The death of ivan ilyich is a novella written by Leo Tolstoy in 1886 It is a story of the life and death of Ivan Ilyich, a high court judge in 19th-century Russia, who gradually realizes that his life is meaningless. Through Ivan’s transformation from a man who has achieved everything that society tells him should bring happiness, to a man who finds peace with his own mortality, the novella deals with questions of mortality and the meaning of life.
The death of ivan ilyich is a powerful story that has inspired many speeches, and essay topics that seek to analyze and discuss its deep themes. Here are five of the best essay topics based on the novella.
1. The Paradoxical Nature of Ivan Ilyich’s Life: How can the superficiality of Ivan’s life, which is seen as the ideal of his society, be contrasted with his ultimate pursuit of spiritual peace?
2. Change and Redemption: How does Ivan’s illness and eventual death symbolize both his own personal transformation, and his newfound understanding of what life should really be about?
3. The Meaning of Life: How does the death of Ivan Ilyich serve as a reminder of the importance of living life to its fullest, despite the inevitability of death?
4. Mortality and Suffering: How does Tolstoy’s portrayal of Ivan’s suffering reveal the importance of facing mortality and the fragility of life?
5. Ivan Ilyich as a Paragon of Human Existence: How does Ivan’s story serve as a commentary on the behavior of modern society, and how can we learn from it?