The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

What are some of the expectations that different cultures or societies have for an individual’s maturation and adulthood? For example, what are the traditional milestones that a person like you typically experiences in life? Have these milestones changed over time? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: This question orients students with the sociological context of the novel. Tolstoy’s protagonist, Ivan, is preoccupied with the external and social expectations of society. Ivan does everything “right” in his life: He attends university, travels during his youth, settles down to marry and have a family, and preoccupies his time with advancing his career and salary. Although Tolstoy’s story takes place in late-19th-century Russia, these milestones mirror the traditional expectations that are valued in contemporary Western capitalist societies (i.e., education, career, marriage, and child-rearing). However, while Ivan “checks the boxes” of such societal expectations, he realizes in his final moments that he really had Misplaced Priorities in pursuing superficial norms and that he should have focused on developing relationships with his family and peers, as opposed to focusing on amassing wealth and acquiring material items. In this way, Tolstoy is commenting on the problem that occurs when Personal Gain Overshadows Personal Connection. Information from these or similar resources can help students develop additional context on the topic.

• This article from the Pew Research Center ranks Americans’ top priorities and breaks down the data in several infographics.
• “The Reception of the Novel” by the University of Minnesota shares the critical legacy of Tolstoy’s short novel in relation to social, philosophical, and psychological issues.

Short Activity

Russian author Leo Tolstoy is widely known for two novels: War and Peace and Anna Karenina. However, after publishing Karenina, Tolstoy made a large stylistic shift and wrote many influential works of philosophy and theory, as well as fiction, that focused on spirituality and the meaning of life from a Christian point of view. Working in small groups, select one of the works Tolstoy wrote after Karenina and briefly research the role of Christian morality in it. What is Tolstoy’s overall message with this piece? Share your findings with the class.

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Answer question invites students to consider The Death of Ivan Ilyich as an example of his focus on Christian morality in his writings. This story was published after Tolstoy’ adopted new views on religion, and many of this story’s themes reflect values of Christian morality, including humility, forgiveness, and gratitude. Responses may also include Confessions, which is discussed at length in the reading, as well as other texts. This Short Activity and the third Full Essay Assignment link with the two Recommended Next Reads, both of which incorporate themes of Christian morality in the text and expose the reader to a variety of Tolstoy’s other post-Karenina works.

• “An Introduction to the Life and Works of Leo Tolstoy” provides a brief overview of the different novels, stories, and works that he published in his lifetime.
• This article from the Los Angeles Review of Books discusses the turning point in Tolstoy’s life as a writer and Christian.

Differentiation Suggestion:  Students who benefit from strategies in reading and research might focus first on a single paragraph from “An Introduction to the Life and Works of Leo Tolstoy,” linked above: “Tolstoy’s theoretical works have had an equally profound influence. […] Tolstoy’s writings influenced Gandhi’s non-violent resistance, and they kept corresponding until Tolstoy died in 1910. Their letters included a discussion of practical applications of non-violence in achieving societal reform.”

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novella.

What are your priorities in life? Consider examples such as work, health, relationships, family, hobbies, self-care, spirituality, sports, money, or anything else that you find important. Which priorities are low on your list? Share examples in a brief journal entry.

Teaching Suggestion: This question encourages students to apply the story’s themes of Misplaced Priorities and Personal Gain Overshadows Personal Connection to their own perspective. This question works well as either a take-home writing assignment or an in-class discussion.