue. Even his favorite pastime, playing cards, loses its charm. During a game of bridge, Ivan is close to making a grand slam but suddenly becomes aware of his pain. He thinks it absurd to find joy in a card game amidst his suffering. He loses the hand and the grand slam but realizes he doesn't care, a realization he finds horrifying. Aware that his life is "poisoned" and he is "poisoning the lives of others," Ivan feels isolated and misunderstood, standing alone on the "brink of an abyss."
chapter 5
Returning from work, Ivan is met by his brother-in-law and the shock on his face at Ivan's altered appearance. Comparing his present condition to an old photograph, Ivan is shocked at his transformation. He overhears his wife, Praskovya, and her brother discussing him as a "dead man." Hoping to improve, he consults another physician who assures him that his appendix issue is a "small thing" and can be managed. This reassurance brings him a bit of relief. Post dinner, Ivan retreats to his study, preoccupied with his appendix. His official duties finished, he dwells on it and imagines it healing. Momentarily, he feels slightly better, but the familiar pain and the "loathsome taste" soon return. His realisation that it's not just his appendix, but a matter of survival, unnerves him. As Ivan contemplates his mortality, he feels a chill and his breath stops. He attempts to light a candle but drops it in his panic. The sounds of his visitors annoy him, deepening his distress. Trying to soothe himself, he recalls the beginning of his ailment, but the anxiety of death overwhelms him. He clumsily drops the bedside table in search of matches and falls back into bed, anticipating the end. Praskovya, drawn in by the noise, lights a candle and checks on him. Clueless about his internal struggle, she leaves to bid farewell to the guests. As she returns and leans in to kiss him goodnight, Ivan struggles to suppress his disdain for her.
chapter 6
Ivan Ilych is aware of his impending death, yet struggles to comprehend the reality of his situation. He relates to the logic of Kieswetter's syllogism, "Caius is a man, men are mortal, therefore Caius is mortal" when applied to an abstract individual, Caius, but fails to connect it to his own mortality. He believes an inner voice would warn him if his death was imminent. He reminisces about his youth, reflecting on his unique identity and the inexplicability of his death, remembering the scent of a leather ball, the feel of his mother's hand, and the sound of her silk dress. In a bid to distract himself from thoughts of death, he attempts to revert to previous thinking patterns, but realizes that "all that had formerly shut off, hidden, and destroyed his consciousness of death, no longer had that effect." He tries to build "new screens" to ward off the awareness of death, but it seeps through every defence. During one incident where Ivan is moving items in the drawing room, he senses Death's presence hiding behind the flowers. Shaken, he retreats to his study and tries to rest. Nonetheless, he realizes that he cannot evade Death, and its mere thought sends shivers down his spine.
chapter 7
Ivan Ilych, on the brink of death, finds no respite in opium or morphine, and loses control over his physical self. His specially prepared meals repulse him. Amid his suffering, a spark of comfort comes from Gerasim, a servant introduced in Chapter I. Described as "a clean, fresh peasant lad, grown stout on town food and always cheerful and bright," Gerasim's vitality doesn't upset Ivan like others' does. When Gerasim lifts Ivan's feet, he experiences less pain, leading them to often repeat this position. Gerasim's service is "easy, willing, simple, and with a good nature." What distresses Ivan more than his physical pain is the deception of those around him who pretend he is not dying. This denial irritates Ivan as he desires the compassion shown to a sick child. None of his family or friends can provide this solace, except Gerasim. Sometimes, Gerasim supports Ivan's legs all night, never denying Ivan's imminent death. Gerasim's words, "We shall all of us die, so why should I grudge a little trouble," reveal his acceptance of his role in serving Ivan. As the dishonesty around him continues to "poison" his last days, Ivan feels at ease only in Gerasim's company.
chapter 8
Ivan wakes up, aware of the new day as Gerasim is absent. His life is now a monotonous series of painful moments, with death as the only certainty. Peter, the servant, comes in to clean up. Terrified of solitude, Ivan asks for his medicine, just to delay Peter's exit, despite believing the medicine serves no real purpose. Peter leaves to prepare morning tea with Ivan's approval. On his return, a disoriented Ivan stares at him, taking a moment to recognize him. Comprehending Peter's identity, Ivan starts his daily routine of washing and dressing with Peter's assistance. A doctor arrives for an examination. Ivan, aware of the futility and deceit of the process, consents to it, comparing it to the dishonest practices he was familiar with in his legal profession. Praskovya enters, invoking an intense feeling of resentment in Ivan due to her healthy appearance. Her attitude towards Ivan, much like the doctor's, remains unaltered. Post examination, Praskovya reveals her plan to call in a renowned specialist. She insists it's for her peace of mind but implies it's for Ivan's benefit, which he sees as another layer of deceit. He understands that her actions are self-serving and is shocked at her expectation for him to think otherwise. The specialist's visit occurs, Ivan receives a shot and sleeps till mealtime. Post meal, Praskovya, dressed for the evening, enters Ivan's room. He recalls that she and the children plan to watch a Sarah Bernhardt play. His daughter, Lisa, her beau, Fedor, and Ivan's son, Vasya, join them. Ivan feels that Vasya, like Gerasim, truly empathizes with him. A chat about Sarah Bernhardt's acting realism ensues, but halts at the sight of Ivan's glaring eyes and offended demeanor. The room fills with an uncomfortable silence, as everyone fears the emergence of an unwelcome truth. Lisa breaks the silence, suggests everyone leaves for the play. Their departure brings Ivan relief, as the deception departs with them.
chapter 9
Praskovya arrives home late from the theater intending to dismiss Gerasim, but Ivan instructs her to leave instead. After consuming some opium, Ivan slips into a dream in which he's being forced into a deep, black sack. Despite being pushed deeper and deeper, he fails to reach the bottom. He is fearful yet drawn to the thought of falling into the sack. This experience causes him pain, and although he resists, he also surrenders to the process. Suddenly, he falls through, waking up abruptly. After waking up, Ivan sends Gerasim away and bursts into tears once the servant leaves. Overwhelmed, he cries out to God, questioning why he is being put through such torment. Following his outburst, he becomes silent and attentive, seemingly hearing an inner voice questioning his desires. He responds by expressing his wish to return to his previously comfortable and enjoyable life. However, recalling his past moments of happiness, they appear insignificant and often repugnant. He reflects on his life, realizing the further he moved away from his childhood, the more his pleasures became devoid of value. He acknowledges the absence of virtue in his bureaucratic career and realizes that as he climbed the ladder of social esteem, his life was slipping away from him. A thought strikes Ivan that his life may have been incorrectly lived, yet he rejects this idea recalling that he had always done things "properly" and appropriately.
chapter 10
After a dozen more days, Ivan finds himself bedridden, perpetually contemplating his impending demise and the reason for his torment. His spirit swings between the fear of death and fleeting hopes for a recovery. However, as his ailment worsens, his hope fades and the fear intensifies. Despite being in a bustling city with many associates, Ivan's solitude is as deep as if he was "either at the bottom of the sea or under the earth." His existence is now confined to his recollections. Images from his life play in his mind, moving backward from the present to his distant childhood. As he reviews his life, Ivan observes that life becomes more abundant the further back he goes. He finds a parallel between his escalating pain and his life, realizing that both, like "a stone falling downward with increasing velocity," are hurtling towards the "most terrible suffering." Ivan yearns to understand the rationale behind his pain, "what it is all for." He is aware that there could be a reason if he had led a wrongful life, but considering the correctness of his existence, he reluctantly accepts the absurdity of suffering and death.
chapter 11
As time goes forward, Ivan's health continues to worsen. Praskovya comes to inform him of their daughter's engagement, but seeing his deteriorated condition, instead reminds him to take his medication. Ivan responds with bitterness, asking for peace in his dying moments. He meets the doctor's visit with the same resentment, expressing that the doctor can offer him no aid. The doctor concedes to Praskovya that Ivan's situation is critical, prescribing medication only to alleviate pain. However, Ivan's mental torment outweighs his physical discomfort. One evening, looking at Gerasim, he questions the merits of his own life. The professional life he led, the way he structured his family, and his societal passions appear fraudulent. He tries to justify his life choices, only to realize there is nothing worthy of defense. He comes to understand that the only genuine moments in his life were his resistance against societal norms and expectations, leading him to conclude that his life "was not real at all, but a terrible and huge deception which had hidden both life and death." His interactions with the footman, his wife, his daughter, and others in his daily life only reinforce this revelation, intensifying his agony "tenfold." His wife, Praskovya, persists that he should partake in communion, to which Ivan agrees. The ritual offers him a brief respite and a fleeting will to live. However, this brief peace is disrupted once more by his resentment towards the superficiality of Praskovya's life.
chapter 12
Ivan Ilych, having sent his wife away, is consumed by screams. Over the course of three days, his screams echo unendingly, reflecting his unresolved doubts. His helplessness mirrors the dream from Chapter IX, where he was trapped in a black sack, awaiting execution. He wrestles with his impending death and his inability to accept it, anchored by his belief that he has led a good life, "That very justification of his life held him fast and prevented his moving forward, and it caused him most torment of all." During the third day's end, an unseen force propels him through the sack and into a bright light. The unexpected shift in direction reminds him of a railway car moving backwards when it seemed to be going forward. At this moment, his son, Vasya, comes to his bedside. Vasya's tears emerge as Ivan's hand falls on his head and Ivan realizes, upon seeing the light, that his life, though not exemplary, can still be corrected. He wonders, "What is the right thing?" He sees his son kissing his hand, evoking empathy in him. His wife, teary-eyed, also earns his sympathy. Recognizing his death will bring relief for his family, he tries to voice this sentiment. Weakness prevents him from speaking; therefore, he gestures to his wife to take Vasya away. He attempts to ask for forgiveness, only managing to utter, "Forego." Ivan's decision to alleviate his family's suffering and liberate himself from his pain brings an unexpected freedom "from two sides, from ten sides, and from all sides." Fear of death no longer shackles him, and he comprehends that "death is finished." Instead of death, there is light, and overwhelming joy consumes Ivan. While his agony seems to last two hours for the observers, Ivan perceives it as an unchanging moment. In the midst of a sigh, Ivan surrenders to death.
