The Presence of Human Morality Through the Death of Ivan Ilyich Leo Tolstoy eloquently weaves the narrative of the dull life of a dying man who lived for vanity in “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”. Tolstoy bluntly depicts the agonizing awareness of death that grows within Ilyich, while Ilyich recognizes his own mortality and lack of human morality; the amount of human morality is also lacking in those around him. Morality can be viewed in various ways. However, George Gutsche of Northern Illinois University points out that Tolstoy focuses on a few in particular: "Tolstoy challenges society's dominant values ​​of personal pleasure and convenience, and advocates compassion and love as the best foundation of life... Tolstoy puts forward compassion as one of the fundamental principles of life. the highest human virtue” (260). Instead of living in love and compassion, Ilyich and those around him devoted their lives to vanity and personal propriety. Leo Tolstoy's exploration through the death of Ivan Ilyich shows the effect of human morality on his peers and family. This is shown by his wife Praskovya Fyodorovna, his peer Pyotr Ivanovich, his servant Gerasim and Ivan Ilyich himself. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Using Gutsche's moral framework of compassion and love as the center of human morality, Praskovya Fyodorovna experienced an extreme lack of both upon Ilyich's death. Her disappointing 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 its touch brings up in him a source of anguishing hatred” (Tolstoy 111). Fyodorovna is unable to sympathize with him, but she blames him for his illness. Their marriage was not one of love or mutual compassion, it was a social vocation and the idea of ​​a perfect marriage: "Even in the presence of death, they always lived in accordance with decorum, the master that he had served all his life. His wife feigned sympathy and care for him because it belonged to this decorum, but now Ivan Ilyich had had enough of the fake” (Pachmuss 331). Ilyich craved love and care, like that of a child, but he was met with hostility and loneliness. Her marriage showed Fyodorovna's lack of attention to her husband. Her death made him feel like she was suffering more than he was. She must have felt his screams in excruciating pain and watched her husband collapse in front of her. Any display of affection or sympathy was an act towards the doctors or peers around him. His death was an inconvenience to his life and even more so because his death brought him nothing more. Pyotr Ivanovich never really considered death as part of the life he faced. Ivanovitch and Ilyich belonged to the same world. They only wanted what felt good and made themselves look better socially and emotionally; any other aspect of life was unimportant, no need to think about it: "People in Ivan's world devote themselves to the pursuit of pleasure and comfort and to avoiding the uncomfortable: they cannot imagine their own death” (Gutsche 262). Similar to Fyodorovna, Ivanovich has no sympathy for Ilyich. Their whole friendship is fake. Ivanovich was most concerned about how Ilyich's death had destabilized him. But it was less bothersome to him because he didn't have to worry about it. Ivanovich showed no compassion for Ilyich in thefirst chapter nor throughout the story. Ivanovich is more interested in labor affairs: “So the first thought that came to the minds of each of the gentlemen in this office, upon learning of the death of Ivan Ilyich, was what effect this would have on their own transfers and promotions or those they know. » (Tolstoy 36). Compassion and love are the pinnacle of morality for one person in this story to bestow on someone else. Gerasim was Ilyichet's only insistent human companion. Ilyich's death only caused a natural release of compassion from Gerasim towards Ilyich. He showed no inconvenience from Ilyich, knowing that he would also face death one day. Gerasim is a servant who is in this false world of life and vanity, but he was not part of it. Gerasim did not live for vanity or for what made him seem more sociable. He lived to serve and understood the needs of people, which made Ilyich comfortable only with him[1]: “Gerasim did everything easily, willingly, simply and with a warm kindness that moved Ivan Ilyich” (Tolstoy 102). Gerasim showed a lot of compassion and care for Ilitch in his final moments, but it did not come from the emotions he felt specifically for Ilitch. Gerasim didn't care about Ilyich because he loved him and genuinely felt for him, he cared about Ilyich because that's what morally human beings are supposed to do. He was acting in a way that was inconsistent with how he believes the world should work and how he hopes someone will care for him when he is on his deathbed. “Even Gerasim, kind and understanding, acts out of a sense of moral duty rather than true love.” (Pachmuss 332). This moral duty still brought compassion and love, but it is important to note that Gerasim acts out of human decency and moral code due to a personal connection to Ilyich. Ivan Ilyich showed a drastic change in morality from start to finish. Ilych's pain throughout his death came more from the question within himself of whether or not he was living as he was supposed to than from his actual death event. Ilyich lived out of vanity and with the aim of appeasing the societal quo. He even dies of and for vanity. Her death brought him to the abrupt realization that his life had been lived for nothing. He was anguished by an empty shell he had created for himself: “It is inconceivable, inconceivable that life is so senseless and disgusting, why should I die and die in agony? Something wrong. Perhaps I did not live as I should have” (Tolstoy, p. 120). Ilyich lived his life for himself, he did not care about those 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 was a falsity, even if he worried about the falsity of others around him. There was a change in him just 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 their dark embraces. “Without love, Ivan Ilyich's life was empty and meaningless. With the discovery of love, Ivan Ilyich felt that his death was reduced to insignificance” (Pachmuss 332), Ilyich no longer feared death because it was no longer uncomfortable or unpleasant. Once he realizes his life is unpleasant, death no longer matters. The effect of his own death on himself clarified the importance of compassion and love rather than vanity, and that he should not have pushed away those around him, but rather kiss them. Keep in mind: this is just one.