The presence of human morality through the death of Ivan IlychLeo Tolstoy eloquently weaves together the lackluster life story of a dying man who he lived for vanity in “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”. Tolstoy bluntly portrays the agonizing awareness of death growing in Ilyich, as Ilyich recognizes his own mortality and lack of human morality; he also lacks the amount of human morality to those around him. Morality can be viewed in various ways. However, George Gutsche of Northern Illinois University specifies that Tolstoy focuses on a specific few: "Tolstoy indicts the dominant values ​​of society, personal pleasure and fairness, and advocates compassion and love as the best foundation for living. .. Tolstoy promotes compassion as one of the highest human virtues” (260). Instead of living through love and compassion, Ilyich and those around him dedicated their lives to vanity and decency Leo Tolstoy through the death of Ivan Ilych shows the effect of human morality on his peers and family demonstrate his wife Praskovya Fyodorovna, his peer Pyotr Ivanovich, his servant Gerasim and Ivan Ilyich himself . Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay Using Gutsche's moral framework of compassion and love as the core of human morality, Praskovya Fyodorovna had an extreme lack of both during the death of Ilyich. Her overwhelming emotional presence caused Ilyich to resent her as he began to realize the falsity of their relationship: “He hates her with every inch of his being. And her touch causes an agonizing well of hatred to well up in him” (Tolstoy 111). Fyodorovna fails to empathize with him, instead blaming him for her illness. Their marriage was not love or mutual compassion, it was a social calling and the idea of ​​a perfect marriage: “Even in the presence of death they still lived according to decorum, serving the master all their lives. His wife feigned sympathy and care for him because these belonged to that decorum, but now Ivan Ilyich was fed up with falsehood” (Pachmuss 331). Ilyich longed for love and care, similar to that of a child, but was met with hostility and loneliness. Her marriage showed Fyodorovna's lack of care for her husband. His death made her feel like she was suffering more than him. She had to experience her screams of excruciating pain and watch as her husband fell apart in front of her. Any display of affection or sympathy was an act towards the doctors or colleagues around her. His death was an inconvenience to her life and even more inconvenient because his death brought her nothing more. Pyotr Ivanovich never considered death as a part of the life before him. Ivanovic and Ilic belonged to the same world. They only wanted what looked nice and made them look better socially and emotionally; any other aspect of life was not important, it was not necessary to think, "People in Ivan's world are given to the pursuit of pleasure and comfort and the avoidance of what is annoying: they cannot imagine their own death" (Gutsche 262 ). Similar to Fyodorovna, Ivanovich has no sympathy for Ilyich. Their entire friendship is a lie. Ivanovich was most interested in how Ilyich's death had troubled him. But it was less of an inconvenience to him because he didn't have to deal with it. Ivanovich did not show compassion for Ilyich either in the first chapter or in the entire story. Ivanovich is more interested in work affairs: “And so the first thought that came to mind to each of thegentlemen in this office, learning of the death of Ivan Ilyich, was what effect it would have on their transfers and promotions or those of their acquaintances." (Tolstoy 36). Compassion and love are the height of morality for a person in this story, to give to someone else. He was Ilyich's only emphatic human companion, knowing that one day too he would face death. He is a servant who is in this false world of life and vanity, but he did not live for vanity or for what made him appear more sociable of people, making Ilyich feel comfortable only with him[1], "Gerasim did everything easily, willingly, simply and with a kindness of warmth that moved Ivan Ilyich" (Tolstoy 102). care for Ilyich in his final moments, however this did not stem from the emotions he felt specifically for Ilyich. Gerasim didn't care about Ilyich because he sincerely loved him and felt compassion for Ilyich, he cared because this is what morally human beings should do. He was behaving the way he believes the world should work and the way he hopes someone will take care of him when he is on his deathbed, "Even Gerasim, kind and understanding, acts out of a sense of moral duty rather than for true love,” (Pachmuss 332). This moral duty still provided compassion and love, but it is important to note that Gerasim acts out of human decency and moral code over a personal bond with Ilyich. Ivan Ilyich showed a drastic change in morality from beginning to end. Ilyich's grief during his death stemmed more from the question within himself whether or not he had lived as he should have than from the fact of his death itself. Ilyich lived for vanity and with the aim of appeasing the social quo. He also dies of and for vanity. Her death brought him to the abrupt realization that his life had been lived in vain. He agonized over an empty shell he had created for himself: “It is inconceivable, inconceivable that life was so senseless and disgusting, why should I die and die in agony? Something must be wrong. Maybe I didn't live as I should have” (Tolstoy 120). Ilyich lived his life for himself, he did not care about who was around him. Any problem was a burden to him and he was incapable of feeling compassion for others or having humility. The kindness and happiness he represented were a falsehood, even if he worried about the falseness of others around him. There was a change in him right before his death, instead of hatred and selfishness, he embraced compassion and love for his family. He asked for forgiveness and allowed their tears and somber embraces. “Without love, Ivan Ilyich's life was empty and meaningless. With the discovery of love, Ivan Ilyich felt that his death had become insignificant” (Pachmuss 332), Ilyich no longer feared death because it was no longer annoying or unpleasant. Once he realized that his life was unpleasant, death became irrelevant. The effect of his death on himself clarified the importance of compassion and love instead of vanity, how he should not push away those around him and instead embrace them. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Life was all about social appearances and how well you looked in Ilyich's world, everything else was not important or inconvenient. Leo Tolstoy's exploration through the death of Ivan Ilych shows the effect of.