This story deals with a man who is consumed by superficiality. This attitude governs many of Ivan’s life choices, and in doing so constructs a life that is devoid of love, compassion, and happiness. It is only on his death bed that he begins to ponder the ideas of mortality. This drives Ivan to near madness as he realizes that everything in his life is merely an illusion. The finer points of this story deal with Ivan’s personality, the supporting characters, and the use of symbolism by Leo Tolstoy.

Ivan Ilyich is a man consumed with the acquisitive and superficial. One of Ivan Ilyich's defining characteristics and principal shortcomings is that he lives in accordance to what others believe is right and proper. Instead of exploring and pursuing life using his own reasoning and moral compass, he blindly adopts the systems...